Bill Henson’s (*1955, Melbourne, Australia) art has been exhibited in numerous prestigious locations, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, and in 1995 he represented Australia at the Venice Biennale. His works can be found in over 40 internationally acclaimed collections, such as the Tate Collection in London, Houston Museum of Fine Art, Bibliotheque Nationale de Paris, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art, or the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, New York.
Often described as “the greatest photographer in Australia”, Henson
is a photographer of the human condition and an experimenter of
remarkable skill and conviction. His imagery lets us glimpse into his
magical world – a distant world of romance and exquisite beauty which
the artist seems to somehow have dreamt rather than visited – where
people and places are juxtaposed between loneliness and desire. His
photographs reflect an interest in ambiguity and transition: the artist
is a passionate and visionary explorer of twilight zones, of the
ambiguous spaces that exist between day and night, nature and
civilisation, youth and adulthood, male and female. His photographs of
landscapes at dusk, of the industrial ‘no-man’s land’ that lies on the
outskirts of our cities, and of androgynous girls and boys adrift in the
nocturnal turmoil of adolescence are painterly tableaux that continue
the tradition of romantic literature and painting in our post-industrial
age.
Education
Phillip Institute of Technology (later the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology),
Melbourne, Australia
Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne, Australia
Solo exhibitions
2017
„Bill Henson“ National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
2016
"ONEIROI" Hellenic Museum, Melbourne, Australia
2013
„Cloud Landscapes“ Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydne, Australia
2012
„Diane Arbus, Bill Henson, Robert Mapplethorpe“ Robert Miller Gallery, New York, United States
„Bill Henson“ Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney, Travelled over Australia
2011
„Bill Henson“ Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne, Australia
2010
„Bill Henson“ Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney, Australia
2008
„Bill Henson“ Robert Miller Gallery, New York, United States
„Bill Henson“ Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney, Australia
2007
„Bill Henson“ IMA Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia
2006
„Bill Henson“ Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne, Australia
„Bill Henson“ Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney, Australia
„Bill Henson“ Robert Miller Gallery, New York, United States
2005
„Bill Henson“ 3 Decades of Photography - NGV National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
„Bill Henson“ Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
2004
„Bill Henson“ Robert Miller Gallery, New York, United States
2001
„Bill Henson“ Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney, Australia
2000
„Bill Henson“ Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney, Australia
1996
„Bill Henson" Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney, Australia
Selected group exhibitions
2013
„Beautiful Creatures“ Adam Art Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand
„The Youth Code!“ Christophe Guye Galerie, Zurich, Switzerland
2012
„Elsewhere“ Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Dunedin, New Zealand
2011
„Destiny Deacon, Fiona Hall, Bill Henson, Tracey Moffatt, TV Moore, Julie Rrap, Anne Zahalka“ Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney
„Naked“ Jensen Gallery, Sydney
2010
„Inaugural Exhibition“ Christophe Guye Galerie, Zurich, Switzerland
„In Praise of Shadows“ Robert Miller Gallery, New York, United States
„Blue Chip XII: The Collectors’ Exhibition“ Niagara Galleries, Richmond, United States
2009
„Tiempo Suspendido - DA2“ Domus Artium 2002, Salamanca, Spain
„For Keeps: Sampling Recent Acquisitions 2006 – 2009“ Auckland Art Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand
„Blue Chip XI: The Collectors’ Exhibition“ Niagara Galleries, Richmond, United States
2008
„Recent acquisitions - Australian, International and Asian and Pacific Collections“ Queensland Art Gallery / Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia
„In the photographic image“ The Columns, Seoul, South Korea
„Teen City“ Musée de l'Elysée, Lausanne, Switzerland
„FX in Contemporary Photography“ McClelland Gallery + Sculpture Park, Langwarrin (VIC), Australia
„Selected photographs from the Daryl Hewson collection“ QUT Art Museum, Brisbane (QLD), Australia
„Tangled Up In You“ 21c Museum, Louisville, United States
2007
„Hängung # 1 – Fotografie“ Sammlung Alison & Peter W. Klein, Eberdingen-Nussdorf, Germany
„Strange cargo“ Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, Wagga Wagga, Australia
„Supercharged…the car in contemporary culture“ 24HR Art, Darwin (NT), Australia
„Den Haag Sculptuur 2007 De Overkant / Down Under“ Den Haag Sculptuur, Den Haag, Netherlands
„Contemporary Australian Photography“ Fotomuseum Den Haag, Den Haag, Netherlands
„Three Australian photographers - GeM“ Museum voor Actuele Kunst, Den Haag, Netherlands
„Percepciones. Itinerario Selectivo - Fondos de Fotografía de la Colección Permanente“ Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía MNCARS, Madrid, Spain
„Strange cargo“ ORG Orange Regional Gallery, Orange, Australia
„Gifts to the MCA Collection“ Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney - MCA, Sydney, Australia
„Strange Cargo: Contemporary Art as a State of Encounter“ Bendigo Art Gallery, Bendigo, Australia
„Backward Glance: Important works from the 1980s“ John Buckley Gallery, Richmond, United States
„Strange cargo“ Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery, Broken Hill, New Zealand
„Arrebato“ Camera oscura galleria de arte, Madrid, Spain
2006
„People in Photography - the good, the bad & the beautiful“ Josef Lebovic Gallery, Sydney, Australia
„Decade: Acquisitions 1996 - 2006“ Bendigo Art Gallery, Bendigo, Australia
„Strange cargo“ Newcastle Region Art Gallery, Newcastle, New Zealand
„Twilight. Photography in the Magic Hour“ Victoria & Albert Museum - V&A, London, Great Britain
„Black & Blue“ Robert Miller Gallery, New York, United States
2005
„The Subjective Figure“ Robert Miller Gallery, New York, United States
„Nueva tecnología-nueva iconografía-nueva fotografía“ Museo de Arte Abstracto Español, Cuenca, Spain
„In Focus - Contemporary Photography From The Allen G.“ North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, United States
2004
„Written With Darkness“ UTS Gallery - University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, Australia
„Night Vision“ Australian Centre for Photography, Sydney, Australia
„Nueva tecnología,nueva iconografía, nueva fotografía“ Museu d´Art Espanyol Contemporani (Fundación Juan March), Palma de Mallorca, Spain
„The Plot Thickens: Narratives in Australian Art“ Heide Museum of Modern Art, Bulleen (VIC), Australia
„Satellite Cities and Tabloid Life“ MUMA - Monash University Museum of Art, Clayton (VIC), Australia
„Identity II - Annual Gallery's Collection Show“ NCA / Nichido Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan
„Presence“ Speed Art Museum, Louisville, United States
„2004 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art“ Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide (SA), Australia
2003
„Menschen. Foto und Video aus der Sammlung“ Volpinum Kunstsammlung, Vienna, Austria
„Strangers: the first ICP triennial of photography and video“ ICP - International Center of Photography, New York, United States
„Réalités. Collections sans frontiers II – Zacheta“ National Gallery of Art, Warsow, Russia
„Fables de l'identité“ Centre national de la photographie, Paris, France
„Child in time“ Gemeentemuseum Helmond - Boscotondohal, Helmond, Netherlands
„Portraiture“ Karyn Lovegrove Gallery, Los Angeles, United States
„Sex“ Karyn Lovegrove Gallery, Los Angeles (CA), USA
2002
„Group Show - Dirty Dozen“ Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney, Australia
„Images of Australian Men“ MGA - Monash Gallery of Art, Wheelers Hill (VIC), Australia
2001
„Phiction: Lies and Illusion in Photography“ Horsham Regional Art Gallery, Horsham (VIC), Australia
„Telling tales - the child in contemporary photography“ Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts - PICA, Perth (WA), Australia
„Telling Tales: the Child in Contemporary Photography“ The Anne & Gordon Samstag Museum of Art, Adelaide (SA), Australia
„Lightness of Being: Contemporary Photographic Art from Australia“ MUMA - Monash University Museum of Art, Clayton (VIC), Australia
„Home and away - recent acquisitions from the Chartwell collection“ Wellington City Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand
„Zeitgenössische Fotokunst aus Australien“ Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz - Museum am Theaterplatz, Chemnitz, Germany
2000
„Group Show - All Stars“ Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney, Australia
„Zeitgenössicher Fotokunst aus Australien“ NBK - Neuer Berliner Kunstverein, Berlin, Germany
„Telling tales: the child in contemporary photography“ MUMA - Monash University Museum of Art, Clayton (VIC), Australia
„Biennale of Sydney 2000“ Biennale of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
1999
„The Promise of Photography: Selected Works from the DG Bank Collection“ P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, New York, United States
„Signature Works - 25th Anniversary Exhibition“ Australian Centre for Photography, Sydney, Australia
1996
„Systems End-Contemporary Art in Australia“ Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Art, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan
„Systems end; Contemporary Art in Australia“ Hakone Open-Air Museum, Hakone, Japan
1995
„46th International Art Exhibition Venice Biennale / Biennale di Venezia“ La Biennale di Venezia, Venice, Italy
1986
„Slouching Towards Bethlehem: an Exhibition of Preparatory and Informal Drawings“ Gertrude contemporary art spaces, Melbourne (VIC), Australia
Collections
Houston Museum of Fine Art, United States
Sammlung Volpinum, Vienna, Austria
Museum Moderner Kunst (MUMOK), Stiftig Ludwig Wien, Vienna, Austria
Newcastle Regional Art Gallery
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Spain
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
21C Museum, Louisville, Kentucky
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth
Wollongong City Gallery
Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery
Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Launceston
Ballarat Fine Art Gallery, Melbourne
Griffith University, Brisbane
Phillip Institute of Technology, Melbourne
Artbank, Sydney
High Court of Australia, Canberra
Monash City Council Collection
Darwin Community College, Darwin
Tasmanian College of Advanced Education, Hobart
The Philip Morris Collection, Canberra
The Loti and Victor Smorgon Collection of Contemporary Australian Art, Melbourne
NRMA Collection, Sydney
Wesfarmers Collection of Australian Art
Parson’s School of Art and Design, New York, US
Chartwell Collection, New Zealand
Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, New York, USA
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, USA
Los Angeles County Museum, Los Angeles, USA
Bibliotheque National de Paris, Paris, France
Polaroid Corporation, New York, USA
Refco Collection, Chicago, USA
Progressive Corporation Collection, Ohio, USA
DG Bank Collection, Frankfurt, Germany
Tate Collection, London
