Les Mason: Epicurean Magazine 1966-1979

The Narrows, 2010

Epicurean was the first Australian magazine devoted entirely to food and wine. Under the guidance
of its owner and founder Alan Holdsworth, the publication played a significant role in shaping what
we now recognise as a vibrant and coherent food and wine culture. Local identities including Len
Evans, Dan Murphy, Mietta O’Donnell, Tony Bilson and Terry Durack all found voice in the pages of the
magazine, and its place within the annals of the Australian food and wine industry is beyond dispute.
Holdsworth also had an eye for design, and his appointment of ex-pat American Les Mason as the
magazine’s inaugural art director was to have a profound effect on both men’s careers and beyond.
The influence of Epicurean spread across both the design and food worlds, inspiring young chefs and
designers in equal measure.
Mason had arrived from Los Angeles in 1961, exuding a charismatic bravado which shook the polite
civility of the design industry at that time. He would later become the fulcrum for a new wave of young
designers, acting not only as a mentor and teacher but also as an inspirational figurehead. With free
reign to experiment, Epicurean’s first 77 issues became Mason’s creative playground, a canvas on
which his love for art and design met head-on. Originating at a time of unprecedented social and
artistic freedom, he distilled the spirit and energy of the age into a body of work remarkable for its
longevity and continuity.
Art director, photographer, artist, enfant terrible. Mason is a seminal figure in Australian graphic
design’s brief history, and this exhibition is the first significant exploration of what many regard as his
defining work.
Les Mason
Epicurean Magazine 1966–1979
September 30 – November 13, 2010
The Narrows 2/141 Flinders Lane / Melbourne / AUS
www.thenarrows.org / T+61 3 9654 1534
Les Mason
Epicurean 41, 1973
Epicurean 51, 1974
Epicurean 60, 1976
Les Mason (1924–2009)
Les was a seaman, and ran motels, bars and a drugstore before opting for art in the early fifties. He studied
painting and interior design at Chouinard Art Institute in California. Gropius, Frank Lloyd Wright and Jackson
Pollock opened his eyes to new directions. He then went on to work in advertising, painting after hours. Les started
West Coast Designers (1958) and began to get recognition before moving to Australia in 1961. In 1962 he opened
his own studio, where most of his work was in packaging and corporate design.