Tony Ray-Jones

Tony Ray-Jones (1941-1972) was born in Wales. At the age of 21 he received a scholarship that enabled him to go to the United States. He studied photography at the Yale University School of Art and began working in Alexey Brodovitch's lab, which gave him the opportunity to meet Joel Meyerowitz, Garry Winograd, Irving Pen, Richard Avedon and Diane Arbus. But above all it was the United States and the multicultural people of New York where he learned to work with his camera on the street. When he returned to the UK, he hired a van and travelled the country photographing people. In the process, he discovered that the true spirit of the British people did not come out in the streets of the big cities, but in smaller places, especially on the coast.

He died at the age of only 31, but the photographs had a great influence on subsequent generations of British photographers.

The IKS collection includes five pigment prints that Martin Parr and Anna Ray-Jones published as a special edition of 10 in 2020.

 

 

Weymouth, c.1968. 40,7 x 30,4 cm (paper size). Special Edition of 10, Certificate of authenticy, signed by Martin Parr © Tony Ray-Jones / National Science & Media Museum / Science & Society Picture Library

 

Beauty Contest, Southport, 1967. 30,4 x 40,7 cm (paper size). Special Edition of 10, Certificate of authenticy, signed by Martin Parr © Tony Ray-Jones / National Science & Media Museum / Science & Society Picture Library

 

Unknown. 30,4 x 40,7 cm (paper size). Special Edition of 10, Certificate of authenticy, signed by Martin Parr © Tony Ray-Jones / National Science & Media Museum / Science & Society Picture Library

 

Trooping the Colour, London, 1967. 30,4 x 40,7 cm (paper size). Special Edition of 10, Certificate of authenticy, signed by Martin Parr © Tony Ray-Jones / National Science & Media Museum / Science & Society Picture Library

 

Blackpool, 1966. 30,4 x 40,7 cm (paper size). Special Edition of 10, Certificate of authenticy, signed by Martin Parr © Tony Ray-Jones / National Science & Media Museum / Science & Society Picture Library