Ford, Sue (1943 - 2009)

Born
19 March 1943
St Kilda, Victoria, Australia
Died
6 November 2009
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Alternative Names
  • Susanne, Ford (also known as)
  • Winslow, Sue (also known as)
Summary

Sue Ford was an influential Australian photographer, filmmaker and multimedia artist, and one of the first women photographers to establish an independent art practice in Australia. She briefly studied photography at RMIT (Certificate Course Photography) in 1962 before opening her own commercial studio and later pursuing a prolific artistic career. Ford was the first photographer to hold a solo exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria and went on to present many solo exhibitions, with works held in major state and national collections. Renowned for her feminist perspective and experimental photomedia, she significantly shaped Australian visual culture.

Related Themes

Archival Resources

ACMI

  • Sue Ford Moving Image Collection, c. 1970 - 2001, B2003615; Ford, Sue; ACMI. Details

State Library of Victoria

  • RMIT Archives Research into Prominent / Famous Past Students and Alumni, 1887 - 2009, Series S0509; State Library of Victoria. Details

Published Resources

Books

  • Ford, Sue, and Finch, Maggie, with contributions by Virginia Fraser, Shaune Lakin, Marcia Langton and Helen Ennis, Sue Ford, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, 2015. Details
  • Hulbert, Shane, Suzanne Davies (writer of introduction) and RMIT Gallery (issuing body), Photography 130: Behind the Lens: 130 Years of RMIT Photography, RMIT Gallery, Melbourne, Victoria, 2017. Details

Journal Articles

  • Amore, Melissa, 'A maverick in search of new light: Sue Ford 1943 - 2009', Photofile, no. 89, Australian Centre for Photography, Paddington, New South Wales, April 2010, p. 79. Details
  • Ennis Helen, 'Sue Ford 1943-2009', Art Monthly Australia, no. 227, March 2010, pp. 27-28. Details
  • McFarlane, Kyla, ''A cool blue line': 'Sue Ford' at the NGV', Photofile, no. 95, Australian Centre for Photography, Paddington, New South Wales, September 2014, pp. 34-37. Details

Newspaper Articles

  • Hall, Barbara, 'Australian pioneer focused on her art', The Age (Melbourne, Victoria), 21 November 2009. Details

Webpages

Sources used to compile this entry: Amore, Melissa, 'A maverick in search of new light: Sue Ford 1943 - 2009', Photofile, no. 89, Australian Centre for Photography, Paddington, New South Wales, April 2010, p. 79; Ennis Helen, 'Sue Ford 1943-2009', Art Monthly Australia, no. 227, March 2010, pp. 27-28; Ennis, Helen, Ford [Winslow], Sue, Grove Art Online, Oxford University Press, 22 September 2015. Also available at https://doi.org/10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.T2083278; Ford, Sue, and Finch, Maggie, with contributions by Virginia Fraser, Shaune Lakin, Marcia Langton and Helen Ennis, Sue Ford, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, 2015; Hall, Barbara, 'Australian pioneer focused on her art', The Age (Melbourne, Victoria), 21 November 2009; Hulbert, Shane, Suzanne Davies (writer of introduction) and RMIT Gallery (issuing body), Photography 130: Behind the Lens: 130 Years of RMIT Photography, RMIT Gallery, Melbourne, Victoria, 2017; McFarlane, Kyla, ''A cool blue line': 'Sue Ford' at the NGV', Photofile, no. 95, Australian Centre for Photography, Paddington, New South Wales, September 2014, pp. 34-37; RMIT Archives Research into Prominent / Famous Past Students and Alumni, 1887 - 2009, Series S0509; State Library of Victoria; Sue Ford. Also available at https://www.sueford.com.au/homepage; Sue Ford 1980-2006, National Portrait Gallery. Also available at https://www.portrait.gov.au/portraits/2013.54/sue-ford-1980-2006/; Sue Ford Moving Image Collection, c. 1970 - 2001, B2003615; Ford, Sue; ACMI.

Prepared by: Miranda Francis

Created: 14 April 2026