Max Dupain on Assignment

Violinist at the Methodist Ladies' College in Burwood, Sydney, 1971
NAA: B4498, 28E7

Max Dupain (1911–92) is widely considered to be one of Australia’s greatest photographers. The National Archives of Australia and the Noel Butlin Archives Centre at the Australian National University are fortunate to hold in their collections some of the best examples of his commercial work, a selection of which is presented in this exhibition.

Reflecting the documentary style for which he was famous, Dupain’s photographs of Australia after World War II are important records of a changing society. Most of the images in this exhibition were taken by Dupain while on assignment for the Australian Government and were used to promote Australia to domestic and international audiences. Also featured are photographs taken by Dupain over many years for one of his earliest clients, CSR Limited (then known as the Colonial Sugar Refining Company Limited).

Dupain’s photographs evoke a strong sense of time and place, from the capital cities and rural scenes he captured in the 1940s and 1950s, to the striking images of architecture and industry he produced in the 1960s and 1970s. This exhibition showcases the diversity and longevity of Dupain’s commercial career, tracing his development as a photographer and artist during this time.

An education kit with notes for teachers and a self-guided activity is available for this exhibition (pdf 850kb).

The National Archives of Australia and the Noel Butlin Archives Centre are excited to be able to present these images together for the first time in an exhibition dedicated to the commissioned work of Max Dupain.