Brett Whiteley: Chapters 1959–69

For this renowned Australian artist, the decade from 1959 was one of the most significant chapters in his life, beginning in November of that year when he was awarded a scholarship which gave him the opportunity to travel internationally.

Aside from a stint in Australia over the summer of 1965–66, Whiteley and his wife Wendy lived and worked overseas for most of this time, based mainly in London from 1960 to 1967 and in New York City from 1967 to 1969. They travelled extensively through Europe, visiting museums and galleries, as well as making trips to India in 1966 and Morocco in 1967.

Encounters with people, landscapes, art and music, along with the political and social atmosphere of the time, were the conduits through which Whiteley engaged with the world and developed his art.

This exhibition includes works that have not been on public display since the 1970s.