MAX DUPAIN

Dupain was born in Ashfield, Sydney, commencing an apprenticeship with Sydney photographer Cecil Bostock in 1930 and developing an interest in the work of Man Ray, experimenting with montage, surrealism and collage. In 1934 he established a studio in Sydney, working as a successful commercial photographer in fashion and portraiture. His interest in modern art informed his elegant, summary photographs of Australians at the beach in surf races, sunbathing and swimming, establishing his reputation as an important champion of Australian contemporary art in the 1930s and 1940s.

Sunbaker (1937) is a photograph of the artist’s friend Hal Savage with his head turned away from the camera at the beach. It represents an archetypical Australian lifestyle that is as nostalgic as it is familiar. In 1975, the first retrospective of Dupain’s work was held at the Australian Centre of Photography and in 1982 he received the Order of the British Empire.

Dupain’s work is held in the collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney and the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.