Max Middleton has enjoyed a long and highly acclaimed career as a professional artist exhibiting for over 60 years. Max has a great interest in the Australian landscape. As a plein air painter, he faithfully renders what he sees. He has an extraordinary ability to capture light on canvas.

Max chooses to paint diverse subjects: sumptuous pumpkins, horses ploughing a dusty paddock, mist shrouding damp rain-forests, a naked woman on a sun-drenched beach. Whatever his subject, vitality infuses them all.

Born in Melbourne in 1922, Max knew from the age of 12 that he wanted to be an artist. By the age of 16 he was learning to draw at the National Gallery School. His supportive father took him on Sunday drives to find suitable sites at which to stop and paint. At this time, he also studied privately with Septimus Power. Power was both a mentor and a friend who strongly influenced Max's career. Power expressed his confidence in Max's technical competence by inviting Max to become his assistant teacher.

Max painted for two years throughout Europe in the early 1950’s. He studied in London and Florence, and viewed the work held by major galleries including the Tate, Uffizi, the Louvre and the Prado. Max continued his tour, painting in Wales, Ireland, Paris, Italy and Spain and in the flourishing art community of Cornwall. It was in regional Spain that he chose to paint the people of the area, and since then, the human figure has been a recurring subject in his paintings. Subsequent travels to Bali and the Trobriand Islands cemented Max’s love of painting the human form at work and play.

Since his first solo exhibition at age 23, Max has held over 60 exhibitions throughout Australia. Max's success belies his quiet commitment to his work, and his gentle reverence for life.

Max is now 89 years old, and until 2010, relished painting in his Melbourne studio. Sadly, poor health has now forced him to retire from painting. However, he now has time to indulge his other passion: listening to classical music.

Collections
Queensland Art Gallery; Bendigo Regional Art Gallery; Benalla Regional Art Gallery, Castlemaine Regional Art Gallery.

Artist Statement
"Despite the fact that I have painted many subjects I have always endeavored to have clear goals: to be inspired by nature in all its variety, to be excited by what I see, to paint only that which touches me deeply and to attain the highest excellence in draftsman-ship and technique in order to express what I feel about my subject"

Exhibitions
2009 Royal Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne: ART MELBOURNE 09
2006 Southside Arts - Hon. John Thwaites Offices, Treasury Place, East Melbourne
2006 "Max & Anne Middleton"; Anne Middleton Gallery
2004 "Max Middleton; Past & Present" Anne Middleton Gallery
2003 Five Ways Galleries, Melbourne
1997 Leonard Joel Gallery, Melbourne 1996 Rafferty's Galleries, Perth
1993 Caulfield Arts Complex, Melbourne First Settlement Gallery, Sorrento
1984 Barry Stern Galleries, Sydney
1981-92 Five Ways Galleries, Melbourne
1979/80 Kalorama Galleries, Melbourne
1978 Kalorama Galleries, Melbourne David Jones Gallery, Adelaide
1976 Newtown Gallery, Adelaide
1972/74 Rigby Gallery, Adelaide
1968/70 Moyle's Gallery, Adelaide
1966 Moyle's Gallery, Adelaide Adam Galleries, Melbourne Parry Galleries, Melbourne
1963/64 Studio Exhibition, Melbourne
1963 Malvern Fine Art Gallery, Melbourne Hamilton City Art Gallery, Hamilton Joliffe Gallery, Hobart
1961/62 Athenaeum Gallery, Melbourne
1956/58/60 Tasmanian Tourist Bureau Gallery, Melbourne
1954/55/59 Athenaeum Gallery, Melbourne
1950/53 Royal Society of Arts Gallery, Adelaide
1948/49 Athenaeum Gallery, Melbourne
1947 Athenaeum Gallery, Melbourne Royal Society of Arts Gallery, Adelaide
1946 Tallangatta Shire Hall, Tallangatta
1946 Kozminsky Galleries, Melbourne Tallangatta Kozminsky Galleries, Melbourne
2006 "Max & Anne Middleton"; Anne Middleton Gallery
2004 "Max Middleton; Past & Present" Anne Middleton Gallery
2003 Five Ways Galleries, Melbourne
1997 Leonard Joel Gallery, Melbourne
1996 Rafferty's Galleries, Perth
1993 Caulfield Arts Complex, Melbourne First Settlement Gallery, Sorrento
1984 Barry Stern Galleries, Sydney
1981-92 Five Ways Galleries, Melbourne
1979/80 Kalorama Galleries, Melbourne
1978 Kalorama Galleries, Melbourne David Jones Gallery, Adelaide
1976 Newtown Gallery, Adelaide
1972/74 Rigby Gallery, Adelaide
1968/70 Moyle's Gallery, Adelaide
1966 Moyle's Gallery, Adelaide Adam Galleries, Melbourne Parry Galleries, Melbourne
1963/64 Studio Exhibition, Melbourne
1963 Malvern Fine Art Gallery,
Melbourne Hamilton City Art Gallery, Hamilton Joliffe Gallery, Hobart
1961/62 Athenaeum Gallery, Melbourne
1956/58/60 Tasmanian Tourist Bureau Gallery, Melbourne
1954/55/59 Athenaeum Gallery, Melbourne
1950/53 Royal Society of Arts Gallery, Adelaide
1948/49 Athenaeum Gallery, Melbourne
1947 Athenaeum Gallery, Melbourne
Royal Society of Arts Gallery, Adelaide
1946 Tallangatta Shire Hall, Tallangatta
1946 Kozminsky Galleries, Melbourne