Whiteley began work on this last piece in 1971, completing it only in 1982. – @GloriaSteinem at #sydneywritersfestival 2016.

He found employment in the layout and commercial art department at advertising agency of Lintas Pty Ltd. From 1956 to 1959, he attended night classes in drawing at the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney. Janice sold the painting in August 1995, the work realising A$215 000. Spencer died of a heroin overdose in 2000. The result is Art, Life & The Other Thing, a dazzling biography of Brett, which reveals for the first time the full portrait of a mercurial artist. Biennale de Paris (1962) Brett Whiteley made some phenomenal art pieces during the 1970’s.

This was close to the Whiteley’s home in Notting Hill. Under the influence of such artists as his friend and mentor Francis Bacon, whose portrait he painted in 1972, Whiteley abandoned his early abstract style in favour of a more figurative Expressionism. Brett Whiteley died on June 15, 1992. April 7, In 1991, Brett was awarded the Order of Australia (General Division).

Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). In 1978, he was awarded all three of the Archibald Prize, the Sulman Prize and the Wynne Prize; the only person to have been so honoured in the same year. He was 53 years old. He died either on the 12th or 15th June 1992; his body was only discovered when the motel manager entered the room after Janice Spencer could not contact him. In June 2007, The Olgas for Ernest Gils sold for A$2 900 000. Brett Whiteley was the second of two children, born in Paddington, Sydney on 7 April 1939.

It was also in this decade that Whitely became obsessed with the English serial killer, John Christie. The hotel had garnered a reputation as a melting pot of artists of various genres which included on its guest list, amongst many other luminaries, Arthur C Clarke, Arthur Miller and Leonard Cohen.

In 1956, he began attending the National Art School.

Your email address will not be published. Brett Whiteley's style missing from paintings sold for millions, court told. Apr 29, 2015 - Explore Julian Phelps's board "brett whiteley" on Pinterest. Brett probably died from a combination of heroin, the analgesic dextropropoxylene, aspirin, methadone and whiskey. Between 1972 and 1973, he also worked on a painting called Alchemy. The piece sold for A$1 800 000 in August 1999.

Two prints of the former each sold for A$45 in April and July 2018 respectively. Whiteley evidently has a strong use of the elements of design which is expressed through the technical composition of the works. The four works he submitted comprised Abstract Autumn, Dixon Street, July, and Around Bathurst.

His work became highly desired by collectors, especially his large-scale, brilliantly-coloured interiors and landscapes strongly influenced by French artist Henri Matisse – such as Big orange sunset 1974 and Self portrait in the studio 1976. This was to be a short sojourn of only five months, despite their initial intentions to settle there. His mother was Beryl Whiteley. Clem, as he was known, was a publicity manager and worked at the Orpheum Theatres, a chain of vaudeville and movie theatres. Required fields are marked *. He won the Art Gallery of NSW Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes several times, and his artistic career was bolstered by his celebrity status in Australia and overseas. After Brett Whiteley died, his artwork became much more valuable. In 1991, Brett Whiteley was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for his contribution to the arts. This helped to develop his artwork. Here, he spent much of his time painting landscapes. If you’re enjoying our podcasts and live stream events, please consider donating to support the future of the Festival, and help us bring you more conversations and talks.

He was also a product of the liberal ways of life at that time, being a regular user of alcohol and drugs, including marijuana and LSD. Wendy retains control over copyright to Brett’s work after Arkie died of cancer in 2001. He is best known for mixing media in a unique style. Brett Whiteley was the second of two children, born in Paddington, Sydney on 7 April 1939. Brett’s work continued to sell for vast sums after his death. However, by this time Brett was dependent on drugs, especially heroin, and was known to be sexually promiscuous. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Brett-Whiteley, Art Gallery of New South Wales - Chronobiography of Brett Whiteley, Australia.gov.au - Biography of Brett Whiteley, The British Museum - Biography of Brett Whiteley, Brett Whiteley - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up).
Subscribe to Learn Antiques and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Both of these addictions lead to a steep decline in his health. He made a sculpture of Christie’s head, which would later go on to be one of Whiteley’s most morbid and most famous piece of art. Clem, as he was known, was a publicity manager and worked at the Orpheum Theatres, a chain of vaudeville and movie theatres. Closed Good Friday & Christmas Day, Update from the Gallery regarding COVID-19, Read the latest visit information, including hours. In London he was an instant success in the “Recent Australian Painting” exhibition (1961) at Whitechapel Gallery. After visiting the United States and Fiji in the mid-1960s, Whiteley returned to Australia and created a series of Expressionist landscapes. The family returned to Australia in October 1969, initially renting one floor of a house in Lavender Bay in Sydney.
Whiteley also had work exhibited at the Marlborough gallery and in 1962 he had his first solo exhibition at the Matthiesen Gallery. His best-known works of the 1960s included a series of paintings inspired by … This couple had one child together, Arkie. Updates? During his time in London, Whiteley painted several series including on bathing, animals at the London Zoo and the beach.