Jacqueline Mitelman is an Australian portrait photographer.

Early life and education

Jacqueline Mitelman was born Jacqueline MacGreggor in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

in 1948, and has since lived in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

and in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

for a few years. She was briefly married to Polish emigrant the painter/printmaker Allan Mitelman. She studied for a Diploma of Art and Design at Prahran College of Advanced Education 1973-76, where her lecturers were

Athol Shmith Louis Athol Shmith (19 August 1914 – 21 October 1990) was an Australian studio portrait and fashion photographer and photography educator in his home city of Melbourne, Australia. He contributed to the promotion of international photography ...

, Paul Cox, and John Cato.

Career

After graduation, Mitelman practiced as a

freelance ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

photographer specialising in portraiture for magazines including the trendsetting '' POL'', and newspapers, album and book covers, and for theatre and music posters. During her career she has sought out Australia's significant writers, artists and personalities for her subjects, thus creating a valuable pantheon of the country's culture. One hundred and twenty appear in her 1988 book ''Faces of Australia'' was work previously exhibited at The Art Gallery,

Prahran Prahran ( , also colloquially or ), is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Stonnington local government area. Prahran recorded a population ...

'','' to a lukewarm review from ''Age'' reviewer Greg Neville who while conceding that they were "professional and respectable," considered them "commercial portraiture in the sixties style, all grain and contrast, dressed up with just the right dose of Bicentenary sentiment," work that "tells us no more about the famed sitters than we already know, and nothing about the artist. Tom Fantl prefaced his review of the book with the statement that in portraiture "the surface physical features are descriptive but not all telling. It is the personality and psyche which the creative artist must explore, capture and relate. It is the inherent character which the viewer is urged to see, thereby seemingly establishing an understanding, almost a relationship, with the individual portrayed." He concludes that;

Mitelman's approach is classical and explorative. Classically her sitters look directly into the camera lens, and hence at us, (eg Harry Siedler), thereby drawing us into their space and time. By carefully positioning her subjects, yet making them appear spontaneous we feel watched even as we do the watching.

Terry Lane Terry Lane (born 1939) is a retired Australian radio broadcaster and newspaper columnist based in Melbourne. Lane was born at Williamstown in South Australia and was educated at Gawler High School. After studying for the ministry at the Ch ...

, with the arrival of the internet nevertheless questions the value of such 'coffee-table' books as Mitelman's, even in the prior age of television, other than as ' time capsules'; "No one ever looks at it, which is a pity because I am in it." The

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

holds twenty of her photographs including those of

Dorothy Hewett Dorothy Coade Hewett (21 May 1923 – 25 August 2002) was an Australian playwright, poet and author. She wrote in a number of different literary styles: Modernist poetry, modernism, socialist realism, Expressionism (theatre), expressionism a ...

Helen Garner Helen Garner (née Ford, born 7 November 1942) is an Australian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist. Garner's debut novel, first novel, ''Monkey Grip (novel), Monkey Grip'', published in 1977, immediately established her ...

Judith Wright Judith Arundell Wright (31 May 191525 June 2000) was an Australian poet, environmentalist and campaigner for Aboriginal land rights. She was a recipient of the Christopher Brennan Award and nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 196 ...

Jack Hibberd John Charles Hibberd (12 April 1940 – 30 August 2024) was an Australian playwright best known for his plays '' Dimboola'' (1969) and '' A Stretch of the Imagination'' (1972). He was also a physician. Biography John Charles Hibberd was bor ...

, Peter Carey, Michael Leunig,

Christina Stead Christina Stead (17 July 190231 March 1983) was an Australian novelist and short-story writer acclaimed for her satirical wit and penetrating psychological characterisations. Christina Stead was a committed Marxist, although she was never a me ...

Brett Whiteley Brett Whiteley Order of Australia, AO (7 April 1939 – 15 June 1992) was an Australian artist. He is represented in the collections of all the large Australian galleries, and was twice winner of the Archibald Prize, Archibald, Wynne Prize, ...

Germaine Greer Germaine Greer (; born 29 January 1939) is an Australian writer and feminist, regarded as one of the major voices of the second-wave feminism movement in the latter half of the 20th century. Specializing in English and women's literature, she ...

Ruby Hunter Ruby Charlotte Margaret Hunter (31 October 195517 February 2010), also known as Aunty Ruby, was an Aboriginal Australian singer, songwriter and guitarist, and the life and musical partner of Archie Roach. Early life Ruby Hunter was born on 31 ...

Murray Bail Murray Bail (born 22 September 1941) is an Australian writer of novels, short stories and non-fiction. In 1980 he shared the Age Book of the Year award for his novel ''Homesickness''. He was born in Adelaide, South Australia, a son of Cyril Li ...

, Alan Marshall,

Kylie Tennant Kathleen Kylie Tennant AO (; 12 March 1912 – 28 February 1988) was an Australian novelist, playwright, short-story writer, critic, biographer, and historian. Early life and career Tennant was born in Manly, New South Wales; she was educat ...

Susan Ryan Susan Maree Ryan (10 October 194227 September 2020) was an Australian politician and public servant. She was a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and held ministerial office in the Hawke government as Minister Assisting the Prime Minist ...

Ita Buttrose Ita Clare Buttrose (born 17 January 1942) is an Australian television and radio personality, author and former magazine editor, publishing executive, newspaper journalist and television network executive chairperson. Buttrose was the foundin ...

Max Dupain Maxwell Spencer Dupain AC OBE (22 April 191127 July 1992) was an Australian modernist photographer. Early life Dupain received his first camera as a gift in 1924, spurring his interest in photography. He later joined the Photographic Society ...

and

Lily Brett Lily Brett (born Lilijahne Brajtsztajn 5 September 1946) is an Australian novelist, essayist and poet. She lived in North Carlton and then Elwood/Caulfield (suburbs of Melbourne) from 1948 to 1968, in London 1968–1971, Melbourne (1971–1989 ...

. Her depiction of ''Miss Alesandra'' won the Gallery’s National Photographic Portrait prize, for which she received $25,000 provided by

Visa International Visa Inc. () is an American multinational payment card services corporation headquartered in San Francisco, California. It facilitates electronic funds transfers throughout the world, most commonly through Visa-branded credit cards, debit c ...

. Mitelman says of her approach that; Of Mitelman’s portraits of dogs when displayed at Waverley City Gallery (Monash Gallery of Art), critic Anna Clabburn wrote;

As with American photographer
Bill Wegman William Edward Wegman (born December 19, 1962) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. After graduating from Oak Hills High School, Wegman was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 5th round of the 1981 amateur draft, where he pl ...
's much earlier portraits of his pet weimaraners, there's much to be learnt from Mitelman's comic-yet-serious transposition of dogs into human guise. The anthropomorphic quality of her subjects is both inviting and vaguely disturbing, and certainly makes us think more deeply about our relationship with the beasts we so easily call "pets'

Exhibitions

* 2019/20, 21 September-20 January: ''A Dog’s Life'', curators Maudie Palmer AO and Eugene Howard, Hamilton Gallery *2016: Finalist, Bowness Prize, Monash Gallery of Art * 2014: Finalist, Pinnacles Gallery Portrait Prize * 2013, May: ''On Cockatoo Island'', Mars Gallery * 2012: ''Smith Street Portrait Project'', Gertrude Street Projection Festival * 2011/12, October–February: Tarra Warra Museum of Art * 2010: Finalist, National Photographic Portrait Prize, National Portrait Gallery * 2008: Finalist, Olive Cotton Award, Tweed River Art Gallery * 2007: Finalist, Olive Cotton Award, Tweed River Art Gallery * 2008, April: ''Some Dogs'', MARS Gallery Port Melbourne * 2005, April: ''Mostly Strange'', MARS Gallery Port Melbourne * 2002, January 3-February 10: ''Investigations'', Herring Island Environmental Sculpture Park * 2002, October 8–25: ''Photomontage'', J-Space Centre for Contemporary Art, Chisholm Institute * 1998/9, November–31 January: ''Dog Portraiture'',

Monash Gallery of Art The City of Monash is a Local government areas of Victoria, local government area in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne with an area of 81.5 square kilometres and a population of 200,077 people in 2016. Hi ...

* 1995, March 8-June 8: ''Beyond the Picket Fence: Australian women's art in the National Library collections'', National Library of Australia, Canberra, opened by

Andrea Stretton Andrea Stretton (11 March 1952 – 16 November 2007) was an Australian arts journalist and television presenter. She was known as a major advocate for the arts in Australia. Career Andrea Stretton began her major network broadcasting career ...

, 7 March 1995 * 1989, from 19 December: ''Literary Images'', Jacqueline Mitelman, Virginia Wallace-Crabbe and

Juno Gemes Juno Gemes (born 1944) is a Hungarian-born Australian activist and photographer, best known for her photography of Aboriginal Australians.Robin Wallace-Crabbe Robin Wallace-Crabbe (born 1938, Melbourne) has been actively involved in the Australian arts scene since the 1960s as a curator of exhibitions, literary reviewer, cartoonist, illustrator, book designer, publisher and a commenter on art. He is b ...

* 1989, July 20–August 27: Jacqueline Mitelman, Jeff Busby, Greg Elms, Peter Leiss, ''Resurgence'',

The Photographers' Gallery The Photographers' Gallery was founded in London by Sue Davies opening on 14 January 1971, as the first public gallery in the United Kingdom devoted solely to photography. It is also home to the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize, established ...

* 1988, to 26 November: ''Faces Of Australia, works by Jacqueline Mitelman'' The Art Gallery, 142 Greville St, Prahran * 1984, to 1 July ''Still Movements: A photographic exhibition of images of dance''. Mark Ashkanasy, Andrew Baker, Jeff Busby, Paul Cox, Branco Gaila, Stephen Hall, Werner Hammerstingl, Liz King, William Lasica, Jacqueline Mitelman, Russell Naughton, Bernie O'Regan,

Athol Smith Athol William Smith (1913–1953) was an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. A Country New South Wales representative forward, he played club football in Sydney for Western Suburbs and Balmain (with w ...

, Tome Sikora and Walter Stringer. Heide Gallery, Bulleen * 1975, October 1-September 6: ''Wimmin: six wimmin photographers'', National Gallery of Victoria, for International Women's Year * 1975: ''Woman 1975'', touring exhibition of the Women's Christian Association of Australia, Victoria, for International Women's Year * 1974, July: Prahran College Photography students Matthew Nickson, Euan McGillivray and Jacqueline Mitelman. Brummels Gallery of Photography, 95 Toorak Road, South Yarra)

Awards

* 2011: National Photographic Portrait Prize National Portrait Gallery * 2004: Josephine Ulrick National Photography Prize

Collections

* National Portrait Gallery * National Library of Australia * Australia Defence Force Academy Library * National Gallery of Victoria *Art Gallery of New South Wales * State Library of Victoria * Museum of Modern Art at Heide * Monash Gallery of Art * Tweed River Art Gallery

Publications

* * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitelman, Jacqueline 1948 births Living people Australian portrait photographers Scottish emigrants to Australia 21st-century Australian photographers 20th-century Australian photographers 20th-century Australian women photographers 21st-century Australian women photographers