B. 1911 - 1992

Max Dupain was Australia’s most influential black and white photographer of the 20th century. Born in 1911 in Sydney, his images capture an era of Australian society and sensibility that is vastly different from what it is today. Dupain demonstrates a masterful application of light and form through a modernist lens and documentary-style approach to photography. One of his most significant photographs “The Sunbaker” (1937) was taken in the years following the First World war. Sunlight had a special meaning after the war, as it symbolised an elemental force that promoted physical and spiritual wellbeing. His bold and innovative photographs quickly made an impact on Sydney’s society at a time when photographic imagery was in demand after the Great Depression.

In 1934, Dupain opened his own photographic studio in Sydney and it quickly established his reputation as Australia’s leading modern photographer. Between 1939 and 1941, Dupain was married to one of Sydney’s well known modernist photographers, Olive Cotton, where they both collaboratively created their best known works. Dupain learnt his unique chemical development process in Europe and approached his subjects through a Pictorialist style, which emphasised artistic expression and aesthetic qualities. His use of contrast, sharp focus, varying angles and creative compositions gives his work a simplicity and unique viewpoint, as opposed to soft focused, nostalgic imagery.

Dupain reflected on his practice in 1986, where he stated: “the unstable war-time years, the grudging adaptation to ever-changing surroundings all added up to long-term shock. I did not want to go back to the “cosmetic lie” of fashion photography or advertising illustration.” His works are held in significant institutions including the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, National Gallery of Victoria and Art Gallery of New South Wales.

In 2025, Heide Museum of Modern Art is presenting an exhibition that, for the first time, brings into dialogue the contemporaneous work of American-born artist Man Ray and eminent Australian photographer Max Dupain, with a particular focus on their experimentation with surrealist imagery and innovative photographic techniques.

To read a more in-depth biography of the artist, click here