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Australian Icons Australian Icons Australian Icons
Brett Whiteley Travelling Scholarship Winner 2000 Brett Whiteley Travelling Scholarship Winner 2000 Brett Whiteley Scholarship Winner
Dead Sea Scrolls Dead Sea Scrolls Dead Sea Scrolls
Fragrant Space Fragrant Space Fragrant Space
Les Sauvages De La Mer Pacifique Les Sauvages De La Mer Pacifique Les Sauvages De La Mer Pacifique
Olive Cotton Olive Cotton Olive Cotton
Papunya Tula Papunya Tula Papunya Tula
Salvatore Zofrea Salvatore Zofrea Salvatore Zofrea
The Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship 2000 The Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship 2000 Brett Whiteley Scholarship
Whiteley With Words Whiteley With Words Whiteley With Words
Whiteley With Words
Whiteley with words explores the visual impact of words, texts and individual letters in Brett Whiteley's work. Words - whether sourced from himself or somebody else - are often used rather like beat poetry by Whiteley, while his works unfailingly contain a strong graphic sensibility concerning their placement. 'The works chosen for this exhibition show words and text meeting the image, creating in combination with it an often fascinating allusive riddle', says Barry Pearce, Head Curator Australian Art, Art Gallery of New South Wales, who has devised this exhibition together with Wendy Whiteley. 'Visitors to Whiteley with words can study the artist's words in all their variety, invention and contradiction... At its rawest, (Whiteley's) literacy constituted a cocky premonition of graffiti art, perhaps of rapping as well... At its most refined, it was lyrical, gnomic, theory-injected and philosophical', writes Bruce James in his catalogue essay to the exhibition.

Important paintings and drawings will be displayed, as well as minor sketches, journal entries and examples of correspondence - some 60 works in all. Most are from the Whiteley Estate and many will be on show for the first time.

Whiteley was an extraordinarily articulate artist as evidenced in his journals and letters, as well as in media interviews and film. Material showing this aspect of his persona will be an integral complement to the exhibition.

On Saturdays and Sundays visitors to the Studio will be able to hear archival interviews with such media luminaries as Andrew Olle and Phillip Adams and watch the popular documentary film 'Difficult Pleasure' (dir. Don Featherstone, 1989), which was filmed at the Studio and shows Whiteley discussing his work.

The exhibition will be accompanied by an exciting public events programme which includes the spoken and sung word, music and performance. Several performances have been devised especially for the exhibition and will premiere at the Studio.
On view:Saturday 8 April to Sunday 16 July 2000
Brett Whiteley Studio
2 Raper Street, Surry Hills
Telephone:9225 1744 or 9225 1881
Hours:Saturdays and Sundays only 10am to 4pm
Admission:Adults $7 Students/Concessions $5
Media Information and Interviews:Jan Batten:
Press Office
Telephone: (02) 9233 1213 or (0418) 279 348
Facsimile: 61 2 9221 3185
email: janb@ag.nsw.gov.au

The Brett Whiteley Studio is managed by the Art Gallery of New South Wales

A DIVISION OF THE BRETT WHITELEY FOUNDATION (ACN 068 008 837) A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE. MANAGED BY THE ART GALLERY OF NEW SOUTH WALES AND FUNDED BY THE NEW SOUTH WALES GOVERNMENT. DONATIONS TO THE FOUNDATION ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE. (AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE REF. NO. AF1595C/SF9321).

Brett Whiteley (1939 - 1992)

Letter to Ning c.1980

pen, ink (glued to card) 72.5 x 53cm