Philip Jones Griffiths is renowned as the foremost photographer of the war in Viet Nam. President of Magnum for a record five years, his 1971 publication Viet Nam Inc was a crucial influence in changing public opinion in the US at the time of the conflict. His new book presents a period much closer to home, with many previously unseen images taken of Britain in the 1950s, 60s and 70s.Griffithss pictures depict social and political affairs, and landmark events over three decades of change and upheaval in Great Britain. From the Beatles in Liverpool and coalminers in Wales, to CND marches on the streets of London and funeral processions in Northern Ireland, the images are acute, human, and full of his trademark perceptive commentary. "Recollections" presents a domestic revolution from one of the worlds greatest photographers, whose international fame covering a country on the other side of the world, is now put in the context of his equally incisive work at home. In 2008 the images will be exhibited in Liverpool at the National Conservation Centre, as part of their City of Culture celebrations, and in Paris during Mois de la Photo. An exhibition of his Agent Orange work will be exhibited at the Brighton Photo Biennial, October 2008. Philip Jones Griffiths studied pharmacy in Liverpool and practiced in London, while photographing part-time for the Manchester Guardian. In 1961, he became a full-time freelancer for the London Observer. Griffiths covered the Algerian War in 1962, and then was based in Central Africa before moving to Asia. He photographed the Viet Nam War beginning in 1966, publishing Vietnam Inc in 1971. Time Magazine called Vietnam Inc "the best work of photo-reportage of war ever published," and The New Statesman added, "Of all the hundreds of books about [the War,] this is the truest, the most important, the most upsetting." His coverage of many of the major upheavals of the second half of 20th century has taken Philip Jones Griffiths to more than 120 countries in all five continents. In 1980, Griffiths moved to New York to assume the presidency of the legendary Magnum Photo Agency, a post he held for a record five years. Griffiths' photographs have appeared in every major magazine in the world.
