Maggie Diaz (1925–2016) was born in Kansas City Missouri, United States of America. She became interested in photography while working as a darkroom assistant in an advertising agency in the early 1950s. After photographing in Chicago during the 1950s, Diaz arrived in Australia by ship in 1961, settling in Melbourne. She established herself as a leading commercial photographer and became recognised for her use of available light. While working commercially, Diaz also took her camera out onto the streets, capturing Melbourne’s artistic and broader community from the 1960s through to the 1990s. Unlike her contemporaries, such as Wolfgang Sievers and Mark Strizic, Diaz’s photographs were not recognised until the mid-2000s. She has since been widely exhibited and collected by major Australian institutions.

(2021)