Paul Graham (photographer)

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This article is about Paul Graham, the artist photographer. For the genealogist see Paul K. Graham, for the computer enthusiast, see Paul Graham.

Paul Graham (born 1956) is a British artist photographer. His work operates in the territory traditionally reserved for documentary photography, but constantly re-interprets and subverts that genre to take a critical look at what forces move and shape our lives. These have specifically included the conflict in Northern Ireland, Western Europe, Japan and America.

Graham was the first European photographer to engage with New Color Photography and in 1983 published the book : A1—The Great North Road, which had a transformative effect on the black and white documentary tradition that had dominated creative British photography to that point. Photographers like Martin Parr made the switch to colour soon after, and a new school of British Photography evolved with the subsequent work of Richard Billingham, Tom Wood, Paul Seawright, Anna Fox, Nick Waplington, etc.

Graham has been a prolific and well published artist, including a dedicated Phaidon monograph, along with 10 other publications. His work has been exhibited extensively - notably being the first photographer to have a one person show at the Tate Gallery, London, and the inaugural exhibition at Switzerland's national Fotomuseum Winterthur. He was one of only two British photographers included in the Tate Gallery's landmark "Cruel and Tender" survey exhibition of 20th century photography in 2003. Graham is regarded as an artist-photographer, rather than working in the editorial or documentary photography context, so his work is normally found in galleries, museums and book form, rather than magazines or photo agencies, and as such his work commands probably the highest prices of any living British photographer.

Graham resided in the UK for most of his life, though with many periods abroad, including Japan. He moved to New York City in 2003, where he currently lives.