Friday 25th May 1973 , 1988. De la série "Sectarian Murder". Paul Seawright (Belfast, 1965), Photographie couleur montée sur aluminium, 50,8 x 50,8 cm, © Paul Seawright / Kerlin Gallery, Dublin

Parrworld: The Collection of Martin Parr
30 June - 27 September 2009
Musée du Jeu de Paume
1, place de la Concorde
75008 Paris
http://www.jeudepaume.org

"Parrworld", curated by Thomas Weski for the Musée du Jeu de Paume (Paris), features the both funny and satiric universe of the British photographer Martin Parr (b. 1952). It gathers his latest photographs, as well as those from his own collection, but also many objects and curiosities he has been collecting throughout the world.

Parr's favorite social themes are reflected in the collection of around 100 photographs on show. In the first part, social documentary photography is found alongside works from the 1970s and 80s by Tony Ray-Jones, Chris Killip and Graham Smith. Artists such as Keith Arnatt, Mark Neville, Jem Southam and Tom Wood represent contemporary British photography. The second part focus on international scene which features images that have influenced Parr or with which he feels a strong personal connection, ranging from photographs by masters such as Robert Frank, Garry Winogrand and William Eggleston, to pictures by friends like John Gossage and Gilles Peress, as well as work by Japanese photographers, including Osamu Kanemura, Kohei Yoshiyuki and Rinko Kawauchi.

In the series Luxury (2004 -2008), Martin Parr examines the phenomenon of wealth around the world, which he considers just as problematic as poverty. He travelled around the globe photographing fashion shows, art fairs, luxury markets and horse races in cities like Dubai, Durban and Moscow. "We are much too rich for our own good", declared the artist. Modesty not being the most obvious quality of the jet setters who, on the contrary, love to flaunt their new and superficial wealth, Parr highlights the grotesque in order to produce an uncompromising study of this new international plutocracy, following on from the spirit of his earlier projects on the middle and working classes.