Bill Henson b. 1955
The use of chiaroscuro is common throughout his works, through underexposure and adjustment in printing. His photographs' use of bokeh is intended to give them a painterly atmosphere.
Henson has exhibited nationally and internationally in galleries such as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Venice Biennale, the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia and the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. His current practice involves holding one exhibition in Australia every two years, and up to three overseas exhibitions each year.
The use of chiaroscuro is common throughout his works, through underexposure and adjustment in printing. His photographs' use of bokeh is intended to give them a painterly atmosphere.The work is often presented as diptychs, triptychs and in other groupings, and the exhibitions are specifically curated by Henson to reflect a sense of musicality.
Duality is a recurring theme of Henson's work, often in combination with adolescent subjects. He frequently employs a flattened perspective through the use of telephoto lenses. His works are often in the form of staged tableaux in which faces of the subjects are often blurred or partly shadowed and do not directly face the viewer.
Henson states that he is not interested in a political or sociological agenda.
Bill Henson is one of Australia’s most acclaimed contemporary photographers, known for his moody, atmospheric imagery and masterful use of light.
Bill Henson is one of Australia’s most acclaimed contemporary photographers, known for his moody, atmospheric imagery and masterful use of light. Raised in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Henson began his formal study in Visual Arts and Design at Prahran College of Advanced Education in 1974–75. Though he did not complete his diploma, his early promise was quickly recognised by prominent photographer Athol Shmith, then Head of the Photography program, who introduced Henson’s work to Jennie Boddington, the inaugural Curator of Photography at the National Gallery of Victoria.
At just 19 years old, Henson held his first solo exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria in 1975—a rare achievement that marked the beginning of a prolific and influential career.
Between his student years and the early 1980s, Henson worked at The Bookshop of Margareta Webber on Little Collins Street, Melbourne. The store specialised in high-end publications on ballet, dance, and the visual arts, helping to inform his aesthetic sensibilities. After the bookshop's closure in 1980, he travelled extensively in Eastern Europe, producing work that continued to evolve his signature visual language.
In the early 1980s, Henson taught briefly at the Victorian College of the Arts, where he met Louise Hearman, a noted Melbourne Luminist painter. The two began a long-term relationship that has been widely acknowledged as mutually influential on both their artistic practices. In 2014, Hearman won the Moran Portrait Prize—Australia’s richest portrait award—with a striking double portrait of Henson.
In recognition of his contributions to the arts, Henson was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2024 Australia Day Honours, cited for his "distinguished service to the visual arts as a photographer, and to the promotion of Australian culture."
Henson’s work continues to be exhibited internationally and is held in major public and private collections worldwide.