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 (Click for larger image) 
Parr, Martin.
MARTIN PARR: CRUISE MEMORIES.
London, England:
Self-Published,
2002.
Hardcover.
First Edition/First Printing.
24 pages.
As New.
Signed. Artist Book. One of Martin Parr's masterpieces, it is the sequel-of-sorts to "Souvenir du Maroc", and is now very rare. Limited Edition of 8 titled, numbered, and signed copies. A magnificent production by Martin Parr: The photographer has adapted a typical ship cruise souvenir album, a deep-blue leatherette book with gilt titles on the cover, "Cruise Memories Carnival", and removable red "discount sticker". Photographs by Martin Parr, each of which is an archival original 8 X 10 color print. There is no text. Without DJ, as issued. Presents an Artist Book in the original sense of the word: A handmade original in an extremely limited number, all of them done by the artist. Presents the photographer's souvenir photographs of another memorable trip. In the same spirit as the tourist/photographer's habit of taking pictures of every place he visits, keeping them in a souvenir album to show off to friends and colleagues, and relishing them for posterity, Martin Parr has created one of his stay on the aptly named cruise liner, "Fascination". Of course there is a Parr twist: If "Souvenir du Maroc" was about the real Morocco (instead of the exotic one), "Cruise Memories" is, inversely, about cruising-as-pure artificiality (instead of adventure on the high seas). A cruise remains a destination, a place to visit, and a momentary haven to stay in, not a means of transportation, but it is also now a huge industry. So everything must be pre-planned and organized down to the smallest details, stripped of spontaneity. Most tourist/photographers and even professional photographers would automatically ignore the things that Martin Parr notices, and every picture he takes pulsates wonderfully with color. Still, even the most serious photography collectors often don't know what to make of his work because none of his images is conventionally "beautiful". His careful orchestration of a series of images offers one of the most fruitful possibilities for incisive and coherent commentary and elevates the photography book from a mere collection of images into a work of art in itself. He captures the way we live now through a particular angle, whether it be "tourism", "globalization" or "mass culture" in all its banality, prompting some critics to call him photography's Warhol, our most ironic and brilliant colorist. A masterpiece, this is a "must-have" title for Martin Parr collectors. This copy is Number 2, and is prominently and beautifully titled, numbered, dated, and signed in gold pen on the first image by the photographer: "Cruise Memories Edition of 8 Martin Parr 2/8 2002". Each of the twenty-four photographs is an archival original print. This is one of only two copies still available online and has no flaws, a pristine beauty. A rare signed copy thus. 24 original prints. The most influential and most important living British photographer. A flawless collectible copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER MARTIN PARR TITLES IN OUR CATALOG). $4000.00 |
