Barry Humphries hammed it up during our photo shoot, trying out some new material he was working on and popping a monocle over his eye for effect, in what would turn out to be one of my strongest portraits. (Photo, 1971.)
Late last year, Adelaide City Council commissioned a statue of Australia's iconic – often controversial – actor and comedian to be crafted by artist Robert Hannaford AM.
Independent Australia contributor Vince Hooper commented on the commission, saying it's a sign of 'cultural health' that:
'Soon, theatre-goers strolling past Her Majesty's Theatre in Adelaide – the very stage where Humphries made his theatrical debut as a 19-year-old in 1953 and later called his favourite theatre in the world – will encounter a new bronze statue in his honour.'
The Adelaide statue is an important commission, despite 'the budget debate' and assumption it will provoke outrage, says Hooper, because it's a reminder:
'... that satire, irreverence and the occasional moral discomfort are essential to cultural life.'
**This photograph is part of an IA series that looks at Australia through the lens of award-winning photojournalist Bill McAuley.**
This image of Barry Humphries was acquired by the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra in 2010.
Bill McAuley's 40-plus-year news career began in 1969 as a cadet photographer at 'The Age' in Melbourne.
He has several published collections, including 'Portraits of the Soul: A lifetime of images with Bill McAuley' and 'Last light on Victoria Dock, 1999'. To see more from Bill, click here.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia License
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