Christopher David Killip
author · photographer
Christopher David Killip (1946–2020) was a prominent Manx photographer known for his evocative black and white documentary photography. Born in Douglas on the Isle of Man, he began his career as an assistant to advertising photographer Adrian Flowers before moving into freelance work. In 1969, he transitioned to personal projects, notably documenting the industrial landscapes and working-class communities of Northeast England during the 1970s and 1980s. His seminal works include 'In Flagrante' (1988) and 'Isle of Man: A Book about the Manx' (1980). Killip was a professor at Harvard University from 1991 to 2017, specializing in visual and environmental studies. He received numerous accolades, including the Henri Cartier-Bresson Award in 1989, for his significant contributions to British photography.[1,4]
- industrial landscape
- working class communities
- Manx culture
- documentary photography
Books
Works by Christopher David Killip
- 1980 Isle of Man: A Book about the Manx With text by Killip and John Berger.
- 1988 In Flagrante Portraits of Tyneside's working class communities.
- 2007 Pirelli Work Photographs of a tyre factory in Burton.
- 2009 Here Comes Everybody: Chris Killip's Irish Photographs Photographs of pilgrimages and rural scenes in Ireland.
- 2012 Arbeit / Work A retrospective.
- 2015 Isle of Man Revisited A second, expanded edition of Isle of Man: A Book about the Manx.
- 2020 The Station Photographs of a station.
- 2022 Chris Killip A retrospective.
- 2024 Skinningrove Last publication worked on.
Exhibitions
- Two Views, Two Cities. Huddersfield and Bury St Edmunds
- 1984 Seacoal
- 1985 Another Country
- 1988 In Flagrante
- 1990 Working at Pirelli
- 1991 Chris Killip Retrospective
- 1997 Chris Killip Photographs 1971–96
- 2012 Arbeit/Work
- 2012 What Happened / Great Britain 1970–1990
- The Last Ships
Awards
- 1989 Henri Cartier-Bresson Award
- 2013 Shortlisted for Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize
- 2020 Dr. Erich Salomon Award
References
- Sean O'Hagan. Chris Killip obituary. The Guardian. 2020 link
- Sean O'Hagan. Chris Killip, hard-hitting photographer of Britain's working class, dies aged 74. The Guardian. 2020 link
- Justin Carville. Chris Killip. Encyclopedia of Twentieth Century Photography. Routledge. 2006
- Tom Seymour. British photographer Chris Killip remembered after battle with cancer. The Art Newspaper. 2020 link
- Chris Killip: 'Remarkable' photographer dies aged 74. BBC News. 2020 link
- Martin Parr and Gerry Badger. The Photobook: A History. Phaidon. 2006
- Clive Dilnot. Chris Killip's Portraits of the Pirelli Workforce. Pirelli Work
- Robert Ayers. One of the greatest photography books ever published – Chris Killip's In Flagrante. 2009 link
- Chris Killip. What Happened. Pirelli Work
- Liz Jobey. Photographer Chris Killip: return to a ritual landscape. The Guardian. 2009 link
- Sean O'Hagan. Moshpit mayhem: The northern club where punks rampaged to Hellbastard. The Guardian. 2020 link
- Ayla Angelos. An exclusive chat with photographer Chris Killip and his son. It's Nice That. 2020 link
- Ayla Angelos. Markéta Luskačová's Chiswick Women's Aid 1976–77 is finally brought to light after 44 years. It's Nice That. 2020 link
- Chronology in Chris Killip 55
- Mark Haworth-Booth. Chris Killip: Recognition for a great photographer. The Guardian. 2020 link
- What Happened / Great Britain 1970–1990. Le Bal link
- Now Then: Chris Killip and the Making of In Flagrante. J. Paul Getty Museum link
- Diane Smyth. Now Then: Chris Killip and the Making of In Flagrante. British Journal of Photography. 2017 link
- Carolina A. Miranda. Seven photos, seven stories: Chris Killip on capturing the declining industrial towns of England in the '70s and '80s. Los Angeles Times. 2017 link
- Chris Killip: The Last Ships. Laing Art Gallery link
- The Station by Chris Killip. Martin Parr Foundation link
- Kate Bush and Mark Sladen. In the Face of History: European Photographers in the 20th Century. Black Dog. 2006
- David Alan Mellor. No such thing as society: Photography in Britain 1967–87. Hayward. 2007
- Simon Bainbridge. Brits Abroad. British Journal of Photography. 2010 link
- Chris Killip's photos capture the freedom of punk in 80s north east England. Dazed. 2020 link
- Chris Killip's 1980s photographs of the fishing village of Skinningrove. The Times. 2024 link
- Kalum Carter. 'Skinningrove' is the last publication Chris Killip worked on. digitalcameraworld. 2024 link
- Chris Killip. Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation link
- Sean O'Hagan. Deutsche Börse 2013 – a shortlist that's short of photographers. The Guardian. 2012 link
- Photographer Chris Killip given an international honour. Isle of Man Today. 2020 link
- Photographer Chris Killip is being honoured with the Dr. Erich Salomon Award. DGPh. 2020 link
- The Station link
- Chris Killip's photos capture the freedom of punk in 80s north east England. Dazed. 2020 link
- Chris Killip's 1980s photographs of the fishing village of Skinningrove. The Times. 2024 link
- Kalum Carter. 'Skinningrove' is the last publication Chris Killip worked on. digitalcameraworld. 2024 link
- Isle of Man TT Races 1971 link
- Huddersfield 1974 link
- The Seaside 1975–1981 link
- Shipbuilding on Tyneside 1975–1976 link
- Chris Killip link
- Chris Killip. Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation link
- Sean O'Hagan. Deutsche Börse 2013 – a shortlist that's short of photographers. The Guardian. 2012 link
- Photographer Chris Killip given an international honour. Isle of Man Today. 2020 link
- Photographer Chris Killip is being honoured with the Dr. Erich Salomon Award. DGPh. 2020 link
- Explore: Artist > Chris Killip. Government Art Collection link
- Chris Killip MoMA. The Museum of Modern Art link
- NGA collection search results. artsearch.nga.gov.au link
- Chris Killip. www.stedelijk.nl link
- Chris Killip born 1946. Tate link
- Your Search Results. collections.vam.ac.uk link