David Hurn (born 1934) is a Welsh

documentary photographer Documentary photography usually refers to a popular form of photography used to chronicle events or environments both significant and relevant to history and historical events as well as everyday life. It is typically undertaken as professional ph ...

and member of

Magnum Photos Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices in Paris, New York City, London and Tokyo. It was founded in 1947 in Paris by photographers Robert Capa, David Seymour (photographer), Davi ...

, who lives in South Wales.

Early life and education

Hurn was born in 1934 in Redhill, Surrey, England. He is of Welsh descent and was raised in

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

, Wales. Because of his

dyslexia Dyslexia (), previously known as word blindness, is a learning disability that affects either reading or writing. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, reading quickly, wri ...

he joined the school camera club.

Life and work

After leaving school, Hurn moved to London, hoping to become a photographer. Self-taught, he began his career in 1955 when he worked for Reflex Agency. He gained his reputation as a photojournalist for his documentation of the

Hungarian revolution of 1956 The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (23 October – 4 November 1956; ), also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was an attempted countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989) and the policies caused by ...

, and is featured in two of

Ken Russell Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell (3 July 1927 – 27 November 2011) was a British film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. His films were mainly liberal adaptations of ...

's films for the ''

Monitor Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, Wes ...

'' television arts' series, '' A House in Bayswater'' (1960), and ''Watch the Birdie'' (1963). In 1965 he became associated with

and became a full member in 1967. In 1963, Hurn was commissioned by the producers of the

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

films to shoot a series of stills with

Sean Connery Sir Thomas Sean Connery (25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to Portrayal of James Bond in film, portray the fictional British secret agent James Bond (literary character), James Bond in motion pic ...

and the actresses of '' From Russia with Love''. When the

theatrical property A prop, formally known as a (theatrical) property, is an object actors use on stage or screen during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...

Walther PPK The Walther PP (, or police pistol) series pistols are blowback-operated semi-automatic pistols, developed by the German arms manufacturer Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen. Design The Walther PP series feature an exposed hammer, a double-action ...

pistol didn't arrive, Hurn volunteered the use of his own

Walther Walther () is a masculine given name and a surname. It is a German form of Walter, which is derived from the Old High German '' Walthari'', containing the elements ''wald'' -"power", "brightness" or "forest" and ''hari'' -"warrior". The name was ...

LP-53

air pistol An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosphere ...

. The pistol became a symbol of James Bond on many

film poster A film poster is a poster used to promote and advertise a film primarily to persuade paying customers into a theater to see it. Studios often print several posters that vary in size and content for various domestic and international markets. The ...

s of the series. In 1967

Dino de Laurentiis Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis (; 8 August 1919 – 10 November 2010) was an Italian film producer and businessman who held both Italian and American citizenship. Following a brief acting career in the late 1930s and early 1940s, he moved into f ...

asked Hurn to travel to Rome to shoot photos of

Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress and activist. Recognized as a film icon, Jane Fonda filmography, Fonda's work spans several genres and over six decades of film and television. She is the recipient of List of a ...

in '' Barbarella''. Hurn returned to Wales in the late 1960s, initially living in a van for a year photographing the country. In 1973 he set up the School of Documentary Photography in

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay * Newport (Vietnam), a United States Army and Army of t ...

, Wales. Eventually, he turned away from documentary and photojournalism, bringing a more personal approach to his image making. He says, "There are many forms of photography. I consider myself simply a recorder of that which I find of interest around me. I personally have no desire to create or stage direct ideas." His book, ''Wales: Land of My Father'' (2000), illustrates the traditional and the modern aspects of Wales. He continues to live and work in Wales. Hurn has been an avid collector of photography. He built his private collection of other peoples' work by swapping prints with them. In 2017, he donated 1500 of his photographs, and 700 of other peoples' photographs—including

Henri Cartier-Bresson Henri Cartier-Bresson (; 22 August 1908 – 3 August 2004) was a French artist and Humanist photography, humanist photographer considered a master of candid photography, and an early user of 135 film, 35mm film. He pioneered the genre of street ...

Eve Arnold Eve Arnold, OBE (honorary), FRPS (honorary) (née Cohen; April 21, 1912January 4, 2012) was an American photojournalist, long-resident in the UK. She joined Magnum Photos agency in 1951, and became a full member in 1957. She was the first wom ...

, and

Bill Brandt Bill Brandt (born Hermann Wilhelm Brandt ; 2 May 1904 – 20 December 1983)Paul DelanyBill Brandt: A Life was a British photographer and photojournalism, photojournalist. Born in Germany, Brandt moved to England, where he became known for his ...

—to

Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales, branded as simply Amgueddfa Cymru (formerly the National Museums and Galleries of Wales and legally National Museum of Wales), is a Welsh Government sponsored body that comprises seven museums in Wales: * N ...

National Museum Cardiff National Museum Cardiff (), formerly known as the National Museum of Wales, is a museum and art gallery in Cardiff, Wales. The museum is part of the wider network of Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales. Entry is kept free by a grant from the Wel ...

held an exhibition of this collection of other peoples' photographs in 2017/2018, entitled ''Swaps: Photographs from the David Hurn Collection.''

Personal life

Hurn was married from 1964 to 1971 to American actress Alita Naughton (1942–2019), best known for her role in

's ''

French Dressing French dressing is a creamy dressing in American cuisine based upon oil, vinegar, tomato, sugar, and other often finely chopped ingredients. Its composition was once regulated by the United States federal government, which withdrew its standard ...

'' (1964). In 2001 he was diagnosed with

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...

but made a full recovery. He lives in

Tintern Tintern () is a village in the community (Wales), community of Wye Valley (community), Wye Valley, on the west bank of the River Wye in Monmouthshire, Wales, close to the border with England, about north of Chepstow. It is popular with tourist ...

, Monmouthshire.

Publications

Publications by Hurn

* ''David Hurn: Photographs 1956-1976.'' London:

Arts Council of Great Britain The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. It was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England (now Arts Council England), the Scottish Arts Council (l ...

, 1979. . * ''Wales: Land of My Father.'' London:

Thames & Hudson Thames & Hudson (sometimes T&H for brevity) is a publisher of illustrated books in all visually creative categories: art, architecture, design, photography, fashion, film, and the performing arts. It also publishes books on archaeology, history, ...

, 2000. . * ''Living in Wales.'' Bridgend: Seren, 2003. . * ''Rebirth of a Capital''. Cardiff:

Cardiff County Council Cardiff Council, formally the County Council of the City and County of Cardiff () is the governing body for Cardiff, one of the principal areas of Wales. The principal area and its council were established in 1996 to replace the previous Car ...

, 2005. . * ''Writing the Picture.'' Bridgend: Seren, 2010. . * ''The 1960s Photographed by David Hurn.'' London: Reel Art Press, 2015. . * ''Arizona Trips.'' London: Reel Art, 2017. Photographs by Hurn. . Edited by Tony Nourmand. Foreword by

Christopher Frayling Sir Christopher John Frayling (born 25 December 1946) is a British educationalist and writer, known for his study of popular culture. He was awarded a knighthood for Services to Art and Design Education in the 2001 New Year Honours. Early lif ...

. *''On Instagram''. London: Reel Art, 2024. . *''On Reading''. Bristol: RRB, 2024. .

Zines by Hurn

*''California''. Southport: Café Royal, 2017. Edition of 200 copies.Café Royal's page about ''California'' i
here
*''Wales 1970s''. Southport: Café Royal, 2017. Edition of 200 copies.Café Royal's page about ''Wales 1970s'' i
here
*''Wales 1990s''. Southport: Café Royal, 2017. Edition of 200 copies.Café Royal's page about ''Wales 1990s'' i
here
*''Wales 2010s''. Southport: Café Royal, 2018. Edition of 200 copies.Café Royal's page about ''Wales 2010s'' i
here

Publications with others

* ''On Being a Photographer: a Practical Guide.'' Photography & the Creative Process: a Series by LensWork Publishing. Anacortes, WA: Lenswork Publishing, 1997. . With

Bill Jay William Jay (12 August 1940 – 10 May 2009) was a photographer, writer on and advocate of photography, curator, magazine and picture editor, lecturer, public speaker and mentor. He was the first editor of "the immensely influential magazine" '' ...

. And subsequent editions. * ''On Looking at Photographs: A Practical Guide.'' Anacortes, WA: Lenswork Publishing, 2000. . With Bill Jay.

Awards

*1979/80: UK/USA Bicentennial Fellowship *2016: Honorary Fellowship of the

Royal Photographic Society The Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, commonly known as the Royal Photographic Society (RPS), is the world's oldest photographic society having been in continuous existence since 1853. It was founded in London, England, in 1853 as th ...

*2021:

Lucie Awards The Lucie Awards is an annual event honoring achievements in photography, founded in 2003 by Hossein Farmani. The Lucie Awards is an annual gala ceremony presented by the Lucie Foundation (a 501(c) organization#501(c)(3), 501 (c)3 non-profit charit ...

, New York, Achievement in Documentary

Exhibitions

*2014: ''Land of My Father,''

Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow The Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow (MAMM; , Москва) is a Russian state museum dedicated to the presentation and development of contemporary art related to new multimedia technologies. The museum was opened in October 2010 on the grounds of ...

, 2014. Part of the ''Britain in Focus'' theme of Photobiennale 2014, the UK-Russia Year of Culture. *2017: ''44 Mile Radius,'' Tilt & Shift Gallery, Llanrwst, Wales, 2017. Photographs made by Hurn within a 44-mile radius of Llanrwst.

TV programs about Hurn

*He appears in '' A House in Bayswater'' (1960). Currently on Iplayer in BBC Archive. *''David Hurn: A Life in Pictures.'' 40 minutes.

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

, 2017.

Collections

Hurn's work is held in the following permanent collections: *

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...

, London * Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

Notes

References

External links

Hurn biography and portfolio
at Magnum Photos
Hurn interview by Graham Harrison
at Photo Histories {{DEFAULTSORT:Hurn, David 1934 births People from Redhill, Surrey Living people Welsh photographers Magnum photographers British documentary photographers People from Cardiff