DAVID MOORE (1927-2003) Sisters of Charity, Washington DC, USA, 1956 silver gelatin print printed 1998 42.5 x 28cm

DAVID MOORE (1927-2003)
Sisters of Charity, Washington DC, USA, 1956
silver gelatin print
printed 1998
signed lower right: David Moore
signed, titled and dated verso: Sisters of Charity, Washington DC, USA - 1956/98/ David Moore
42.5 x 28cm

PROVENANCE:
Sotheby's, Melbourne, 26 April 1999, lot 280
Private collection, Melbourne
Menzies, Melbourne, 24 May 2015, lot 94
Private collection, Melbourne

EXHIBITIONS:
David Moore: Fifty Years of Photographs, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 9 November - 11 December 1988 (another example)
Critic's Choice, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 22 April - 10 July 1994 (another example)
The Enduring Glance: 20th Century Australian Photography from The Corrigan Collection, Bendigo Art Gallery, Victoria, 22 June - 28 July 2002, cat. no. 39 (another example)
David Moore: 100 Photographs, State Library of New South Wales, Sydney, 12 November 2005 - 5 March 2006, cat. no. 38 (another example)
David Moore: A Vision 1927-2003, Monash Gallery of Art, Victoria, 7 April - 18 June 2006 (then touring) (another example)

LITERATURE:
McFarlane, R., Critic's Choice, 22 April to 10 July 1994: Photographs from the Collection selected by Robert McFarlane, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 1994 (illus., another example)
Photofile South Pacific, Spring 1988 (illus., inside cover, another example)

OTHER NOTES:
Other examples of this print are held in the collections of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; and Murray Art Museum Albury, Albury.

David Moore developed a distinct photographic sensibility over the course of his career, demonstrating an ability to capture moments of serendipity and coincidence in his work. Using the visual plane perspective, he connected seemingly unconnected subjects. The aerial shot Sisters of Charity, taken in 1956 from the mezzanine level of Washington National Airport, captures a truly serendipitous moment. It depicts a group of nuns in traditional wimples; at first glance, the hats could be mistaken for origami boats or birds. Moore's great sense of design, composition, and form are captured in this rhythmic shot, which reflects his fascination with the ambiguous nature of photography. His expansive negative archive bears witness to his lasting influence in portraiture, fine art, and documentary photography.

Hannah Ryan
Prints & Multiples Specialist

©Lisa, Michael, Mathew and Joshua Moore.

Provenance: Sotheby's, Melbourne, 26 April 1999, lot 280
Private collection, Melbourne
Menzies, Melbourne, 24 May 2015, lot 94
Private collection, Melbourne Dimensions: 42.5 x 28cm Artist Name: DAVID MOORE (1927-2003) Exhibited: David Moore: Fifty Years of Photographs, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 9 November - 11 December 1988 (another example)
Critic's Choice, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 22 April - 10 July 1994 (another example)
The Enduring Glance: 20th Century Australian Photography from The Corrigan Collection, Bendigo Art Gallery, Victoria, 22 June - 28 July 2002, cat. no. 39 (another example)
David Moore: 100 Photographs, State Library of New South Wales, Sydney, 12 November 2005 - 5 March 2006, cat. no. 38 (another example)
David Moore: A Vision 1927-2003, Monash Gallery of Art, Victoria, 7 April - 18 June 2006 (then touring) (another example) Literature: McFarlane, R., Critic's Choice, 22 April to 10 July 1994: Photographs from the Collection selected by Robert McFarlane, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 1994 (illus., another example)
Photofile South Pacific, Spring 1988 (illus., inside cover, another example) Medium: silver gelatin print printed 1998 Notes: Other examples of this print are held in the collections of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; and Murray Art Museum Albury, Albury.

David Moore developed a distinct photographic sensibility over the course of his career, demonstrating an ability to capture moments of serendipity and coincidence in his work. Using the visual plane perspective, he connected seemingly unconnected subjects. The aerial shot Sisters of Charity, taken in 1956 from the mezzanine level of Washington National Airport, captures a truly serendipitous moment. It depicts a group of nuns in traditional wimples; at first glance, the hats could be mistaken for origami boats or birds. Moore's great sense of design, composition, and form are captured in this rhythmic shot, which reflects his fascination with the ambiguous nature of photography. His expansive negative archive bears witness to his lasting influence in portraiture, fine art, and documentary photography.

Hannah Ryan
Prints & Multiples Specialist

©Lisa, Michael, Mathew and Joshua Moore.