The group of 21 photographs in Max Dupain’s Paris ‘private’ series was taken when he travelled to Paris in 1978 with architect Harry Seidler to photograph the Australian Embassy, designed by Seidler. The series consists of transcendent photographs of Paris.
Dupain had studied the work of Eugène Atget, and 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.
Art Gallery of New South Wales
24 May to 14 September, 2014
Sydney
Untitled (group of people near the Eiffel tower), from The Paris ‘private’ series, 1978, gelatin silver photograph, 30.2 x 32.8 cm image/sheet
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