1900–1975: A Legacy of Light
The National Gallery of Victoria’s photography exhibition, open till 3rd May 2026, is a highly recommended – must see – exhibition. We visited yesterday, Tuesday 9th December, and made our way through slowly. People were taking their time to take in images and to enjoy the experience.
From the NGV online marketing:
Women Photographers 1900–1975: A Legacy of Light celebrates the wide-ranging photographic practices of more than eighty women artists between 1900 and 1975.
Featuring prints, postcards, photobooks and magazines, the exhibition explores the role of photographers as image-makers, and the ways in which women artists create an image of themselves, of others, of the times – from images of the women’s suffrage movement at the turn of the twentieth century, through to the women’s liberation movement and beyond.
From Melbourne to Tokyo, Paris to Buenos Aires, the exhibition showcases the works of trailblazing artists such as Berenice Abbott, Lola Álvarez Bravo, Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore, Imogen Cunningham, Mikki Ferrill, Sue Ford, Christine Godden, Ponch Hawkes, Annemarie Heinrich, Ruth Hollick, Florence Henri, Kati Horna, Germaine Krull, Tina Modotti, Lucia Moholy, Toyoko Tokiwa, Yamazawa Eiko and many more.
This is a must see exhibition on till May 2026. We will be returning several times. The exhibition stops at 1975. A lot has happened since then and the impact of women photography in the 1970’s to more recent has been big – if not amazing. So it is fascinating to be reminded what came before and to ponder how all these photographers laid the ground work for what followed.
more comments below these photos of the exhibition:
A few comments:
When I entered the exhibition I was SO relieved and pleased that this exhibition had not been subjected to the over-the-top and patronising stupid exhibition design treatment that the NGV is now notorious for how they present their major exhibitions. The curators had been left to design a well thought through exhibition that provided an intellectual and pleasurable experience. The works spoke for themselves and were not subject to distracting over-designs rooms. There is no digital noisy displays to entertain. There are a few videos but nothing to distract from the pleasure of quietly taking in the works on display. Bliss!! Please let this be the new normal!
I noted that the clear majority of the audience were women. Is there something to be said about that or just a coincidence on the day we visited?
It did occur to me whether whether there will be a time when an exhibition by women photographers could be advertised as being about photography with no mention that all the artists are women. This discovery would be left to those who attended.
When we arrived, there was no queue. Two sets of two people were buying tickets ahead of us. It took at least ten minutes for them to be ticketed. We waited! One was a member who had bought a non-member who was joining and so the ticketing was a long process. I have no idea what was happening with the other. When we did get to be served the person serving went through a process that took several minutes. It seems there front of house ticketing is subject to a complicated software process. This is not the first time that I have wondered what is wrong with the NGV’s front of house ticketing. It has been designed to suit some bureaucratic purposes at the expense of the experience of those trying to buy tickets to get it.
Word of advice – this is a big exhibition. Allocate enough time to take the time to slowly enjoy. There are seats to stop and rest and ponder. I was getting tired towards the end. Strongly suggest at least two or more visits. It is worth the effort!
here’s the NGV web site
We have a catalogue and it looks good. Yet to read it it.
The Guardian published a good selection of images – click here
A review from Union Magazine