Colin O'Brien (photographer) explained

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. His notable publications are London Life (2015)^[6] and Travellers' Children in London Fields (2013).

Early life

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

• Retrospective Images. London: Pentagram Design, 2000. .
• Abstract Realities: Images of 20th Century Industrial Design London: The London Institute, 2001. .
• Travellers' Children in London Fields. London: Spitalfields Life Books, 2013. Edited by The Gentle Author.
• 65. London: They That Do, 2014. . 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. .

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

• 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.^[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

• 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

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

• Museum of London, London^[24]
• Hackney Museum, London ^[25]

External links

• • Obituary by O'Brien's publisher at Spitalfields Life Books
• Colin O' Brien - 65, documentary by Aaron Kyle (video)
• Colin O'Brien Traveller's Children in London Fields (video)
• London Life gallery of photographs at The Daily Telegraph
• 65: by Colin O’Brien—Publication, exhibition, curation, production at the book's designers, That They Do

Notes and References

1. News: Colin O'Brien obituary. 26 August 2016 . 26 August 2016 . Sean . O'Hagan . Sean O'Hagan (journalist) . . London .
2. News: The last days of London - in pictures. 24 July 2015 . 26 August 2016 . . London .
3. Web site: Tributes paid to London street photographer Colin O'Brien (update). 26 August 2016 . 26 August 2016 . Chris . Cheesman . . .
4. Web site: colin o'brien snapped 70 years of london's street history. 2 July 2015 . 27 August 2016 . Charlotte . Gush . .
5. News: 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. 25 July 2015 . 26 August 2016 . Jack . Crone . Guardian . London .
6. News: The best books about London. 3 December 2015 . 27 August 2016 . Mark . Sanderson . . London .
7. News: O'Hagan . Sean . O’Hagan . Sean . 2016-08-26 . Colin O’Brien obituary . 2024-10-07 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
8. Web site: Sales - Colin O'Brien - 65 - Colin O'Brien, Photographer, London.
9. Web site: Sales - Colin O'Brien - 65 Boxed Edition - Colin O'Brien, Photographer, London.
10. Web site: Aberystwyth Arts Centre Annual Report 2006 2007. 26 August 2016 . .
11. News: Photo essay: Travellers' Children, 1987. 3 October 2012 . 26 August 2016 . Matilda . Battersby . . London .
12. Web site: Travellers' children in london fields. 26 June 2014 . 28 August 2016 . .
13. Web site: London Life photography exhibition at Hackney Museum. 26 June 2014 . 28 August 2016 . .
14. Web site: London Life: Colin O'Brien's reflections on a changing city. 2 December 2015 . 26 August 2016 . Mick . Moore . Apptitude Media . .
15. Web site: 'London Life' Book Launch & Exhibition . 27 August 2016 . The Society Club . https://web.archive.org/web/20160916161912/http://www.thesocietyclub.com/events-1/2015/6/18/london-life-book-launch-exhibition . 16 September 2016 . dead .
16. Web site: East London Life exhibition. 5 October 2016 .
17. Web site: This England exhibition. 5 October 2016 .
18. Web site: Decisive Moments exhibition. 16 August 2017 .
19. Web site: Museum of London - London Street Photography . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110322232736/http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/EventsExhibitions/Special/London-Street-Photography/Default.htm . 22 March 2011 . dmy .
20. Web site: The streets of London and New York come to life in this exhibition and companion installation. . 4 April 2016 . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304110850/http://www.mcny.org/content/london-street-photography . 4 March 2016 . dmy-all .
21. Web site: Playing In or Out?: 31 March – 4 November 2012. 27 August 2016 . .
22. Web site: Whitechapel: A Look Back by Colin O'Brien and Alex Pink. 27 August 2016 . Centre for Better Health .
23. Web site: Exhibitions & Events A-Z . 27 August 2016 . Photomonth East London . https://web.archive.org/web/20161017000054/http://2014.photomonth.org/listings . 17 October 2016 . dead .
24. Web site: Silver Gelatin Print: Accident at the junction of Farringdon Road and Clerkenwell Road, 1959. 26 August 2016 . .
25. Web site: Lady in a Summer Dress. 29 September 2020 . .