Barry Humphries in Paddington, London

WALL LABEL: Public Image, Private Lives: Family, Friends and Self in Photography, 2016

Known as a photographer of urban streetscapes and architecture, in the late 1960s Mark Strizic briefly turned his attention to portraiture. In 1968 he held an exhibition of portrait photographs at the National Gallery of Victoria and in the same year was asked to collaborate with Clifton Pugh on a book of portraits. The book precipitated his travel to London to photograph the actor Barry Humphries. Strizic recalled:

On my way to London to take Barry’s portrait, I thought about sights against which I’d place him. The most natural choice was Piccadilly Circus. In the end, I felt his flat was very, very appropriate to his personality … Even so, Barry insisted that we go to Piccadilly Circus. But, somehow, we never got there, for Barry kept on showing and sampling the many pubs and clubs that he felt were the real London.

Humphries has similar memories of the day:

Mark was a friend in the 60s with whom I later lost touch … We spent the day together in London visiting various pubs and bars at my insistence and he took a lot of pictures. Later, or perhaps the next day he photographed me in my flat in Little Venice, which was full of pictures and objects in the Art Nouveau style. This is certainly one of the best.

Julie Robinson, Senior Curator of Prints, Drawings & Photographs