[citation needed] The work is often presented as diptychs, triptychs and in other groupings, and the exhibitions are specifically curated by Henson to reflect a sense of musicality.
[11][12] Raised in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Henson studied Visual Arts and Design 1974–1975 at Prahran College of Advanced Education where Athol Shmith was head of the Photography program and John Cato and Paul Cox were lecturers.
[15] From his period as a student until its closure in 1980, he worked at The Bookshop of Margareta Webber[16] 343 Little Collins Street Melbourne, which specialised in luxurious books on ballet, dance and the visual arts.
[27] It was announced on 23 May that a number of the images in the exhibition had been seized by police local Area Commander Alan Sicard, with the intention of charging Bill Henson, the Gallery, or both with "publishing an indecent article" under the Crimes Act.
In a televised interview, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd stated that he found the images "absolutely revolting"[30][31][32] and that they had "no artistic merit".
[33] These views swiftly drew censure from members of the "creative stream" who attended the 2020 Summit convened by Rudd (18-19 April 2008), led by actress Cate Blanchett.
[38] Australian scholar Niall Lucy criticised Devine's response to Henson's art in his 2010 book Pomo Oz: Fear and Loathing Down Under.