In the book, Up and Down Peachtree, Martin Parr presents a complete photographic collection of his work done in USA. The target of his American journey is Atlanta, Georgia, and the title of the book is taken from Atlanta’s main thoroughfare, Peachtree Street, around which the city was born and grew. The international edition of Up and Down Peachtree ($40/€30/£25), published by Contrasto, will accompany an exhibition of the same title running from 9 June until 2 September 2012 at the High Museum in Atlanta.

Contrasto Press Release

Martin Parr
UP AND DOWN PEACHTREE

The complete work of Martin Parr in Atlanta

This extraordinary volume presents an original and comprehensive treatment of Martin Parr’s images of Atlanta taken over the past year. This work represents a singular contribution to photography and is in a style all its own.

In this book—and for the first time ever—Martin Parr presents a complete photographic collection of his work done in USA. The target of his American journey is Atlanta, Georgia, the symbolic capital of the American South, made famous by the film Gone With the Wind and by the Southern Gothic novel, home to the great Martin Luther King Jr. and to the Coca-Cola Company. This is where Parr casts his infallible gaze, and where, from among the continual flux of life, he extracts those details, colors, forms, and gestures that tell of a general mood and a modern way of life that make us laugh and despair at the same time.

The title of the book is taken from Atlanta’s main thoroughfare, Peachtree Street, around which the city was born and grew. The street is a landmark to people from the city, and in fact it was here that Margaret Mitchell wrote Gone With the Wind.

Martin Parr’s gaze is caustic and implacable, teeming with wit, intelligence, and a playful touch of irony. This is the signature style of a photographer whose visual stories of the white middle class and their vices, customs, and bad taste tell of the “common sense” of our time. Acclaimed around the world, the artist is one of the most exemplary members of the prestigious Magnum Photos.

The international edition of Up and Down Peachtree, published by Contrasto, will accompany the homonymous exhibit beginning on June 9 until to September 2,  2012 at the High Museum in Atlanta, Georgia.

Biography
Martin Parr was born in 1952 in Epsom, Surrey. He studied photography at Manchester Polytechnic, where he won the Arts Council of Great Britain Photography Award three years in a row. Between 1975 and the early 90’s he took on various teaching assignments. After sparking a heated debate over his provocative photographic style, he became a member of Magnum Photos in 1994. His work appeared in museums and galleries throughout Europe and the United States, and also resides in major public and private collections. He has also directed documentary films and a television series, “Think of England.”

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