Chris Killip: Retrospective for influential British photographer

10 October 2022

A retrospective of work by one of the UK's most important and influential post-War photographers, Chris Killip, has opened in London.

Killip was best known for documenting the lives of working-class people in post-industrial north-east England, marginalised communities and disappearing ways of life.

News image — Girls Playing in the street, Wallsend, Tyneside,1976

Chris Killip Girls Playing in the street, Wallsend, Tyneside,1976 — Girls Playing in the street, Wallsend, Tyneside,1976

Born on the Isle of Man, in 1946, Killip became a beach photographer in 1964, before working as an assistant in Chelsea.

In the late 1970s, he co-founded Newcastle-upon-Tyne's Side Gallery, dedicated to photography.

Chris Killip Outside Redheads Shipyard, South Shields, Tyneside, 1976 — Outside Redheads Shipyard, South Shields, Tyneside, 1976

Chris Killip Torso, Pelaw, Gateshead, Tyneside, 1978 — Torso, Pelaw, Gateshead, Tyneside, 1978

Chris Killip Family on a Sunday walk, Skinningrove, 1982 — Family on a Sunday walk, Skinningrove, 1982

His stark but sympathetic observation focused attention on issues and communities often neglected or hidden.

In his series Seacoal, he photographed men on horse-driven carts reclaiming coal discarded into the sea from a nearby mine.

Chris Killip Gordon in the water, Seacoal Beach, Lynemouth,1983 — Gordon in the water, Seacoal Beach, Lynemouth, 1983

Chris Killip Unidentified man and Brian Laidler, Seacoal Beach, Lynemouth, January, 1984 — Unidentified man and Brian Laidler, Seacoal Beach, Lynemouth, January, 1984

Chris Killip Boo' on a horse, Seacoal Camp, Lynemouth, Northumbria, 1984 — Boo' on a horse, Seacoal Camp, Lynemouth, Northumbria, 1984

Chris Kilip Cookie in the snow, Seacoal Camp, Lynemouth, Northumbria, 1984 — Cookie in the snow, Seacoal Camp, Lynemouth, Northumbria, 1984

A book to accompany the exhibition draws on thousands of images, showcasing Killip's most influential as well as the lesser known works.

Chris Killip Youth on wall, Jarrow, Tyneside, 1975 — Youth on wall, Jarrow, Tyneside, 1975

Chris Killip A man dancing at The Station, Gateshead, 1985 — The Station, Gateshead, 1985

Chris Killip Bever, Skinningrove, N. Yorkshire, 1983 — Bever, Skinningrove, N. Yorkshire, 1983

Chris Killip Lawrence & Judith Quillam, Ballayock, Earystane, 1973 — Lawrence & Judith Quillam, Ballayock, Earystane, 1973

All images copyright Chris Killip Photography Trust/Magnum Photos

Chris Killip runs at The Photographers' Gallery until 19 February. The accompanying book is published by Thames & Hudson.

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