Surf riders, Dee Why, New South Wales
(1962)
- Artist/s name
- David BEAL
- Medium
- gelatin silver photograph
- Measurements
- 36.6 x 59.0 cm (image and sheet)
- Accession Number
- PH41-1969
- Credit Line
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased through the KODAK (Australasia) Pty Ltd Fund, 1969
© David Beal - Gallery Location
- Not on display
The 1960s heralded the arrival of youth culture, and popular films such as A Hard Day’s Night and Easy Rider presented images of rebellion and alternative subcultures. The first surf movie shown in Australia, in Sydney in 1960, so excited the crowd that its screening resulted in a jubilant riot in which theatre seats were torn out and the police were called in. Surfing became an increasingly popular sport in Australia and in 1962 Midget Farrelly became the first Australian to win a world surfing championship. David Beal’s Surf riders, Dee Why, New South Wales, photographed in the same year, encapsulates the sense of freedom and independence associated not only with the sport but also with the energy of being young.
