My Australia (Hal Missingham)

Australian art photography classic!

vi, 159 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 28 cm.  #100622/070524 First Edition. Foreword by Russell Drysdale.

Missingham, Hal, 1906-1994.  |  Photography, Artistic.  |  Australia — Pictorial works.

Drysdale, Russell, Sir, 1912-1981

“And he continued to draw whenever he could, and became a keen photographer. Today he is mostly remembered for his books of photography, such as My Australia and Close Focus. ”

He was active at a time when Australian painting was flourishing but the general population was still suspicious of art as an expression of luxury. The then small art world became a rare, close-knit group with shared aims and directions, which it has not been possible to repeat in our more complex contemporary ­society with its diversity of art practice.

Missingham was director of the Art Gallery of NSW in Sydney for 26 years, from 1945 to 1971. Steering the gallery through a difficult time, he transformed the perception of contemporary Australian art and started a renaissance that spread across the country.

(Bookplate on inside cover.)