Australian Modern

With a career spanning more than 50 years, Max Dupain is regarded as one of Australia’s most respected and influential black and white photographers. 

Dupain pioneered a Modernist approach of high contrast, sharp focus, dramatic angles and creative compositions, departing sharply from the sentimentality of soft focused and nostalgic post-colonialism.

This collection of over 60 original photographs hand printed by Jill White, records a bygone era of Australian society from the 1930s to 1980s. Amongst them are some of Australia’s most iconic images of beach culture, landscape, fashion, and the grand vistas and quiet moments of city life including the construction of the Sydney Opera House and powerful images of the new Sydney Harbour Bridge. Dupain’s work is an inspiration to any aspiring photographer or voyeur of culture.

This project has been assisted by Jill White.
 

Jill White began her career as a photographer in the 1970s when she worked as a studio photographer, and manager, of the Max Dupain studio. This role continued until around the time of Dupain’s death in 1992 and  the Dupain Exhibition Negative Archive was bequeathed to Jill White with instructions to print, exhibit, publish and sell his images.