A series of images of Paris shot by Max Dupain for architect Harry Seidler is on show at the Art Gallery of NSW.
In 1978 iconic Australian photographer Max Dupain shot a group of 21 photographs in his Paris ‘private’ series when he travelled to the city with architect Harry Seidler. Dupain, one of the leading figures of 20th century Australian photography, went there to photograph the Australian Embassy, which had been designed by Seidler, but he photographed mostly architectural icons of the city, with some images including people within the scenes.
Dupain had studied the work of Eugène Atget (whose documentary images of Paris prior to his death in 1927 were notable for the way he recorded important monuments and buildings, but also more intimate scenes), and the curators say there is a similar enigmatic atmosphere to be found in Dupain’s examination of the city.
Primarily depicting 18th- to 19th-century landmarks such as the ornate Alexandre III bridge, the Grand Palais and Chantilly, this compilation offers a view of the city and its environs shaped by layers of history, mythology and art. Given to the gallery by Penelope Seidler in memory of her husband and the photographer, this portfolio is being shown alongside other photographs of made and natural structures by Dupain from the 1930s to the 1980s.
In a 1991 interview Dupain said, ‘I like to involve myself in, maybe, a small area geographically and work it out, as simple as that’. During his lifetime the photographer visited only three countries. His 1978 trip to Paris was made together with Seidler when the architect’s new Australian embassy became a commissioned subject for the photographer.
Dupain had worked with Seidler from the early 1950s, soon after the architect settled in Australia. The photographer, through his expressive architectural images, was closely involved in popularising the modernist aesthetic espoused by Seidler’s starkly functional buildings.
The free exhibition is running until September 14. The gallery is located on Art Gallery Road in The Domain, Sydney.
Untitled (woman with pram in Jardin des Tuileries), gift of Penelope Seidler AM in honour of Max Dupain AC and Harry Seidler AC, 2012. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Untitled (group of people near the Eiffel tower), gift of Penelope Seidler AM in honour of Max Dupain AC and Harry Seidler AC, 2012. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Untitled (Pont Alexandre III with sculptural balustrade), gift of Penelope Seidler AM in honour of Max Dupain AC and Harry Seidler AC, 2012. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
Untitled (statue of Maréchal Joffre, Place Joffre, Champ-de-Mars), gift of Penelope Seidler AM in honour of Max Dupain AC and Harry Seidler AC 2012. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.