Brett Whiteley

Brett Whiteley ( born April 7, 1939 in Sydney, Australia, † June 15, 1992 in Thirroul, New South Wales, Australia) was an Australian painter and draftsman. He belonged to the Australian avant-garde art movement as representative of a lyrical abstract expressionism.

Life and work

Brett Whiteley visited in 1948 the boarding of Scots College in Bathurst and from 1954 to 1955, the Scots College, Sydney. In the late 1950s he attended the evening painting classes at the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney. He also attended the drawing classes at the National Art School in East Sydney. He undertook extensive study trips to Italy.

In the 1960s, he got international attention with his art, had great success in the London art scene and stood at the Marlborough Gallery in London. He was admired for the sensual power of his images and his expressive draughtsmanship. In 1964 he took part in documenta III in Kassel in the painting department.

In 1985, Whiteley bought an old warehouse building in Sydney and built it into a studio and exhibition spaces around. He he lived there after the installation of his home from 1988 to 1992, the year in which he died in Thirroul, New South Wales. His studio, the Brett Whiteley Studio, is open to the public and offers a variety of programs, including exhibitions of the artist and his paintings, drawings, sculptures and graphics. Brett Whiteley was honored with a number of national and international prizes and awards, including the Archibald and the Wynne Prize.

His works are part of the permanent collections of many galleries and museums, including the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, the Tate Gallery in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. He received the Order of Australia ( General Division ) in 1991.

Literature and sources

• Documenta III. International Exhibition; Catalogue: Volume 1: Paintings and Sculpture; Volume 2: Hand drawings; Volume 3: Industrial design, graphic; Kassel / Cologne 1964