Island Life: Photographs from the Martin Parr Foundation
David Hurn
Born 1934, Surrey, grew up in Cardiff
The young Hurn wanted to be a vet or an archaeologist. But struggling with undiagnosed dyslexia, he joined the army instead. The pioneering photojournalism of Henri Cartier-Bresson inspired him to teach himself photography. He gained attention for his Hungarian revolution images in 1956, and built his career photographing celebrities (Jane Fonda, Sophia Loren, The Beatles and more), joining Magnum in 1967. In 1977 he set up the legendary School of Documentary Photography in Newport. One lifelong project is documenting Wales – his book Wales: Land of my Father spans 1970 to 2000. Hurn has built a substantial collection of other photographers’ work, by swapping prints.
