256 pages Photographs by Yan Morvan Text(s) by Francis Dordor Foreword by Don Letts 28.5 x 23 cm Language: French, English Hardback Publisher: Serious Publishing First edition of 1000 copies 2019
Six months after Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister in 1979, French photographer Yan Morvan arrived in London. From the Brixton riots to the rise of mods and skinheads, between 1979 and 1981, he captured a city in flux, revealing the life of working-class communities caught between tradition and social upheaval.
Renowned as one of the foremost war photographers of his generation, Morvan traveled the world covering conflicts in the second half of the 20th century. Yet it was his Gang series, documenting Parisian underworlds and the city’s social margins in the 1970s and 1980s, that introduced him to the wider public. Spanning nearly twenty years, this work established him as a master of social photography.
Les Années de Fer – Londres 1979/1981 is the product of a close collaboration with art director Loïc Vincent, following their earlier projects Bobby Sands, Blousons Noirs, and Gangs Story. Together, they offer a compelling portrait of a turbulent London, capturing a pivotal moment in the city’s history with Morvan’s inimitable eye for human stories and social dynamics.
