Maggie Murray
British photographer (born 1942)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
Maggie Murray | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1942 (age 83–84) |
| Alma mater | Regent Street Polytechnic |
| Occupations | Photojournalist and documentary photographer |
| Known for | Co-founder of Format photographic agency |
Life and work
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
Publications by Murray
- 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
- Mildmay Road, Newington Green, N1 1970–1990. Southport: Café Royal, 2025.
Publications with contributions by Murray
- Photography, with Richard Greenhill and Jo Spence. London: Macdonald Educational, 1977. ISBN 9780356060101.
Exhibitions
Group exhibitions
- 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
Murray's work is held in the following permanent collections:
- Bishopsgate Institute, London (The Maggie Murray Archive)[1]
- National Portrait Gallery, London[10]