The Easel

Archives: Staff

16th December 2025

Remembering Martin Parr (1952–2025)

Staff | Magnum Photos | 10th December 2025

After getting married, Martin Parr increasing directed his photography toward capturing the mundane aspects of British life. His seminal work, The Last Resort, featured seaside holiday makers in situations where “hope and promise don’t quite match reality”. While some praised his “pin-sharp satirical genius” others called him a “cynical smart-arse”. He seemed untroubled by the furore, responding that his work was “social documentary. I make serious photographs disguised as entertainment.”

9th December 2025

Five Ways of Looking at Wifredo Lam

Staff | MoMA Magazine | 18th November 2025

Lam’s work has long perplexed the art world. Born in Cuba, he moved to Spain in his early 20’s to study art. Eighteen years later he returned, wanting to blend cubism and surrealism with a Caribbean sensibility. La Jungla, his acknowledged masterpiece, does just that, placing figures amidst sugar cane and jungle foliage. Lam said the work was “an act of decolonisation … in a mental sense”. He gave “a mystical presence to [everyday] scenes”. Says a curator “There’s so much that remains to be [understood]”.

Tyler Mitchell: the photographer of the moment

Staff | The Economist | 4th December 2025

Mitchell shot his first Vogue cover – of Beyonce – at age 23, an indicator of his precocious talent. Now 30, he has a high-profile career that straddles fashion and fine art. His focus is on Black style and beauty, often featuring black figures in playful or leisurely moments that contrast with charged media imagery. Having grown up in the worlds of skateboarding and music, he is hyper-aware of image. “It becomes about how we present ourselves culturally. The clothes kind of become this other thing”.

The 2025 Power 100: A User’s Guide

Staff | ArtReview | 4th December 2025

ArtReview’s Power 100 comes with a warning – it is subjective and prone to favour those with money. With that caveat in mind here are some takeaways from this year’s list. The art world is becoming multi-polar and “old art centres” have lost ground to the Middle East [not by much]. Artists themselves take most of the top 10 spots [good] and artists from Africa are prominent [about time]. The “old gallery model” is struggling [unlikely]. The art world conceals much of its activities [twas ever thus].

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