Ben Apfelbaum

MAX DUPAIN AUCTION @ MOSSGREEN GALLERY WOOLLAHRA BREAKS RECORD

“The results of the auction at Mossgreen in Sydney is the most significant marker of the maturity of the appreciation of photographic arts in Australia”

Gael Newton Former curator at the AGNSW and NGA

Mossgreen’s landmark auction of Max Dupain (1911-1992): Estate Photographs held on 19 June 2016 at the firm’s new glamorous Sydney headquarters in Woollahra totalled a record $1,663,237, establishing a new Australian auction record for any photographs collection.

All 500 original photographs by one of Australia’s most famous and highly regarded photographers were sold, with numerous records established including for Dupain’s iconic Sunbaker 1937 which far exceeded the previous record selling for $105,400 and establishing a new world auction record for the artist after spirited bidding.

I did a walk through of the exhibition and then attended the auction. The quality and scope of Dupain’s work is simply breathtaking. These are some of my photos.

Max Dupain (3)

Max Dupain (15)

Max Dupain (7)

Max Dupain (16)

http://maxdupain-mossgreen.com.au/

Published by Ben Apfelbaum

My photography began when my father handed me the proverbial brownie box camera as a child. As cameras developed I went through Fujica and Olympus range finders graduating to my first single lens reflex camera, the Minolta SRT101, the latter being the greatest facilitator to my growth as a photographer. Digital photography has only added to this. I was a regular contributor to Camera Craft magazine (Australian Camera ) for over three years. During Australia’s Bicentennial year (1988) I made it a personal project to document the celebrations. This culminated in the creation of a book of my photos which was published in 1989. The book was called CELEBRATING AUSTRALIA and came with an accompanying calendar. My works have appeared in a number of publications including the coffee book entitled MY AUSTRALIA (1989), publisher Robertsbridge Severn. This book had a preface by the then Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke. I was a co-photographer on a book entitled SYDNEY- DISCOVER THE CITY with text written by Robert Treborland. Major Mitchell Press was the publisher. Also for two years I was the photographer for calendars celebrating Sydney’s multicultural communities. The two calendars were entitled MULTICULTURAL SYDNEY. My work appeared in a group exhibition held at Sydney’s Town Hall pertaining to the diversity of life in South America to raise money for orphanages there. I have over one hundred photos stored in the New South Wales State Library archive. I had a solo exhibition held in 2007 entitled Ben’s Lens at the Sydney Jewish Museum which celebrated the vibrancy of the Sydney Jewish community. Some of these photos are on the Museum’s permanent display. I have exhibited internationally firstly at the Spruill Gallery in Atlanta Georgia, united states, and in an exhibition entitled Kosher and Co at the Jewish Museum in Berlin. Currently I am a regular contributor to J-Wire and this esteemed publication.