Brett Whiteley

Brett Whiteley is one of Australia's most renowned artists of the twentieth century. His work is showcased in the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, all Public State Galleries, most Regional Australian Galleries, the Tate Gallery of London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Whiteley's work displays the influence from a wide range of sources, ranging from the work of Francis Bacon to Japanese ink drawings. It was Whiteley's distinctive style which placed him at the forefront of Australia's avant-garde art movement, and his work remains to be a huge inspiration for many emerging artists.

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Biography

Brett Whiteley Photo

Whiteley was born in Sydney in 1939 and grew up in Longueville in New South Wales, Australia. By the age of seven, Whiteley had already won his first art competition. He was sent to boarding school at Scots College in Bathurst, and in 1956 was awarded first prize in the Young Painters' category of the Bathurst Show. He then left school mid-year, and decided to attend night classes in drawing at the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney. He worked at an advertising agency during this time.

In 1960, Whiteley left Australia on a Travelling Art Scholarship. By 1961, he had settled in London, with his work already displayed at the Whitechapel and Marlborough galleries. It was in London where Whiteley met Australian painters Arthur Boyd and John Passmore.

Whiteley's reputation grew internationally after winning the international prize at the International Biennale for Young Artists in 1962. It was in the same year where he had his first solo exhibition at the Matthiesen Gallery.

During his time overseas, Whiteley's abstract and fluid style turned to figuration, and imagery of sex and violence became a popular motif in his paintings. Whiteley also experimented with collage, playing around with fiberglass and photographs. His work continued to be exhibited widely in Australia, France, Belgium and Italy. Whiteley also stayed in New York and Fiji for short periods of time.

In 1969, Whiteley returned permanently to Australia. He was considered one of the leading artists of the avant-garde movement, and his acclaim continued to grow throughout the seventies and eighties, winning numerous awards and prizes.

In the last years of his life, Whiteley travelled far and wide, visiting England, Bali, Tokyo and Paris. On 15 June 1992, Whiteley died from heroin overdose. He was fifty-three years old.


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Works

Alchemy Alchemy
1972-1973 		Night Cafe
1972 		Night Cafe
The Arrival The Arrival
1988 		Remembering Lao Tse
1967 		Remembering Lao Tse
Willows at Carcour Willows at Carcour
1978 		Self Portrait After Three Bottles of Wine
1971 		Self Portrait After Three Bottles of Wine

To see more of Brett Whiteley's works, visit the Brett Whiteley Studio website.


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Awards

Self-portrait in the Studio

Whiteley had won many art awards and prizes in his lifetime, but it was not until the 1970s and 80s when he was at the peak of his career. In 1975 he was awarded the Sir William Angliss Memorial Art Prize, and the following year, he won his first Archibald prize with Self-portrait in the Studio and the Sir John Sulman Prize for Interior with Time Past.

In 1977, Whiteley won the Wynne Prize for The Jacaranda Tree (On Sydney Harbour), and in 1978 he became the first and only Australian artist ever to win the Archibald, Sulman and Wynne prizes in the same year. All three awards are considered to be some of the most prestigious art prizes in Australia.

Whiteley won the Wynne Prize again in 1984 with The South Coast After Rain, and was awarded the Order of Australia (General Division) in 1991.


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Quotes

  • "Everyone reaches a point in their life where they must either change or cease."
  • "Art should astonish, transmute, transfix. One must work at the tissue between truth and paranoia."
  • "I was intrigued and enormously drawn to extremism by people who had blown their lives or who had taken their lives outside the normal conventions of society."
  • "The most fundamental reason one paints is in order to see."
  • "Never trust an art dealer who'll sit in a room for more than ten minutes with a crooked picture."
  • "The fine art of painting, which is the bastard of alchemy, always has been always will be, a game. The rules of the game are quite simple: in a given arena, on as many psychic fronts as the talent allows, one must visually describe, the centre of the meaning of existence."

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Studio

Whiteley in his Studio

Whiteley's studio was both a workplace and home for the artist. Whiteley bought the former warehouse in 1985 and converted it into a studio and exhibition space. He lived there from 1988 to 1992.

The studio has now been converted into a gallery for the general public. Visitors are offered the opportunity to experience first-hand the environment where Whiteley lived and worked in, including Whiteley's unfinished paintings, art equipment, collections of reference books, and the graffiti wall covered with quotes and images. The living area also has wide range of memorabilia to display, such as photographs, sketchbooks, objects, furniture, music collection and postcards.

For more information, visit the Brett Whiteley Studio website.


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References


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Brett Whiteley Signature

Helen Kwok (13371854) © 2006 | Internet Design Introduction 291