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from the series ‘From Face to Face’ gelatin silver photograph on paper (sheet: 28.0 cm x 22.5 cm, image: 20.4 cm x 15.4 cm)
David Moore, photojournalist, worked as a photographer in Sydney for four years before commencing an international career in 1952. That year the London bureau chief of Life magazine leafed through his portfolio of shots of Redfern and Surry Hills slums and suggested that Life and its sister publication Time could use him as an informal portrait photographer. For many years thereafter Moore worked freelance in the United States, the UK, Europe, Africa and Australia, for publications including Time, Life, the New York Times, the Observer, Fortune, National Geographic and Look. Moore returned to Sydney in 1958. Over the ensuing 44 years he combined international with local Australian assignments, while continuing to build a body of private work. His photographs are in many institutional collections including those of the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, and the Smithsonian Institute, Washington. Moore's photographs always explored form, composition and structure; he was a consummate photographer of buildings, bridges and ships. While he was not known primarily as a portrait photographer, the National Portrait Gallery held a major retrospective of his work in 2000, tracing his vital contribution to the body of Australian and international portrait photography over the second half of the twentieth century.
Gift of the artist 2001. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
The series 'David Moore: From Face to Face' was acquired as a gift of the artist and with financial assistance from Timothy Fairfax AC and L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2001.
The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. Works of art from the collection are reproduced as per the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). The use of images of works from the collection may be restricted under the Act. Requests for a reproduction of a work of art can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.
The black and white self-portrait photograph measures 20cms x15cms. Out of the voluminous, inky darkness and central to the image, a young David Moore. His head and shoulders face forward. He holds a vintage camera, his eyes lifted to his mirror reflection, brow furrowed, expression earnest.
Moore’s head is a tapering oval, thick, short, wavy hair is brushed across from a low parting on his right. His forehead is crinkled, and his eyebrows are raised as he looks up to the mirror. The whites of his almond-shaped eyes shine under his raised pupils. Moore’s ears are tucked back, his right ear in shadow. A slightly knobbly nose gives way to a long upper lip, a small, soft mouth and his long pointy chin. The grainy quality of the photograph creates a soft blur around his features.
Lightest of all, the corners of his white shirt collar are crisp, clasped at the nape with a tightly-knotted light grey tie, skewed slightly to his left.
Moore wears a black suit jacket whose lapels are faintly outlined against the fabric at his chest and his shoulder-line is just distinguishable from the darkness that engulfs the rest of the image.
Moore holds an upright medium format camera chest high, the small silver rim of the lens points forward, his hands hold the camera at its base; his left hand with his thumb above the lens and the right thumb and index finger under. To his left there is the brief outline of more equipment. A blurred black lower edge frames the base of the photograph.
Audio description written by Annette Twyman and voiced by Emma Bedford
