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Colin O'Brien (photographer)

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O'Brien at his '65' exhibition, Oxo Tower 2015

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]

Early life

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O’Brien began taking photos at age 8. He says his “first real photograph” was a photo of his two childhood friends against a car at Hatton Garden, Clerkenwell, in London in the area he was raised. At the time O’Brien shot with a Brownie box camera and an uncle gave him a contact printing set to help him develop his own film. His subjects were usually his family and landscapes, with his photo of the London skyline at night used on cover of the first edition of Bill Naughton’s Alfie, an adaptation of his play and was later turned into two films.[7]

Publications by O'Brien

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  • 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".[8]
    • Boxed edition. London: They That Do, 2014. Included a print and a set of 10 postcards.[9] Edition of 400 copies.
  • London Life. London: Spitalfields Life Books, 2015. ISBN 978-0957656956.

Exhibitions

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Solo exhibitions

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  • Retrospective Images, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Aberystwyth, Wales, May 2007.[10]
  • Travellers' Children, Genesis Cinema, Stepney, London, 2012.[11]
  • Travellers' Children in London Fields, Agnès b., Marylebone High Street, London, November–December 2013.[12]
  • London Life, Hackney Museum, Mare Street, London, June–Sept 2014.[13]
  • Leica Store City gallery, The Royal Exchange, London, 2015.[14]
  • London Life, The Society Club, Soho, London, June–August 2015.[4][15]
  • East London Life, Unit G Gallery, Hackney, London, July–August 2015.[16]
  • This England, Unit G Gallery, Hackney, London, October 2016.[17]
  • Decisive Moments (international retrospective), Unit G Gallery, Hanbury Hall, London, July–August 2017.[18]

Exhibitions with others

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  • London Street Photography: 1860-2010, Museum of London, London, February–September 2011.[19] Travelled to the Museum of the City of New York, July–December 2012.[20]
  • Playing In or Out?, V&A Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green, London, March–November 2012.[21] 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.[22] Photographs by O'Brien and Alex Pink "taken before, during and immediately after the 2012 London Olympic Games."[23]

Collections

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

References

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  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. ^ O'Hagan, Sean; O’Hagan, Sean (26 August 2016). "Colin O'Brien obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  8. ^ "Sales - Colin O'Brien - 65 - Colin O'Brien, Photographer, London".
  9. ^ "Sales - Colin O'Brien - 65 Boxed Edition - Colin O'Brien, Photographer, London".
  10. ^ "Aberystwyth Arts Centre Annual Report 2006 2007" (PDF). Aberystwyth Arts Centre. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  11. ^ Battersby, Matilda (3 October 2012). "Photo essay: Travellers' Children, 1987". The Independent. London. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  12. ^ "Travellers' children in london fields". Hackney London Borough Council. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  13. ^ "London Life photography exhibition at Hackney Museum". Hackney London Borough Council. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ "'London Life' Book Launch & Exhibition". The Society Club. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  16. ^ "East London Life exhibition". Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  17. ^ "This England exhibition". Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  18. ^ "Decisive Moments exhibition". Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  19. ^ "Museum of London - London Street Photography". Archived from the original on 22 March 2011.
  20. ^ "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.
  21. ^ "Playing In or Out?: 31 March – 4 November 2012". Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  22. ^ "Whitechapel: A Look Back by Colin O'Brien and Alex Pink". Centre for Better Health. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  23. ^ "Exhibitions & Events A-Z". Photomonth East London. Archived from the original on 17 October 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  24. ^ "Silver Gelatin Print: Accident at the junction of Farringdon Road and Clerkenwell Road, 1959". Museum of London. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  25. ^ "Lady in a Summer Dress". Hackney Museum. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
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