Tom Wood (photographer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thomas Wood
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 14 January 1951 County Mayo, Ireland
|
| Nationality | Irish |
| Known for | Street photography |
Thomas Wood (born 14 January 1951) is a famous Irish photographer. He is known for taking pictures of people on the streets, as well as portraits and landscapes. He lives in Britain.
Wood is most famous for his photos taken in Liverpool and Merseyside between 1978 and 2001. He captured everyday life in these places, photographing people in pubs, clubs, markets, and even football games. His pictures show both strangers and his own family and friends. His work has been featured in many books and exhibitions, and he has won awards. A special exhibition of his work was held at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, which ended on January 7, 2024.
Contents
About Thomas Wood's Life
Thomas Wood grew up in Crossmolina, County Mayo, in the west of Ireland. When he was a teenager, his family moved to England. He studied painting at Leicester Polytechnic from 1973 to 1976.
He became interested in photography after watching many experimental films. He taught himself how to take photos. In 1978, Wood moved to Merseyside, a county in England. Later, in 2003, he moved to North Wales. There, he teaches photography part-time at Coleg Llandrillo Cymru.
His Photography Work
From 1978 to 2001, Thomas Wood mostly took photos in Liverpool and Merseyside. He focused on street photography, capturing real moments of people's lives. He photographed them in many places like streets, pubs, clubs, markets, and football fields.
At the same time, he also took many pictures of landscapes. These photos were taken in the west of Ireland, North Wales, and Merseyside. He has visited the west of Ireland every year since his family moved away.
Famous Photo Series
Wood's first book and most well-known series is called Looking For Love (1989). These pictures show people up close at the Chelsea Reach disco pub in New Brighton, Merseyside. He took photos there regularly between 1982 and 1985.
Another famous series is All Zones Off Peak (1998). This book features photos from 18 years of Wood riding the buses in Liverpool. He called this his 'bus odyssey'. He chose these images from about 100,000 negatives!
Other books of his work include People (1999) and a collection called Photie Man (2005). This last book was made with Irish artist Padraig Timoney. His work is also included in a well-known book about street photography called Bystander: A History of Street Photography (2001).
Major Exhibitions
Thomas Wood had his first big show in Britain, called Men and Women, at The Photographers' Gallery in London in 2012. His first full look back at his work in the UK was at the National Media Museum in Bradford in 2013. His landscape photos were shown for the first time in 2014.
What Critics Say
Many people have praised Thomas Wood's photography. Sean O'Hagan, a critic, called him a "pioneering colourist." This means Wood was one of the first to use color in a new and exciting way in his photos. O'Hagan also said Wood is a photographer who doesn't follow strict rules. He has a natural way of taking close-up pictures of people.
Another photographer, Simon Roberts, said Wood's photos are both raw and personal. They manage to show people's lives without feeling like he is spying on them. Phill Coomes from BBC News wrote that Wood's pictures always show a trace of human life. They are about the lives that happen in the places he photographs.
Vince Aletti, a photography critic for The New Yorker, described Wood's style as "loose, instinctive and dead-on." He meant that Wood's photos feel natural and are very accurate in capturing moments.
Awards Thomas Wood Has Won
- Terence Donovan Award, Royal Photographic Society, Bath, 1998
- Prix Dialogue de l'Humanite, Rencontres d'Arles, France, 2002
TV Appearances
- What Do Artists Do All Day? (BBC, 2014)
Exhibitions of His Work
Thomas Wood's photographs have been shown in many places around the world.
Solo Exhibitions
- International Centre of Photography, New York, 1996.
- All Zones off Peak, Gallery of Photography Ireland, 1999.
- Suermondt-Ludwig Museum, Aachen, Germany, 2001.
- Kasseler Kunstverein, Kassel, Germany, 2002.
- Stadtische Galerie, Wolfsburg, 2002.
- Kunsthalle, Wilhelmshaven, 2002.
- Photieman, Castlefield Gallery, Manchester, 2003.
- Sad Beautiful Life, C/O Berlin, Berlin, Germany, 2003.
- Kunsthalle Bremen, Bremen, Germany, 2004.
- Photieman, Le château d’eau, pôle photographique de Toulouse, Toulouse, France, 2005.
- Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 2005.
- Looking for Love, Musée de l'Élysée, Lausanne, Switzerland (with Larry Sultan), 2005.
- Men and Women, The Photographers' Gallery, London; Gallery of Photography, Dublin, 2013/2014.
- Tom Wood – DPA Work, Contemporary Art Space Chester, University of Chester, Chester, 2013. (These photos were of Rainhill Hospital from 1988–1990, taken before it closed.)
- Tom Wood – DPA Work, Contemporary Art Space Chester, University of Chester, Chester, 2013. (These photos were of the Cammell Laird shipyard in Liverpool from 1993–1996, also taken before it closed.)
- Tom Wood: Photographs 1973–2013, National Media Museum, Bradford, 2013.
- Landscapes, Oriel Mostyn, Llandudno, Wales, 2014.
- Photie Man: 50 Years of Tom Wood, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, 2023–2024. This was a special exhibition looking back at his work.
Group Exhibitions
- The Sidewalk Never Ends: Street Photography Since the 1970's, Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 2001/2002.
- Photography Collection: Rotation 3, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2006.
- Every Man and Woman is a Star: Photographs by Martin Parr and Tom Wood, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, 2013. (This show featured his work alongside Martin Parr's.)
Where His Work is Kept
Thomas Wood's photographs are part of several public collections. This means they are owned by museums and galleries for people to see.
- International Centre of Photography, New York
- Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
- National Photography Collection, National Science and Media Museum, Bradford
- Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
- Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation, Frankfurt a. M.
See also
- Martin Parr
- Paul Graham
