Angus Young (b. 1955) and his brother Malcolm formed Australia's most successful band, AC/DC, in Sydney in 1973, with Bon Scott joining as lead singer the following year. With four huge singles in Australia, they were signed to an international deal in 1975; in 1979 they released their sixth album, Highway to Hell. Back in Black, issued five months after Scott's death, is said to be the second-highest-selling album of all time worldwide, after Michael Jackson’s Thriller. A teetotaller, married since 1980, Young has thrived in relative seclusion in the Netherlands and Sutherland Shire, south of Sydney, emerging periodically for AC/DC's sell-out tours.
This portrait is from Ingvar Kenne's series Citizen, in which each of the sitters is portrayed using a uniform composition and pared-back, square format. By applying the same photographic parameters and treating each of his sitters as equal, Kenne creates an intimate collective of what he refers to as 'fellow man'. Here he captures Young in a relaxed moment – his eyes are closed, arms hugging himself, cigarette casually hanging from his mouth – against a Sydney Harbour backdrop.
Gift of the artist 2017. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
© Ingvar Kenne
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.
