Professor Emeritus Helen Ennis
Former Director, Centre for Art History and Art Theory
ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
Areas of expertise
- Art Criticism 190101
- Art Theory 190103
- Art History 190102
Research interests
Photography, histories of photography, art history, visual arts, biography, death studies, museology and curatorship.
Biography
Helen was Director of the Centre for Art History and Art Theory at the School of Art and Design from 2014-18 and was appointed the Sir William Dobell Chair of Art History in 2014. She was formerly Curator of Photography at the National Gallery of Australia, 1985-92, before joining the Art Theory Workshop at ANU School of Art in 1995. She specialises in histories of Australian photography and biography, with a particular focus on the work of women photographers.
Her major publications include Olive Cotton: A life in photography, 2019, Margaret Michaelils: Love, loss and photography, 2005, Photography and Australia, and Reveries: Photography and mortality. She is currently writing a biography of Australian modernist photographer Max Dupain.
Helen is a Fellow of the Academy of the Humanities. In 2020 she was awarded the Magarey Medal for Biography and in 2021 she received the Royal Photographic Society's J Dudley Johnston Medal for 'major achievement in the history of photography'.
Publications
- Ennis, H 2017, 'A hidden legacy: Margaret Michaelis's photography', in (ed.), The Other Moderns: Sydney's forgotten European design legacy, NewSouth Publishing, Sydney, pp. pp191-213.
- Ennis, E 2016, 'Aids to survival', in Lee Kinsella (ed.), Miriam Stannage: Time Framed, UWA Publishing, Perth, pp. 170-189.
- Ennis, E 2016, 'Unsettling: the photographic work of Sue Ford and Anne Ferran', in Marion Arnold and Marsha Meskimmon (ed.), Home/Land, Liverpool University Press, Liverpool, pp. 62-72.
- Ennis, E 2015, 'White Goods, Dark Knowing', in Hannah Matthews (ed.), Derek Kreckler: Accident and Process, Perimeter Editions, Melbourne, pp. 62-72.
- Ennis, E 2014, 'Who Was Wolfgang Sievers?', in Naomi Cass and Kyla McFarlane (ed.), The Sievers Project, Centre for Contemporary Photography & Ellikon Press, Fitzroy, Victoria, pp. 8-11.
- Ennis, E 2014, The fluid object: Sue Ford's 'unfixed' photography.
- Ennis, E 2013, 'The state of Photography', in Michelle Hetherington (ed.), Glorious Days Australia 1913, National Museum of Australia Press, Canberra, pp. 169-183.
- Ennis, E 2013, 'Olive Cotton at Spring Forest', Australian Book Review, vol. July-August, pp. 18-31.
- Ennis, E 2013, 'Book Review: Photography and Mourning', History of Photography, vol. 37, no. 2, pp. 252-253.
- Ennis, E 2013, 'Photography and Death', History of Photography, vol. 37, no. 2, pp. 252-253.
- Ennis, E 2012, 'The Space of Biography: Writing on Olive Cotton', Meanjin, vol. 71, no. 3, pp. 64-76.
- Ennis, H 2012, 'Things: photographing the constructed world', exhibition catalogue.
- Ennis, E 2011, 'Faces are maps: Sue Ford and Portraiture', in Shaune Lakin (ed.), Sue Ford: Self-portrait with camera, Monash Gallery of Art, Wheelers Hill, Victoria, Australia, p. 4.
- Ennis, E 2011, 'Death and Digital Photography', Cultural Studies Review, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 125-145.
- Ennis, E 2011, Wolfgang Sievers, National Library of Australia, Canberra Australia.
- Ennis, E 2011, 'Australian photography and the Ballets Russes', in Mark Carroll (ed.), The Ballets Russes in Australia and Beyond, Wakefield Press, Adelaide Australia, pp. 203-217.
- Ennis, E 2011, 'Sue Ford's history', Art Bulletin of Victoria, no. 50, pp. 89-97.
- Ennis, E 2011, 'Other histories: photography and Australia', Journal of Art Historiography, vol. 2011, no. 4, p. 15.
- Ennis, E 2011, 'A singular photograph: Olive Cotton's Sea's awakening', Journal of Australian Studies, vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 449-459.
- Ennis, E 2011, 'Lasting Impressions: European views of Central Australia. Book review of Images of the Interior: Seven Central Australian Photographers by Philip Jones', Australian Book Review, vol. 336, no. November 2011, pp. 46-47.
- Ennis, E 2011, 'Book review: All that Swagger: Look Contemporary photography since 1980', Australian Book Review, vol. 332, pp. 43-44.
- Ennis, E 2010, Decisive moments. Henri Cartier-Bresson: The modern century, by Peter Galassi, p. 10.
- Ennis, E 2010, 'Ward 3E', in Natalie King (ed.), Up Close: Carol Jerrems with Larry Clark, Nan Goldin and William Yang, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne, pp. 148-162.
- Ennis, E 2009, 'Tom Normand - Scottish Photography: A History [Book review]', History of Photography, vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 407-08.
- Ennis, E 2010, 'Sue Ford 1943-2009 (obituary)', Art Monthly Australia (AMA), no. 227, pp. 27-28pp.
- Ennis, E 2009, 'Timeliness: Photographs by Christine Godden', in (ed.), Light Touch: Photographs by Christine Godden, Unknown, Alice Springs Australia, pp. unpaginated.
- Ennis, E 2009, 'Book Review: Narratives of Nation', History of Photography, vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 407-408.
- Ennis, E 2009, 'Ford, Sue', in (ed.), Oxford Art Online, Oxford University Press, Oxford, United Kingdom.
- Ennis, E 2009, 'Edward Burtynsky's Minescapes: An Australian Perspective', in Ray Coffey (ed.), Edward Burtynsky: Australian Minescapes, Western Australian Museum, Perth, Western Australia, pp. 17-19.
- Ennis, E 2009, 'Photography, Australian', in (ed.), Oxford Art Online, Oxford University Press, Oxford, United Kingdom.
- Ennis, E 2009, 'Sievers, Wolfgang', in (ed.), Oxford Art Online, Oxford University Press, Oxford, United Kingdom.
- Ennis, E 2008, 'Steam and Sunshine', in Natasha Bullock (ed.), Harold Cazneaux: Artist in Photography, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, p. 118.
- Ennis, E 2008, 'The Art of Dying', in T Chandler Haliburton and Caroline Edwards (ed.), Mortality, Dying and Death, Inter-Disciplinary Press, Oxford UK, pp. 253-260.
- Ennis, E 2008, A Modern Vision, Charles Bayliss, Photographer, 1850-1897, National Library of Australia, Canberra Australia.
- Ennis, E 2008, 'A Modern Vision: Charles Bayliss, Photographer, 1850-1897'.
- Ennis, E 2008, 'Now and Then', Art World, no. 6 (Dec 2008-Jan 2009), pp. Photography supplement: pp7-11.
- Ennis, E 2007, 'On Death', Photofile, vol. 80, pp. 32-35.
- Ennis, E 2007, Reveries: Photography and Mortality, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra Australia.
- Ennis, E 2007, Photography and Australia, Reaktion Books Ltd, London UK.
- Ennis, E 2007, 'Reveries: Photography and Mortality'.
- Ennis, H 2007, In-between, Catalogue essay published in conjunction with survey exhibition of photographer Christl Berg, at Queen Victoria Museum and Gallery, Inveresk, Tasmania. Publication title: Intimate Encounters: botanically inspired works by Christl Berg., Queen Victoria Museum and Gallery, Inveresk, Tasmania, Australia, pp. 5 pp.
- Ennis, E 2006, 'Perception: The Daryl Hewson Photographic Collection', Photofile, no. 76, p. 78.
- Ennis, E 2006, 'Jacky Redgate 1980-2003', Photofile, no. 78, p. 78.
- Ennis, E 2006, 'Bill Cuthbert: Light wine things', Art Monthly Australia (AMA), no. 190, pp. 39-40.
- Ennis, E 2005, 'Portraiture in extremis', in Daniel Palmer (ed.), Photogenic: Essays/Photography/CCP 2000-2004, Centre for Contemporary Photography & Ellikon Press, Melbourne Australia, pp. 23-39.
- Ennis, E 2005, Margaret Michaelis: Love, loss and photography, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra Australia.
- Ennis, E 2005, 'Margaret Michaelis: love, loss and photography'.
- Ennis, E 2004, 'In a New Light II: Australian Photography 1930s-2000'.
- Ennis, E 2004, 'Unhurried: Tribute to Olive Cotton', Art Monthly Australia (AMA), vol. issue no 167.
- Ennis, E 2004, Intersections:Photography, History and the National Library of Australia, National Library of Australia, Canberra. Australia.
- Ennis, E 2003, 'In a new light: Australian Photography 1850s-1930s'.
- Ennis, E 2003, 'Messing About With Photos', Meanjin, vol. 62, no. 3, pp. 19-29.
- Ennis, E 2003, In a new light: Australian Photography 1850s - 1930s, National Library of Australia, Canberra.
- Ennis, E 2003, 'Olive Cotton 1911-2003', Photofile, vol. 70, pp. 62-63.
- Ennis, E 2002, Man with a camera: Frank Hurley Overseas, National Library of Australia, Canberra.
- Ennis, E 2002, 'Gentle men', Art Monthly Australia (AMA), vol. May 2002, no. 149, pp. 20-21.
- Ennis, E 2002, 'Traces', Photofile, vol. 66, no. Sept 2002, p. 3.
- Ennis, E 2002, 'The Josephine Ulrick National Photography', Photofile, vol. 66, pp. 49-50.
- Ennis, E 2001, 'Integral to the Vision: A National Photographic Collection', in Peter Cochrane (ed.), Remarkable Occurences: The National Library's First 100 Years, National Library of Australia, Canberra, pp. 198-211.
- Ennis, E 2001, 'The Presence of the Past', Photofile, vol. 62, pp. 43-45.
- Ennis, E 2000, 'Mirror with a Memory', in Rendle-Short, Francesca (ed.), Mirror with a Memory: Photographic Portraiture in Australia, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, Australia, pp. 7-27.
- Ennis, E & Donohue, R 2000, Olive Cotton, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW.
