Description:
Essay by Liz Jobey, introduction by Martin Parr
The publication of the book 'Tony Ray Jones' coincided with an exhibition to mark the important contribution that Tony Ray-Jones (1941 – 1972) and his legacy, have made to British documentary photography.
The book focuses on photographs taken between 1966 – 1969 as Ray-Jones, driven by curiosity, traveled across the country to document English social customs and what he saw as a disappearing way of life. This small but distinctive body of photographs was part of an evolutionary shift in British photography, placing artistic vision above commercial success. In this short period of time, Ray-Jones managed to establish an individual personal style. He constructed complex images against a uniquely English backdrop, where the spaces between the components of the image were as important as the main subject matter itself.
Ray-Jones’ skills were gleaned from a generation of street photographers he encountered whilst living in New York in the mid-1960s. These photographers included Garry Winogrand, Joel Meyerowitz and others associated with the circle of legendary Harpers Bazaar art director Alexey Brodovitch. Their pictures defined the era as they used the street as a framework. Ray-Jones applied this new way of seeing to his native England and photographed his observations as they had never been seen before.
In 2012, Martin Parr alongside curator Greg Hobson, revisited Ray-Jones' contact sheets from this period and found previously unseen images. These new discoveries will be exhibited and published alongside iconic early images, including vintage prints from the Martin Parr Foundation collection.
Publication Date: 2019
Publisher: RRB Photobooks & Martin Parr Foundation
Condition: Watermark to top left hand side of cover and slight page damage to first 15 pages
Book Size: 31×26cm cm
Pages: 128
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781916057500
Description:
Essay by Liz Jobey, introduction by Martin Parr
The publication of the book 'Tony Ray Jones' coincided with an exhibition to mark the important contribution that Tony Ray-Jones (1941 – 1972) and his legacy, have made to British documentary photography.
The book focuses on photographs taken between 1966 – 1969 as Ray-Jones, driven by curiosity, traveled across the country to document English social customs and what he saw as a disappearing way of life. This small but distinctive body of photographs was part of an evolutionary shift in British photography, placing artistic vision above commercial success. In this short period of time, Ray-Jones managed to establish an individual personal style. He constructed complex images against a uniquely English backdrop, where the spaces between the components of the image were as important as the main subject matter itself.
Ray-Jones’ skills were gleaned from a generation of street photographers he encountered whilst living in New York in the mid-1960s. These photographers included Garry Winogrand, Joel Meyerowitz and others associated with the circle of legendary Harpers Bazaar art director Alexey Brodovitch. Their pictures defined the era as they used the street as a framework. Ray-Jones applied this new way of seeing to his native England and photographed his observations as they had never been seen before.
In 2012, Martin Parr alongside curator Greg Hobson, revisited Ray-Jones' contact sheets from this period and found previously unseen images. These new discoveries will be exhibited and published alongside iconic early images, including vintage prints from the Martin Parr Foundation collection.
Publication Date: 2019
Publisher: RRB Photobooks & Martin Parr Foundation
Condition: Watermark to top left hand side of cover and slight page damage to first 15 pages
Book Size: 31×26cm cm
Pages: 128
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781916057500