Colin O'Brien (photographer)

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Colin O'Brien (8 May 1940 – 19 August 2016) was a British street photographer.[1][2][3][4][5] He began documenting life in London in the 1950s and continued to do so for over 60 years, leaving behind a photographic archive of around half a million negatives.[1] His notable publications are London Life (2015)[1][6] and Travellers' Children in London Fields (2013).[1]

Publications by O'Brien[edit]

  • Retrospective Images. London: Pentagram Design, 2000. ISBN 9780902612174.
  • Abstract Realities: Images of 20th Century Industrial Design London: The London Institute, 2001. ISBN 9780902612570.
  • Travellers' Children in London Fields. London: Spitalfields Life Books, 2013. Edited by The Gentle Author.
  • 65. London: They That Do, 2014. ISBN 978-0992776107. Edition of 1500 copies. "65 images spanning 65 years".[7]
    • Boxed edition. London: They That Do, 2014. Included a print and a set of 10 postcards.[8] Edition of 400 copies.
  • London Life. London: Spitalfields Life Books, 2015. ISBN 978-0957656956.

Exhibitions[edit]

Solo exhibitions[edit]

  • Retrospective Images, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Aberystwyth, Wales, May 2007.[9]
  • Travellers' Children, Genesis Cinema, Stepney, London, 2012.[10]
  • Travellers' Children in London Fields, Agnès b., Marylebone High Street, London, November–December 2013.[11]
  • London Life, Hackney Museum, Mare Street, London, June–Sept 2014.[12]
  • Leica Store City gallery, The Royal Exchange, London, 2015.[13]
  • London Life, The Society Club, Soho, London, June–August 2015.[4][14]
  • East London Life, Unit G Gallery, Hackney, London, July–August 2015.[15]
  • This England, Unit G Gallery, Hackney, London, October 2016.[16]
  • Decisive Moments (international retrospective), Unit G Gallery, Hanbury Hall, London, July–August 2017.[17]

Exhibitions with others[edit]

  • London Street Photography: 1860-2010, Museum of London, London, February–September 2011.[18] Travelled to the Museum of the City of New York, July–December 2012.[19]
  • Playing In or Out?, V&A Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green, London, March–November 2012.[20] Film and photographs by O'Brien, Alec Brooking and John Heywood.
  • Whitechapel: a Look Back, Darnley Gallery, Centre for Better Health, Hackney, London, part of Photomonth East London International Photography Festival, October 2014.[21] Photographs by O'Brien and Alex Pink "taken before, during and immediately after the 2012 London Olympic Games."[22]

Collections[edit]

O'Brien's work is held in the following public collections:

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d O'Hagan, Sean (26 August 2016). "Colin O'Brien obituary". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  2. ^ "The last days of London - in pictures". The Guardian. London. 24 July 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  3. ^ Cheesman, Chris (26 August 2016). "Tributes paid to London street photographer Colin O'Brien (update)". Amateur Photographer. Time Inc. UK. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  4. ^ a b Gush, Charlotte (2 July 2015). "colin o'brien snapped 70 years of london's street history". i-D. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  5. ^ Crone, Jack (25 July 2015). "Vanishing London: From the 72 tram on the Thames Embankment to the England captain mingling with fans, photographer spends 40 years capturing the sights of the capital before they disappeared". London: Guardian. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  6. ^ Sanderson, Mark (3 December 2015). "The best books about London". London: London Evening Standard. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  7. ^ "Sales - Colin O'Brien - 65 - Colin O'Brien, Photographer, London".
  8. ^ "Sales - Colin O'Brien - 65 Boxed Edition - Colin O'Brien, Photographer, London".
  9. ^ "Aberystwyth Arts Centre Annual Report 2006 2007" (PDF). Aberystwyth Arts Centre. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  10. ^ Battersby, Matilda (3 October 2012). "Photo essay: Travellers' Children, 1987". The Independent. London. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  11. ^ "Travellers' children in london fields". Hackney London Borough Council. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  12. ^ "London Life photography exhibition at Hackney Museum". Hackney London Borough Council. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  13. ^ Moore, Mick (2 December 2015). "London Life: Colin O'Brien's reflections on a changing city". British Journal of Photography. Apptitude Media. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  14. ^ "'London Life' Book Launch & Exhibition". The Society Club. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  15. ^ "East London Life exhibition". Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  16. ^ "This England exhibition". Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  17. ^ "Decisive Moments exhibition". Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  18. ^ "Museum of London - London Street Photography". Archived from the original on 22 March 2011.
  19. ^ "The streets of London and New York come to life in this exhibition and companion installation". Museum of the City of New York. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  20. ^ "Playing In or Out?: 31 March – 4 November 2012". Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  21. ^ "Whitechapel: A Look Back by Colin O'Brien and Alex Pink". Centre for Better Health. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  22. ^ "Exhibitions & Events A-Z". Photomonth East London. Archived from the original on 17 October 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  23. ^ "Silver Gelatin Print: Accident at the junction of Farringdon Road and Clerkenwell Road, 1959". Museum of London. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  24. ^ "Lady in a Summer Dress". Hackney Museum. Retrieved 29 September 2020.

External links[edit]


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