David Hurn

David Hurn
Hurn in 2018
Born	(1934-07-21) July 21, 1934 (age 89) Redhill, Surrey, England
Occupation	Documentary photographer

David Hurn (born 21 July 1934) is a British documentary photographer and member of Magnum Photos.

Life and work

Hurn was born on 21 July 1934 in Redhill, Surrey, England. He was raised in Cardiff, Wales.^[1] Because of his dyslexia he joined the school camera club. After leaving school he headed for London, hoping to become a photographer.^[1]

Hurn is a self-taught photographer. He began his career in 1955 when he worked for

Hurn returned to Wales in the late 1960s, initially living in a van for a year photographing the country.[1] He was married from 1964–71 to American actress Alita Naughton (1942-2019), best known for her role in Ken Russell’s French Dressing (1964).

In 1973 he set up the School of Documentary Photography in Newport, Wales. Eventually, he turned away from documentary photojournalism, bringing a more personal approach to his image making. He says, "There are many forms of photography. I consider myself simply a recorder of that which I find of interest around me. I personally have no desire to create or stage direct ideas."^[6] His book, Wales: Land of My Father (2000), illustrates the traditional and the modern aspects of Wales.

In 2001 he was diagnosed with

Hurn has been an avid collector of photography. Remarkably, he has amassed his private collection by swapping works with other photographers. The collection National Museum Cardiff comprises approximately 700 photographs. Swaps: Photographs from the David Hurn Collection, National Museum Cardiff, Wales, September 2017 – April 2018.^[9]

In 2017 Hurn donated 1500 of his photographs, and 700 of other peoples' photographs, to

Publications by Hurn

• David Hurn: Photographs 1956-1976. London:
  ISBN 978-0-7287-0202-8
  .
• Wales: Land of My Father. London:
  ISBN 978-0-500-01983-2
  .
• Living in Wales. Bridgend:
  ISBN 978-1-85411-339-9
  .
• Rebirth of a Capital. Cardiff:
  ISBN 978-0-902466-22-7
  .
• Writing the Picture. Bridgend: Seren, 2010.
  ISBN 978-1854115317
  .
• The 1960s Photographed by David Hurn. London: Reel Art Press, 2015.
  ISBN 978-1909526136
  .
• Arizona Trips. London: Reel Art, 2017. Photographs by Hurn.
  ISBN 978-1-909526-51-8. Edited by Tony Nourmand. Foreword by Christopher Frayling
  .

• California. Southport: Café Royal, 2017. Edition of 200 copies.[n 1]
• Wales 1970s. Southport: Café Royal, 2017. Edition of 200 copies.^{[n 2]}
• Wales 1990s. Southport: Café Royal, 2017. Edition of 200 copies.^{[n 3]}
• Wales 2010s. Southport: Café Royal, 2018. Edition of 200 copies.^{[n 4]}

Publications with others

• On Being a Photographer: a Practical Guide. Photography & the Creative Process: a Series by LensWork Publishing. Anacortes, WA: Lenswork Publishing, 1997.
  ISBN 978-1-888803-06-8. With Bill Jay
  . And subsequent editions.
• On Looking at Photographs: A Practical Guide. Anacortes, WA: Lenswork Publishing, 2000.
  ISBN 978-1-888803-09-9
  . With Bill Jay.

• 1979/80: UK/USA Bicentennial Fellowship[12]
• 2016: Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society^[13]

Exhibitions

• 2014: Land of My Father, Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow, 2014.^[14] Part of the Britain in Focus theme of Photobiennale 2014, the UK-Russia Year of Culture.
• 2017: 44 Mile Radius, Tilt & Shift Gallery, Llanrwst, Wales, 2017.^[15] Photographs made by Hurn within a 44-mile radius of Llanrwst.

TV programs about Hurn

• David Hurn: A Life in Pictures. 40 minutes. BBC, 2017.^[16]He also appears in “A House In Bayswater” made in 1960. Currently on Iplayer in BBC Archive.

Collections

• British Council, London^[17]
• Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales^[11]

References