Curator's Talk I Olive Cotton and her contemporaries

Explore Olive Cotton and her contemporaries with National Gallery of Australia Senior Curator, Shaune Lakin

Olive Cotton (1911‒2003) is now recognised as one of Australia's most significant photographers, especially notable for her images that draw attention to the immersive qualities of photography. Cotton began taking photographs with a Kodak Box Brownie when she was 11, and by the early 1930s was an integral member of a vibrant creative community in Sydney that included her good friend (and later husband) Max Dupain. She spent the decade making some of the most innovative photographs in the history of Australian photography, which she published and exhibited during this period, including internationally.

For the first time, this exhibition brings together Cotton's photographs and the work of her leading international peers. These include outstanding works from the national collection by key modernist photographers, some of the most celebrated figures in international photography, and provide a perfect context for appreciating Cotton's great work.

Join Shaune Lakin (National Gallery, Senior Curator, Photography) as he guides you through an insightful exploration of this exhibition about one of Australia's greatest photographers