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Richard Woldendorp

Born

b.1927

Biography/General

Born in the city of Utrecht, The Netherlands, 1 January 1927. From an early age he showed an interest in painting and drawing and finally studied commercial art. After spending three years in Indonesia he decided to emigrate to the warmer climate of Australia arriving in Western Australia January 1951. Although destined for Sydney he decided to stay in Fremantle for a time. Working as a painting contractor he saw a lot of Western Australia.

In 1955, he planned a holiday back to Holland and bought a camera, which was the beginning of his long association with photography. He became fascinated with the camera as a creative tool and consequently joined several camera clubs to improve and broaden his range of skills. By 1961 he had amassed both the confidence and a sufficient range of photographs to enter and win first and third prize in the Craven-A National Photographic competition. Also in this year he embarked on establishing himself as a professional photographer. More intrigued by the unusualness of the Australian landscape, he became a landscape photographer with a strong bias for aerial photography, which he feels captures the vastness of the outback best. Since then his aspirations have included, equally, the personal development of his work and the maintenance of a successful photography business. In 1991 he was made a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography, in 1998 an Honorary Life Member and in 2002 he was admitted into the ACMP Hall of Fame.

Exhibitions

PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITIONS

CRAVEN-A NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION
Boans' Claude Hotchin Gallery, Perth - August 1961

* RICHARD WOLDENDORP
Triangle Gallery, David Foulkes Taylor, Crawley - December 1964

* COLOUR & BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS, BY RICHARD WOLDENDORP
Gallery G, Perth - April 1976

WESTERN AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHERS
Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth - April 1979

LANDSCAPE, AUSTRALIA
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne - Nov-Feb 1982

* RICHARD WOLDENDORP
North Hobart Photographic Gallery, Hobart - Dec 1982-Jan 1983

* RICHARD WOLDENDORP
Greenhill Galleries, Perth - Jan-Feb 1983

NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION
The Albury Regional Art Centre, Albury - Oct-Nov 1983

* RICHARD WOLDENDORP
Macquarie Galleries, Sydney - Oct-Nov 1983

THE VIEW FROM ABOVE, 123 YEARS OF AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Photographers Gallery, London - Dec 1983-Jan 1984

RICHARD WOLDENDORP, THE CAMERA AS EXPLORER
Fremantle Art Gallery, Fremantle - July-Aug 1984

* RICHARD WOLDENDORP
Macquarie Galleries, Sydney - Oct-Nov 1985

WESTERN AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHERS 4
Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth - Sept-Oct 1986

IMAGES OF FREMANTLE
Fremantle Art Gallery, Fremantle - Nov-Dec 1986

*AUSTRALIA, IMPRESSIONS OF A LANDSCAPE
Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth - Dec 1986-Jan 1987

* AUSTRALIA, THE UNTAMED LAND
The Western States Museum of Photography, Santa Barbara, USA - Mar-Apr 1987

* LAND DOWN UNDER
The Fleischmann Planetarium, Reno USA - July 1987

* AN APPROACH TO LANDSCAPE
Macquarie Galleries, Sydney - Jan-Feb 1988

* AUSTRALIA: IMPRESSIONS OF A LANDSCAPE
Focus Gallery, Holland - May 1988
( * DENOTES SOLO EXHIBITION)

DIVERSITY IN COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY
Virginia Miller Galleries, Florida, USA - June-July 1988

*AUSTRALIA: IMPRESSIONS OF A LANDSCAPE
Hotel Huis ter Duin, Noordwijk, Holland - July-Aug 1989

PICTURE THIS
The Old Courthouse, Art Gallery of Western Australia - Oct-Nov 1989

* WOLDENDORP
Photography Gallery, Santa Monica College, Pasadena, USA - Jan-Mar 1990

* THE ROCK & SURROUNDS
Macquarie Galleries, Sydney - Jan - Feb 1990

* RICHARD WOLDENDORP
Perth Galleries, WA - May-June 1991

LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY
The Blaxland Gallery, NSW - Apr-May 1992

*IMPRESSIONS OF A LANDSCAPE
The Australian Embassy - Washington DC Aug - Sept 1995

*LANDSCAPES DOWN UNDER
The Australian Embassy - Manila Philippines Jan -Feb 1996

*PHOTOGRAPHS OF AUSTRALIA
Browsing Gallery; Penn State College March-April �97

HAMERSLEY IRON
Commission and subsequent exhibition for Hamersley Iron on Yandicoogina & surrounding areas - April '99

*DOWN TO EARTH
Artplace, to accompany book launch - Oct '99

INTO THE BLUE
The Photography Gallery of WA - Jan '00
Perth International Arts Festival 2000

*WOLDENDORP IN THE PILBARA:The Hamersley Iron Collection
Curtin University of Technology-Feb �01
Perth International Arts Festival 2001

TRANS POSITIONS
Perth Museum 2002 � Artists of Dutch origin

MIXED TAPE
WA Art Gallery, Foyer � Nov 2003-Jan 2004

THE MASTERS
Monart Studio & Gallery � Feb 2004-March 2004

Down to Earth, Boutwell Draper Gallery, Sydney
2004

Richard Woldendorp, Boutwell Draper Gallery, Sydney,
2005

Coastline, Boutwell Draper Gallery, Sydney, 2006

Saltlakes, Boutwell Draper Gallery, Sydney, 2007

Richard Woldendorp, Goddard de Fiddess Gallery, Perth, 2007

ABSTRACT EARTH - THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF RICHARD WOLDENDORP, S.H. ERWIN GALLERY, SYDNEY, 20 JUNE - 3 AUGUST 2008

Collections/Commissions

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney The Heinz Collection, Pittsburgh, USA
Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Australian National Gallery, Canberra National Library of Australia

Awards/Grants

PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER AWARDS

Aust. Industrial Category Winner 1982 W.A. Landscape Category Winner 1990
Aust. Professional Photographer of 1982 Fellow of the AIPP 1991
Aust. Landscape Category Winner 1984 W.A. Industrial Category Winner 1992
W.A. Landscape Category Winner 1986 AIPP Honorary Life Member 1998
W.A. Landscape Category Winner 1988 ACMP Hall of Fame 2002

Bibliography

BOOKS PUBLISHED

The Hidden Face of Australia Thomas Nelson, 1968
A Million Square Thomas Nelson, 1969
Indonesia Thomas Nelson, 1972
Walkabout Daydawn Publishers, 1977
Looking West Daydawn Publishers, 1978
Australia's West Daydawn Publishers, 1983
(revised edition 1986)
Australia the Untamed Land Readers' Digest, 1985
2nd edition 1989
3rd edition soft cover 1995
German edition 1993

Landscapes of Western Australia J Scott, Aeolian Press 1986
Photographs R Woldendorp
View West Sandpiper Press, 1989
(2nd edition 1990: 3rd edition 1993:
4th edition 1995)
Hamersley Iron - 25 years Sandpiper Press, 1991
Journey Through A Landscape Sandpiper Press, 1992
Australia's Flying Doctors Pan Mcmillan, 1994
Photographs R Woldendorp
Text Roger McDonald
(2nd edition 2002)

Artists in Residence Sandpiper Press 1995
Photographs R Woldendorp
Text John Stringer

Australia's West Fremantle Art Centre Press, 1997
Photographs R Woldendorp

Down To Earth Fremantle Art Centre Press
& Sandpiper Press, 1999
Photographs R Woldendorp
Text Tim Winton

Margaret River � Australian Wine Regions R. Ian Lloyd Productions, 2000
Photographs R. Ian Lloyd &
R Woldendorp

Design By Nature Sandpiper Press 2001
Photographs R Woldendorp
Text Victoria Laurie

Wool � The Australian Story Fremantle Art Centre Press assoc. with Richard Woldendorp 2003
Photographs R Woldendorp
Text Roger McDonald
Captions Amanda Burdon