Brett Whiteley

Brett Whiteley (1939-1992)

Biography

1939 Whiteley was born on the 7th of April in Sydney, Australia
1954 Sees Australian painter Lloyd Rees's European paintings, exhibited at Macquarie Galleries, Sydney
1956 Whiteley begins working at Lintas Advertising Agency, Sydney, in the layout and commercial art department
1956-1959 National Art School East attending life drawing classes; occasionally attends life drawing classes at the Julian

Ashton Art School
1959 Leaves Lintas Advertising Agency to begin painting works for an Italian scholarship. Wins the Italian Government

Travelling Art Scholarship, AGNSW
1960 Travels throughout Italy, Visits Paris and London
1961 Is awarded a grant under the Dyason Bequest from The Art Gallery of NSW, which allowed Whiteley to stay in London. Works in Paris from September to October after being awarded the Arts Advisory Board Scholarship. Awarded International Prix at the 2nd Bienalle, Paris. Represents the Australian National Committee in June at the International Association of Plastic Arts, organised by UNESCO at the Meeting of Young Painters. Three works selected for the 'Survey of Recent Australian Painting' exhibition at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London.
1962 Exhibits at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. Exhibits at the Berlin World Fair in the Stuyvesant Collection, and travels to Baden-Baden, Stuttgart and to Venice for the Biennale. Travels to the United States, visiting New York, Connecticut, and Washington
1964 Awarded International Drawing Prize, Darmstadt, Germany. Awarded travelling grant from The Stuyvesant Foundation. Awarded the Perth Festival Art Prize, Australia. Exhibits at the Whitechapel Gallery, London in 'The New Generation 1964' exhibition. Travels to Deya, Majorca
1965 Exhibited in De Hendendaagse Schilderkunst in Austalia, France, Belgium, Germany, and Italy. Exhibits in the 'Treasures from the Commonwealth' Commonwealth Festival exhibition, Burlington House, London. Exhibits work in 'The English Eye' exhibition at the Marlborough-Gerson Gallery in New York. Awarded the T.E. Wardle Invitation Art Prize, Perth, Australia. Returns to Australia
1966 Exhibits in an exhibition with British artist David Hockney and Australian artist Arthur Boyd. Exhibited at Clune Galleries, Sydney with 'The Zoo Graphics' series of works. Included in an exhibition of the Mertz Collection 'The Australian Painters 1964-1966' at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington DC, USA. Exhibits in 'British Graphics', Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Rotterdam. Exhibits in a group show at Marlborough New London Gallery, London. Exhibits in a group show at Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels
1967 Exhibits at Pittsburgh International Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, USA and is awarded the Harkness Foundation Scholarship. Spends May to June travelling throughout Majorca, Tangier, and Madrid. Exhibits in a group exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery, London
1970-72 Becomes involved with The Yellow House artist's community in Potts Point, Sydney
1971 Exhibits in a group show 'The Bonsai Show', Australian Galleries, Melbourne
1972 Begins work on the large 'Alchemy' painting in February. Exhibits in the 'Australian Painters and Tapestries of the Past 20 Years' exhibition, New South Wales House, London
1973 Completes 'Alchemy' in January and exhibits it at Bonython Gallery, Sydney. Travels to Mauritius and Kenya in June
1975 Awarded the Sir William Anglis Memorial Prize, Melbourne. Included in the 'Australian Painting' exhibition, China
1976 Awarded the Archibald Prize for 'Self Portrait in the Studio'. Awarded the Sulman Prize for 'Interior with Time Past'
1977 Awarded the Wynne Prize for 'The Jacaranda Tree'. Travels to Venice, Florence, and Rome
1978 Awarded the Wynne Prize for 'Summer at Carcoar'. Awarded the Sulman Prize for 'Yellow Nude'. Awarded the Archibald Prize for 'Art, Life and the Other Thing'. Travels to Bali and New Caledonia. Exhibits 4 works at the Cologne International Art Fair
1982 Travels to Spain, Germany, and France
1983 Travels to Central Australia
1984 Awarded the Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales with 'South Coast After the Rain'
1985 Purchases an old Tshirt factory in Surry Hills, Sydney, and converts it into a studio (now the Brett Whiteley Museum)
1991 Awarded the Order of Australia
1992 Brett Whiteley dies in a hotel room in Thirroul, New South Wales

Selected Exhibitions

Many solo exhibitions throughout Australia. Selected exhibitions include:
1961 'Survey of Recent Australian Painting', Whitechapel Art Gallery, London
1962 Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
1962 Exhibits at the Berlin World Fair in the Stuyvesant Collection
1964 'The New Generation 1964', Whitechapel Gallery, London
1965 'Treasures from the Commonwealth', Commonwealth Festival exhibition, Burlington House, London
1965 'The English Eye', Marlborough-Gerson Gallery, New York
1966 'The Zoo Graphics' series of works, Clune Galleries, Sydney
1966 'The Australian Painters 1964-1966', Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington DC
1966 Marlborough New London Gallery, London
1966 Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels
1967 Pittsburgh International Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh
1971 'The Bonsai Show', Australian Galleries, Melbourne
1972 'Australian Painters and Tapestries of the Past 20 Years', New South Wales House, London
1973 Bonython Gallery, Sydney (exhibits 'Alchemy')
1975 'Australian Painting' exhibition, China
1976 Archibald Prize, The Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
1976 Sulman Prize, The Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
1977 Wynne Prize, The Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
1978 Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes, The Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
1984 Wynne Prize, The Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney

Selected Awards

1961 Dyason Bequest, AGNSW
1961 International Prix at the 2nd Bienalle, Paris
1964 International Drawing Prize, Darmstadt, Germany
1964 Perth Festival Art Prize, Australia
1975 Sir William Anglis Memorial Prize, Melbourne
1976 Archibald Prize for 'Self Portrait in the Studio'
1976 Sulman Prize for 'Interior with Time Past'
1977 Wynne Prize for 'The Jacaranda Tree'
1978 Wynne Prize for 'Summer at Carcoar'
1978 Sulman Prize for 'Yellow Nude'
1978 Archibald Prize for 'Art, Life and the Other Thing'
1984 Wynne Prize for 'South Coast After the Rain'
1991 Awarded the Order of Australia (OA)

Collections

Represented in the National Gallery of Australia
All public state galleries
Most regional Australian galleries
Represented internationally in collections such the Tate Gallery of London and MoMA in New York

 

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