– Selected images of the Opera House construction –

 

Max voluntarily visited the construction site of the Opera House to record its construction from the late 1950s through to its completion in 1973. He was welcomed to do this by Jorn Utzon, the primary architect of the building. In Max’s words (from transcript of 1975 interview with Hazel de Berg):

“As a labour of love, we began photographing this right from stage 1, or even when the old tram shed was there, and Ive got over 1,000 negatives in colour and black and white of its development. I met Joern Utzon many times and he was most co-operative in letting me on the site and just doing what I liked. I wish I had spent more time on it, especially in the latter period when Peter Hall took over the design of the interior and the glass walls, which both were major factors in the completion of the Opera House.”

The selection here captures the place of the construction, Bennelong Point, once a tramway depot from before any construction works all the way through to first concerts in 1973. As we do not have hi-res file for most of these images, if you are wanting a print, a search of the archive will be required, subject to copyright approval. So if you are interested in any of the following images, just make an enquiry on the contact form.

Vintage Prints

The images in this section are only available as Vintage prints made by Max Dupain in the 1970s or 1980s. They are mostly between 30-40cm, without white margins and are generally in good condition. Some will have a crease or soft edges. Prices range from $660-1100.

Fine Art Prints

The images in this section are available as digital fine art prints made from a scan of the original negative. Prices start at $550 for a 50cm print. Some are also available as hand printed Limited Edition prints which are higher quality prints, 40x50cm, archival fibre paper starting at $1650, depending on the Edition number.

Non-printed Images

The images in this section are images we have not printed nor have a digital file to print fine art prints. They are included here just for showing other images of the Opera House that Dupain took during and after the construction period.