Nudes

Rennie Ellis (1940–2003) was a photojournalist who chronicled Australian culture in the late twentieth century. He had a particular interest in the social life of Melbourne, and often documented celebrations, political protests and other public events. Ellis was also a driving force in the push to have photography recognised as a contemporary art form, and in 1972 he established Brummels Gallery of Photography, the first gallery dedicated to showing photography in Australia. During the course of his life Ellis rarely staged exhibitions, but his images were widely circulated in publications including a range of books authored by Ellis.

This photograph is from a series of images collectively titled Carol Jerrems, Mozart Street (1970). The series constitutes an informal portrait of Jerrems posing in her bedroom. While Ellis is well known for his social documentary work and his profile as a street photographer, he also produced a significant archive of nude photography and intimate portraits. This aspect of his practice provides further evidence of Ellis’s ability to establish an amicable report with his subjects. Ellis and Jerrems were both part of the same social scene in Prahran during the 1970s, and worked together on a range of projects.