Martin Parr | The Last Resort
25 September to 31 October 2026
Rocket presents The Last Resort, its fifteenth solo exhibition of photographs by Martin Parr, one of the most high-profile photographers of the past half-century. Photographed in New Brighton, Merseyside, between 1983 and 1985, The Last Resort remains one of the defining bodies of work in contemporary photography. Parr’s first venture into colour photography marked a decisive shift in British documentary practice through its use of direct flash and saturated colour.
Produced during the height of the Thatcher era, the photographs depict visitors to a declining seaside resort with the wit and discomfort that would come to define Parr’s photographic legacy. This exhibition marks forty years since the publication of the original self-published book and the landmark presentation of The Last Resort at the Serpentine Gallery, London in 1986. Focusing on historical Fujicolour C-type photographs printed from the original negatives, this exhibition presents the series in its original photographic form for the first time in decades.
The exhibition will also include a group of contemporaneous vintage photographic prints produced in the mid-1980s under Parr’s supervision. Original archive material drawn from Parr’s personal archive will be on show, providing further insight into the conception, production and the turbulent reception of the series. Widely regarded as a watershed moment in the history of colour photography, The Last Resort established Martin Parr as one of the foremost chroniclers of British life and remains a prestigious achievement in documentary photography. Four decades later, The Last Resort continues to shape and influence photography through its incredibly frank representation of 80s Britain.
Martin Parr (UK, 1952–2025) was a full member of Magnum Photos and he published over 175 books of his photographs. In 2017 he founded the Martin Parr Foundation, Bristol and in 2021 he was awarded a CBE for his services to photography. In 2023 Parr was honoured with the Photo London Master of Photography Award. Recent institutional solo exhibitions include Only Human, National Portrait Gallery, London (2019); Grand Hotel Parr, Neues Museum Nuremberg, Germany (2025); Global Warning, Jeu de Paume, Paris (2026); and We Are Martin Parr, SeMA, South Korea (2026).
Photographs by Martin Parr are held in numerous public collections including: Tate Gallery, London; Arts Council of Great Britain; V&A, London; The Hepworth, Wakefield, Yorkshire; Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris; J Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; Museum of Modern Art, New York; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Los Angeles County Museum; Australian National Gallery, Canberra; National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.
Rocket presented the first commercial London gallery exhibition of Parr’s photographs in 1997. We collaborated on thirteen solo lifetime exhibitions, exhibited his work at countless international art fairs and published five books. Rocket now exclusively represents his Estate in the United Kingdom – and internationally through partnerships with other galleries – selling the Lifetime photographs from his studio archive.
Martin Parr | The Last Resort is open to the public from 25 September to 31 October 2026
on Thursday, Friday & Saturday 2-6 pm
+ the exhibition will continue to be open by appointment for clients, curators & groups till the end of 2026
preview on Thursday 24 September 2026 from 6-8 with drinks served
click on Eventbrite to attend the preview click for a copy of the exhibition press release