Born in Epson, Surrey, UK 1952. Studied photography at Manchester Polytechnic 1970 - 1973. Since 1994 Martin Parr has been a full member of the MAGNUM photo agency.
Various teaching assignments at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent, The Higher Institute of Arts in Antwerp, L'école des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

During the years Parr has worked on numerous photographic projects and developed an international reputation for his innovative imagery, his oblique approach to social documentary.

In his work Parr addresses themes like consumerism and mass tourism with a particular wit and sense of irony. He uses bright colours and exaggerated close-ups to explore the typical behaviour of turists to offer us an X-ray of the human being in the world of consumerism.

Martin Parr has e.g. created the series Mallorca made while Martin Parr was artist-in-residence at Centro Cultural Andratx, Mallorca.
Mallorca follows the same track as the series Common Sense (1995-99) exhibited in the prominent group show Cruel and Tender - The Real In The Twentieth Century Photography at Tate Modern, London 2003.