Max Dupain

Max Dupain is one of Australia’s most significant photographers, responsible for some of the country’s most iconic images. His long career was dedicated to celebrating Australian culture and identity. As a leading figure in modernist photography, his work is distinguished by its formal exploration of space, shape, and tone. During the 1930s, Dupain was influenced by the European New Photography movement, which emerged in the late 1920s. This style marked a departure from the soft, atmospheric tones of Pictorialism, a dominant aesthetic in earlier Australian photography, particularly among artists such as Harold Cazneaux. New Photography emphasized bold compositions, unusual angles, and stark tonal contrasts—techniques that became central to Dupain’s work .

By the late 1940s, Dupain moved away from his earlier experimental approach, favouring a more documentary style. Reflecting on his evolving philosophy, he wrote: “Modern photography must do more than entertain; it must incite thought , and by its clear statements of actuality, cultivate a sympathetic understanding of men and women and the life they create and live.”