The Great British Seaside
Charming exhibition at the National Maritime Museum looking at the work of four photographers who have focused on the British seaside, Martin Parr, Tony Ray-Jones, David Hurn and Simon Roberts. The exhibition space is beautifully designed with the centre devoted to a cinema disguised as beach huts, starting in shades of grey to reflect the black and white pictures then gradually becoming coloured. The videos about the artists shown there are excellent. The works started in the late 1960s with the work of Ray-Jones as part of his “The British at Leisure” series with all the lovely clichés of sandcastles, men in socks and jackets and getting changed under towels but all pictured with a wry humour. The theme was continued by Hurn’s pictures from the 1970s. Both were showing the seaside holidays of my youth. Worryingly no-one really looked happy! Maybe the British endure their holidays rather than enjoy them. Colour came with Parr’s pictures. I’m a huge fan ...