Maggie Murray
Maggie Murray | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1942 (age 82–83) |
| Alma mater | Regent Street Polytechnic |
| Occupation(s) | Photojournalist and documentary photographer |
| Known for | Co-founder of Format photographic agency |
Maggie Murray (born 1942) is a British photojournalist and documentary photographer. In 1983, she was a co-founder of the Format photographic agency. Murray's work is held in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery and in the Maggie Murray Archive at Bishopsgate Institute, London.
Life and work
[edit]Murray studied photography at Regent Street Polytechnic, London.[1] In the 1970s, she was a member of the Hackney Flashers, a socialist-feminist collective of women that created agitprop. In 1983, Murray and Val Wilmer co-founded Format, the first women's photographic agency. Format aimed "both to raise the profile of female photographers and to tackle widespread preconceptions and prejudices".[2] She travelled widely, with a focus on everyday life and work. Later, she particularly focused on the lives of women and other underrepresented groups.[1]
Publications
[edit]Publications by Murray
[edit]- Our Own Freedom: Photographs by Maggie Murray: introduction and comments by Buchi Emecheta. London: Sheba, 1982, ISBN 978-0907179092. With text by Buchi Emecheta.
Zines by Murray
[edit]- Mildmay Road, Newington Green, N1 1970–1990. Southport: Café Royal, 2025.
Publications with contributions by Murray
[edit]- Photography, with Richard Greenhill and Jo Spence. London: Macdonald Educational, 1977. ISBN 9780356060101.
Exhibitions
[edit]Group exhibitions
[edit]- Format Photography Agency 1983 – 2003, National Portrait Gallery, London, January–August 2010[3]
- Women and Photography – Ways of Seeing and Being Seen, Photo Oxford Festival, Oxford, November 2020[4]
- Photographing Protest, Four Corners Gallery, London, 2022[5]
- Re/Sisters: a Lens on Gender and Ecology, Barbican Art Gallery, London, October 2023–January 2024[6][7][8]
- The 80s: Photographing Britain, Tate Britain, London, November 2024–May 2025[9]
Collections
[edit]Murray's work is held in the following permanent collections:
- Bishopsgate Institute, London (The Maggie Murray Archive)[1]
- National Portrait Gallery, London[10]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Maggie Murray Archive". Bishopsgate Institute. Retrieved 2025-08-23.
- ^ Wilmer, Val (2016-08-17). "Groundbreaking Images by the Founder of the UK's First Women's Photographic Agency". Vice. Retrieved 2025-08-23.
- ^ "Format Photography Agency 1983 – 2003". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 2025-08-23.
- ^ Fidler, Matt (2020-10-16). "Photo Oxford: a celebration of women and photography – in pictures". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-08-23.
- ^ Gilbert, Sarah (2022-03-08). "Photographing protest: resistance through a feminist lens – in pictures". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-08-23.
- ^ Hanman, Natalie (2023-10-04). "Himalayan tree-huggers and a landscape of vulvas: the eco-show where women call the shots". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-08-23.
- ^ Souter, Anna (2023-12-05). "Women's Oppression Is the Earth's Oppression". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2025-08-23.
- ^ Smail, Gretchen (2023-10-06). "London Exhibition Explores the Link Between Gender and Ecology". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2025-08-23.
- ^ O'Hagan, Sean (2024-11-24). "The 80s: Photographing Britain review – in your face and to the barricades". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
- ^ "Maggie Murray". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 2025-08-23.