Sydney lights
Rex Dupain

2003
hand-printed black and white photograph
100 x 105 cm image, 125 x 136 cm framed
Gift of Rex Dupain, c/o Josef Lebovic Gallery

Description
Hand-printed black and white aerial photograph of Sydney’s central business district at night. The image depicts a modern metropolis of bright lights, cars and development. In the foreground, dwarfed by city skyscrapers, is the dome of the Queen Victoria Building. In the top right-hand corner, almost hidden, is the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Inscribed in pen along lower right: ‘Rex Dupain 03 1/35’.

Significance statement  
Rex Dupain was a keen child photographer who later focused on a career as a painter. He rediscovered photography in 1995 – three years after his father’s death – and has forged a successful career since that time. The photograph Inside Sydney II was displayed as part of the exhibition Rex and Max Dupain’s Sydney at the Museum of Sydney in 2004. As well as depicting a unique view of Sydney, the picture offers an insight into Rex’s artistic exploration of his father’s legacy. Max Dupain photographed Sydney for over 50 years and was responsible for many iconic images of the city. A mutual fascination with Sydney is common to the work of father and son.

History
The artist donated two photographs to the Historic Houses Trust (HHT) in 2004.

Maker biography
Rex Dupain was born in Sydney in 1954, the son of Diana Illingworth and Max Dupain (1911–1992), one of Australia’s foremost photographers. As a teenager, Rex exhibited photographs in the Royal Easter Show Photographic award, winning first and second prize in 1969. Between 1973 and 1976 he studied painting and drawing at the National Art School followed by a Diploma in Education at Sydney Teachers College in 1977. In 1989 he completed a Master of Fine Arts at the University of NSW. The first 20 years of Dupain’s career were as a painter – he taught painting and life drawing at the National Art School and held regular solo exhibitions of his work in Sydney and Canberra. In 1995 Dupain returned to photography and by 1996 was exhibiting at the Josef Lebovic Gallery, Sydney. He continues to work as a photographer and in 2004 his photographic work was showcased alongside that of his father in an exhibition at the Museum of Sydney titled Rex and Max Dupain’s Sydney

Museum number
HHT2004/7

Image credit
Jenni Carter

Bibliography  
Dupain, Max & Dupain, Rex, Inside Sydney: photographs by Max and Rex Dupain, New Holland, Sydney, 2004