Provenance: Ms Julie Velma Gayle Hopkirk, Sydney; Goodridge Galleries, Perth, 1989; Private collection, Perth, purchased from Goodridge

Sketchbook: Page from Whiteley’s Sydney Sketchbook 1957–58 (KS3)

Exhibited: *An. Exhibition of Early Works by Brett Whiteley, Goodridge Galleries, Perth, April–May 1989 [cat. no. unknown]

Literature: Addendum to Sutherland, 2020, Drawings and Works on paper, 1957; Portraits and People, cat. 4.57

Note: *Pages from Whiteley’s Sydney Sketchbook 1957–58 (KS3)
This sketchbook was disassembled and the pages were sold as individual works in an exhibition held at Goodridge Galleries, Perth, 18 April–7 May 1989. Comprising 84 drawings, watercolours and pen and ink sketches, the images generally measure approximately 20.5 x 13.5 cm. (Refer Sutherland, Brett Whiteley: Catalogue Raisonné: 1995–1992, 2020, vol. 7, Select Bibliography, Sketchbooks and notebooks, KS3, p.1019)

Primary Inscription: inscribed u.l. (pen and ink) ‘office / BM6381 / [in pencil] 11 ½ ʺ x 16 ʺ’

Provenance: Ms Julie Velma Gayle Hopkirk, formerly of Sydney; Goodridge Galleries, Perth, 1989; Private collection, Melbourne; Menzies Art Brands, Sydney, 25 May 2010, lot 196 (illus.); Private collection, Sydney

Sketchbook: Page from Whiteley’s Sydney Sketchbook 1957–58 (KS3)

Exhibited: An. Exhibition of Early Works by Brett Whiteley, Goodridge Galleries, Perth, April–May 1989, no. 32

Literature: Addendum to Sutherland, 2020, Drawings and Works on paper 1957; Portraits and People, cat. 4a.57

Note: Pages from Whiteley’s Sydney Sketchbook 1957–58 (KS3): This sketchbook was disassembled and the pages were sold as individual works in an exhibition held at Goodridge Galleries, Perth, 18 April–7 May 1989. Comprising 84 drawings, watercolours and pen and ink sketches, the images generally measure approximately 20.5 x 13.5 cm. (Refer Sutherland, Brett Whiteley: Catalogue Raisonné: 1995–1992, 2020, vol. 7, Select Bibliography, Sketchbooks and notebooks, KS3, p.1019).

Primary Inscription: inscribed l.l. (in pencil) ‘Cubist head after Picasso’

Provenance: Ms Julie Velma Gayle Hopkirk, Sydney; Goodridge Galleries, Perth, 1989; Private collection, Perth, purchased from Goodridge

Sketchbook: Page from Whiteley’s Sydney Sketchbook 1957–58 (KS3)

Exhibited: An. Exhibition of Early Works by Brett Whiteley, Goodridge Galleries, Perth, April–May 1989, no. 80 ($1,400)

Literature: Addendum to Sutherland, 2020, Drawings and Works on paper, 1957; Portraits and People, cat. 4b.57

Note: Pages from Whiteley’s Sydney Sketchbook 1957–58 (KS3)
This sketchbook was disassembled and the pages were sold as individual works in an exhibition held at Goodridge Galleries, Perth, 18 April–7 May 1989. Comprising 84 drawings, watercolours and pen and ink sketches, the images generally measure approximately 20.5 x 13.5 cm. (Refer Sutherland, Brett Whiteley: Catalogue Raisonné: 1995–1992, 2020, vol. 7, Select Bibliography, Sketchbooks and notebooks, KS3, p.1019).

Provenance: Ms Julie Velma Gayle Hopkirk, Sydney; Goodridge Galleries, Perth, 1989; Private collection, Perth, purchased from Goodridge

Sketchbook: Page from Whiteley’s Sydney Sketchbook 1957–58 (KS3)

Exhibited: An. Exhibition of Early Works by Brett Whiteley, Goodridge Galleries, Perth, April–May 1989, no. 67

Literature: Addendum to Sutherland, 2020, Drawings and Works on paper, 1957; Portraits and People, cat. 4c.57

Note: Pages from Whiteley’s Sydney Sketchbook 1957–58 (KS3)
This sketchbook was disassembled and the pages were sold as individual works in an exhibition held at Goodridge Galleries, Perth, 18 April–7 May 1989. Comprising 84 drawings, watercolours and pen and ink sketches, the images generally measure approximately 20.5 x 13.5 cm. (Refer Sutherland, Brett Whiteley: Catalogue Raisonné: 1995–1992, 2020, vol. 7, Select Bibliography, Sketchbooks and notebooks, KS3, p.1019)

Primary Inscription: signed and inscribed l.c. (in pencil) “The Sadist’ / Brett Whiteley’

Provenance: Elegant Interiors, A Single Collection, Bonhams, Sydney, 28 March 2023, lot 1 (illus.); Paul Auckett, Melbourne, purchased from Bonhams

Literature: Addendum to Sutherland, 2020, Drawings and Works on paper, 1957; Portraits and People, cat. 5.57

Primary Inscription: signed and dated l.l. [recto] 'Brett Whiteley 57'

Provenance: Clem Whiteley, the artist’s father; Horace Wright, Sydney, a gift from Clem Whiteley; Bea Cook née Wright, Sydney, acquired by descent; Private collection, Sydney since c. 1995, acquired by descent

Literature: addendum to Sutherland 2020, Paintings; Landscapes, cat. 38a.57

Related Work: painting: (Street scene: Looking to the Plunkett Street Public School, Woolloomooloo) 1957 (cat. 38b.57)

Note: The Plunkett Street Public School is located in Plunkett Street, Woolloomooloo, Sydney.

Primary Inscription: signed and dated l.l. (pen and black ink) ‘Brett Whiteley 1957’

Inscription: with pencilled note verso, ‘Mr Whiteley 35/-’

Provenance: Scots All Saints College, Bathurst, New South Wales* (formerly Scots College), believed to have been a gift to the the school, from the artist

Literature: Addendum to Sutherland 2020, Paintings; Landscapes, cat. 38b.57

Related Work: painting: (Streetscape: Looking to the Plunkett Street Public School, Woolloomooloo) 1957 (cat. 38a.57)

Note: * Scots All Saints College was inaugurated in 2018 on the integration of All Saints College and Scots College. Brett Whiteley attended Scots College, Bathurst from 1948–1954, and again for a year in 1956.

Primary Inscription: signed and dated l.r. (pen and ink) ‘brett whiteley 58’

Provenance: Private collection, Sydney, a gift from the artist; Private collection, Sydney, acquired by descent; Menzies Art Brands, Melbourne, 27 March 2024, lot 14 (illus.); Private collection, Sydney, purchased from Menzies

Literature: Addendum to Sutherland, 2020, Drawings and Works on paper 1958; Streetscapes and Sydney Harbour Studies, cat. 22.58

Provenance:
Graham Bryce, Sydney, a gift from the artist to his manager in 1958; Private collection, Sydney, acquired by descent

Literature: Addendum to Sutherland 2020, 1958, Portraits and People, cat. 39.58

Note: Whiteley worked for Graham Bryce who gave Brett his first job as a junior artist / designer employed by the advertising group, Lintas. He worked first in Asbestos House until the company moved to Unilever House, where this composition was painted.
‘He worked in a small cubicle across a passageway from me. Often his interest would wander from the illustration rendering he was supposed to complete for me but he would make one of his ‘Insincerities’ instead of he what he was supposed to be doing. He would paint in gouache, sprinkle lighter fluid onto it. He would light the surface which would make the paint bubble, then he would spray with water. Brett would then just stamp on it. Steam would rise and I knew he was not attending to the job in hand.’ (Graham Bryce, October 2009)

Primary Inscription: signed and dated l.r. (pen and black ink) ‘Brett Whiteley 58’; signed, dated and inscribed verso (in pencil) ‘“Outback” / brett whiteley / 1958’

Provenance: John Laisby, Sydney, acquired from the artist; Private collection, New South Wales (a friend of Laisby and purchased from him); Private collection, New South Wales, acquired by descent

Literature: Addendum to Sutherland, 2020, Paintings, 1958; Abstraction, cat. 67.58

Note: John Laisby was a colleague of the artist when both worked at Lintas Advertising.

Primary Inscription: signed and dated l.r. ‘Brett Whiteley 58’

Provenance: James R. Lawson, Sydney, 16 June 1987, lot 352; Private collection, Ireland; Menzies Art Brands, Sydney, 28 June 2023, lot 61 (illus.); Private collection, Melbourne

Literature: Addendum to Sutherland 2020, Paintings, 1958; Abstraction, cat. 65.58

Primary Inscription: signed and dated verso (in pencil) ‘Brett Whiteley 1960’

Provenance: Private collection, London; Private collection, London, acquired by descent; Bonhams, Sydney, 11 May 2022, lot 4 (illus.); Private collection, Sydney

Literature: addendum to Sutherland, 2020, Drawings 1960; Abstraction, cat. 54.60

Primary Inscription: signed, dated and inscribed l.r. ‘brett whiteley 60 / Pedro at Guitar Lesson’; stamped u.r. with artist’s monogram

Provenance: Peter Holt* a gift from the artist; Private collection, acquired by the father of the present owner from Peter Holt around 1982 ($2,500); Private collection, a gift from the parents of the current owner

Exhibited: Rotary Art Show, Berowra Community Centre, Berowra, NSW (c. 1980) [unsold]

Literature: Addendum to Sutherland, 2020, Paintings, 1960; Portraits and People, cat. 58.60

Note: *Peter Holt, was a nephew of the late Harold Holt, a former Prime Minister of Australia. He and Whiteley were school friends of similar age. In 1980 or thereabouts, Peter Holt took the painting to Whiteley at his Lavender Bay studio and, knowing that his friend was short of funds, he signed, inscribed and stamped it in readiness for sale. It was first offered at the Rotary Club’s Art sale in Berowra for $3,000 but failed to sell and was purchased later (c. 1981) by the current owner’s father.

Provenance: Beryl Whiteley, Sydney; Daniel Carlisle, nephew of the artist, acquired from the Whiteley estate; Private collection, Sydney (BWS1899)

Literature: Addendum to Sutherland 2020; Drawings 1963; The Nude–Bathroom series, cat. 16.63

Related Work: Refer Persistent Themes, Subjects and Motifs (bathroom nudes) pp. 931–933

Provenance: Beryl Whiteley, Sydney; Daniel Carlisle, nephew of the artist; Private collection, Sydney, acquired from the artist’s estate; Private collection, Sydney (BWS1898)

Literature: Addendum to Sutherland 2020; Drawings 1963; Interiors–Bathroom series, cat. 36.63

Note: This is one of several drawings that Whiteley sent to his mother from London.

Provenance: Beryl Whiteley, London and Sydney; Frannie Hopkirk, acquired by descent; Private collection, New South Wales; Private collection, Sydney (BWS1886)

Exhibited: Australian Galleries, Melbourne (AG308134) (gallery label attached verso) [on consignment, returned to owner in August 2017]; Brett Whiteley: Chapters 1959–1969, BWS, August 2023–June 2024

Literature: Addendum to Sutherland, 2020, Drawings 1964; Portraits and People, cat. 10.64

Primary Inscription: dated and inscribed l.r. (pen and ink) ‘Christie / London / 1964’

Provenance: Private collection, London, purchased c. 1975; Private collection, Sydney, acquired by descent in 2005

Literature: Addendum to Sutherland, 2020; Drawings, 1964, Christie series, cat. 34.64

Related Work: drawings: Christie 1964 (also titled Study for Head of Christie) (cat. 29.64); Drawing (with Tony Reichardt in Mind) 1965 (14.65); Christie 1965 (also titled Christie Drawing) (cat. 13.65); painting: Head of Christie 1964 (cat. 76.64)

Provenance: Beryl Whiteley, Sydney; Daniel Carlisle, Sydney, nephew of the artist; Private collection, Sydney (BWS1897)

Literature: Addendum to Sutherland, 2020, Drawings 1964, Christie series, cat. 38a.64

Related Work: drawing: Christie Drawing (1964) (cat. 37.64)

Provenance: Private collection, New South Wales (Avalon), a first cousin to the artist; Private collection, New South Wales, a gift from father to daughter

Literature: Addendum to Sutherland, 2020, Drawings 1965; Summer in Sydney; People and Places, cat. 72.65

Related Work: Refer Persistent Themes, Subjects and Motifs (artist and model; bathers by the sea) pp. 911–912; 929–931

Note: This work has been identified as a drawing created during the Whiteley family’s stay at Whale Beach. (Wendy Whiteley, conversation with Sutherland, 3 May 2022).

Provenance: Mr and Mrs Tom Molholm, USA; Private collection, USA, purchased from the estate of Tom Molholm

Literature: Addendum to Sutherland 2020, Drawings and Works on paper, 1967, cat. 52.67

Note: Note:
Wendy Whiteley recalls she and Brett vacationed with the Molholms whom they met while living in New York in the late 1960s.

Primary Inscription: inscribed c. verso (in pencil) ‘Tom [illeg.] / 103 Reade’

Provenance: Charles Johnson (also known as ‘Charlemagne’, New York

Exhibited: Brett Whiteley, Marlborough–Gerson Gallery, New York, 1968, cat. 12 (titled …No! 1968 ) (illus.)

Literature: Sutherland, 2020, vol. 7, cat. 3D, p. 903*
*This work was previously believed to have been destroyed.

Related Work: …Yes… 1968 (cat. 20.68)

Note: 'Charlemagne' was Whiteley’s nickname for his friend Charles Johnson, an artist whom he met in New York. (Refer cat. 4.69)

Provenance: Marlborough–Gerson Gallery, New York, 1968; Private collection, New York, purchased from Marlborough–Gerson; Sotheby’s Australia, Sydney, 24 November 2015, lot 21 (illus.); Private collection, Sydney (BWS1860); Brett Whiteley Eternity is Now, BWS, December 2022–August 2023 [Self portraits]

Exhibited: Brett Whiteley, Marlborough–Gerson Gallery, New York, 1968, cat. 10 (as New York 3 1968); OTHER PLACES: Somewhere else, BWS, December 2015–May 2016; Brett Whiteley: Chapters 1959–1969, BWS, August 2023–June 2024; Brett Whiteley: Inside the Studio (touring exhibition), toured to: Logan Art Gallery, Logan, Queensland; John Curtin Gallery, Bentley, Western Australia; Orange Regional Gallery, Orange, New South Wales; Shepparton Art Museum, Shepparton, Victoria from July 2024–October 2025

Literature: Addendum to Sutherland, 2020, Drawings and Works on paper 1968, cat. 22.68

Related Work: drawings: New York Sketchbook 1967 (cat. 80.67); New York Sketchbook [2] 1967 (cat. 81.67); paintings: New York 1 l968 (cat. 31.68); New York 2 (first sensations of New York City) l968 (cat. 32.68); (Untitled Ink Splash) (possibly titled New York) (1970) (cat. 59.70)

Primary Inscription: signed and inscribed l.r. ‘brett whiteley’ ‘Seagull drawing on a pier / Buddha 1234’

Provenance: Private collection

Literature: Addendum to Sutherland 2020, Drawings and Works on paper, 1970; Portraits and People, cat. 12.70

Related Work: drawings: Seagull (1971) (cat. 15.71); (Lion with Seagull [Tony Woods]) (c. 1978) (cat. 14.78)

Note: ‘Seagull’ was the affectionate name given to fellow artist, Tony Woods, Whiteley’s close friend and drinking companion, who, at this time, had recently returned from New York after his studio was destroyed by fire.

Primary Inscription: dated l.r. (in pencil) ‘16/9/70’; inscribed l.l. to l.r. [across lower edge of paper] ‘WHEN I ASKED THE DETECTIVE THE SIMPLE QUESTION THIS IS AS BEST AS HE COULD DO’

Provenance: Arkie Whiteley, Sydney, acquired by descent from the artist’s estate in 1992; Malcolm Tweedie, a gift from Arkie Whiteley c. 1993; Private collection, Sydney, a gift from Malcolm Tweedie c. 2008; Private collection, Sydney, acquired by descent

Literature: Addendum to Sutherland, 2020, Drawings and Works on paper, 1970; Figurative Works, cat. 13.70

Primary Inscription: signed and dated l.r. (pen and ink) ‘Brett Whiteley Jan 14 / 1972’; inscribed c. ‘WHITE ABO’; stamped l.r. (in red ink) with artist’s ‘chop’

Provenance: John and Joan Armstrong; Private collection, New South Wales, acquired by descent

Exhibited: Australian Paintings and Drawings: from the collection of John and Joan Armstrong, Australia House, London, May 1973, no. 51 (as Collaroy Beach) (illus.)

Literature: Addendum to Sutherland 2020, Drawings 1975; Moods of the Sea, cat. 55.72

Related Work: drawing: Moods of the Sea (1972–73) (cat. 54.72)

Note: John Ignatius Armstrong (1908–1977), politician, was appointed by the Whitlam Government to the position of High Commissioner in London, serving from January 1973–December 1974).

Reference: ‘High Commissioner puts on art show’, in 'The Australian Women’s Weekly', 5 September 1973, pp. 8–9

Primary Inscription: signed and dated l.r. (in pencil) ‘9/2/75 / brett whiteley’; stamped l.r. (in red ink) with artist’s monogram

Provenance: Eddie Glastra Gallery, Paddington; Private collection, Sydney, purchased from Eddie Glastra c. 1986

Literature: Addendum to Whiteley 2020, Drawings 1975; The Nude, cat. 75.75

Related Work: painting: “Her” 1967 (cat. 68.67);drawings: “Her” 1973 (cat. 52.73);Nude in Bali 1980 (cat. 96.80); Nude in Bed – “Her”: Wendy in Bed 1982 (cat. 25.82); Study for “Her II” (c. 1982) (cat. 26.82)

Primary Inscription: signed and dated l.l. (in pencil) ‘brett whiteley 7/12/75’; stamped l.l. (in black ink) with artist’s monogram

Provenance: Philip Bacon Galleries, Brisbane, purchased from the artist; Private collection, purchased from Philip Bacon on 12 December 1975 (owner’s label attached verso);
Shapiro Auctioneers and Gallery, Sydney, 23 May 2023, lot 14 (illus.); Private collection, Sydney

Literature: Addendum to Sutherland 2020, Drawings 1975; The Nude, cat. 76.75

Primary Inscription: signed and dated l.l. (in pencil) ‘22 / Nov / 76 brett whiteley’; inscribed l.r. (in pencil) ‘reclining nude 1’; stamped l.l. (in red ink) with artist’s monogram

Provenance: Leonard Joel, Melbourne, 23 May 1979, lot 417 ($500); John Buckley, art dealer, Melbourne, purchased from Joel's; Private collection, Melbourne, purchased from John Buckley early 1980s

Literature: Addendum to Sutherland 2020, Drawings 1976; The Nude, cat. 97.76

Related Work: drawing: Other Study of “Her” (c. 1981) (cat. 54.81)

Primary Inscription: signed and dated l.r. (in pencil) ‘brett whiteley / 76’; inscribed l.l. (in pencil) ‘harry’s building / Sydney Harbour’; stamped l.r. (in red ink) with artist’s monogram

Provenance: Private collection, Sydney; Menzies Art Brands, Sydney, 1 December 2021, lot 38 (illus.); Private collection, Sydney

Literature: Addendum, Sutherland 2020, Drawings and Works on paper; Landscapes, Lavender Bay, 1976, cat. 144.76

Related Work: works on paper: (Lavender Bay Interior – Study for a Painting) (c. 1976) (cat. 139.76); (View to Sydney Harbour Bridge) (c. 1976) (cat. 199.76); (View from Lavender Bay House) (c. 1976) (cat. 200.76); Lavender Bay (1976–77) (cat. 201.76); Preliminary Notes for ‘Harry’s Building’ 1976 [7th panel]* (cat. 202.76); print (etching/aquatint) Sydney Harbour Bridge 1977(cat. 75P)
Refer Sutherland, Catalogue Raisonné, 2020, Persistent Themes, Subjects and Motifs (Sydney Harbour Bridge) p. 958

Note: This image forms the 7th panel of Preliminary Notes for Harry’s Building which Whiteley completed in 1976.
The dominant slab element in this design references Harry Seidler’s Blues Point Tower located at McMahons Point close to North Sydney. Completed in 1962, it was Australia’s tallest residential building until 1970.

Primary Inscription: signed l.r. (black fibre-tipped pen) ‘brett.’

Provenance: Patricia Chisolm (née Miles), a gift from the artist
Private collection, Sydney, acquired from the estate of Patricia Chisolm; Bonhams, Sydney, 23 August 2022, lot 19 (illus.); Private collection, NSW

Literature: Addendum, Sutherland 2020, Drawings 1978; The Nude; Backside, cat. 45.78

Note: Patricia Chisolm met and became friends with Brett Whiteley when both were inpatients at Allanbrook Private Hospital in Mosman in 1978.

Primary Inscription: inscribed u.r. (black fibre-tipped pen) ‘I saw a dazzling vision of a Greek…of the Greek.’; bears the initials of the poet l.r. (in pencil) ‘P.C.’

Inscription: ‘I saw a dazzling vision of a Greek / In white light of morning / with eyes the antique / Blue of sky above a foreign sea / In worlds of ancient being / These eyes a blue of salty clarity / and all but me and this unseeing /
I hung within a ringing drop / of fluid beauty, sinking / Softly in a [word crossed through] green dream of sea, / A foreign sea, unknown to me / Before I saw before passion’s formal law, / The slanting planes of eye and / chin and cheek / That glinting formed the vision / of the Greek.’

Provenance: Patricia Chisolm (née Miles), a gift from the artist; Private collection, acquired from the estate of Patricia Chisolm; Bonhams, Sydney, 23 August 2022, lot 20 (illus.); Private collection, Melbourne

Literature: Addendum, Sutherland 2020, Drawings 1978; The Nude, Erotica, cat. 64.78

Note: Patricia Chisolm met and became friends with Brett Whiteley when both were inpatients at Allanbrook Private Hospital in Mosman in 1978. According to her niece, Whiteley transcribed a poem written by Patricia, ‘I saw a dazzling vision of a Greek…’, that recounted her memory of a romantic encounter in Greece.

Primary Inscription: signed l.r. (in pencil) ‘brett whiteley’; stamped l.r. (black ink) with artist’s monogram

Provenance: Philip Bacon Galleries, Brisbane (gallery label attached verso); Private collection, Sydney, purchased in September 2001

Literature: Addendum, Sutherland 2020, Drawings 1978, Primates, cat. 75.78

Related Work: Refer Sutherland, Catalogue Raisonné, 2020, Persistent Themes, Subjects and Motifs (primates) pp. 939–940

Primary Inscription: signed l.l. ‘brett whiteley’; dated and inscribed l.r. ‘chimp ‘Taronga Zoo study / 14 / Nov / 78’; stamped l.r. (in black ink) with artist’s monogram

Provenance: Private collection; James R. Lawson, Sydney, 19 June 1980, lot 180 ($1,000); Private collection, Sydney; Deutscher and Hackett, Melbourne, 3 May 2023, lot 17 (illus.); Private collection, Melbourne

Literature: Addendum, Sutherland 2020, Drawings 1978; Primates, cat. 76.78

Related Work: Refer Sutherland, Catalogue Raisonné, 2020, Persistent Themes, Subjects and Motifs (primates) pp. 939–940

Primary Inscription: signed l.r. 'brett'

Provenance: Savill Galleries, Sydney (mid 1980s); Corporate collection, London; Private collection, Queensland; Richard Martin Art, Sydney

Literature: Addendum, Sutherland 2020, Drawings 1978; Elephants, cat. 95.78

Related Work: Refer Sutherland, Catalogue Raisonné, 2020, Persistent Themes, Subjects and Motifs (elephants) p. 938

Primary Inscription: signed and dated l.r. (in pencil) ‘brett whiteley 78’; inscribed l.c. [rubbed and distressed] ‘to Jim for strength / on the night of / Jan 5–7’; stamped l.l. [faded] with artist’s monogram

Provenance: Private collection, Sydney

Literature: Addendum, Sutherland 2020, Drawings 1978; Camels, cat. 96.78

Related Work: Drawings: Camels (cat. nos. 96.78–99.78)

Primary Inscription: signed, dated and inscribed l.r. (in pencil) ‘brett whiteley. Arkie on the balcony / Lavender Bay. / Oct / / 78’

Provenance: Martin Sachs, Melbourne; The Estate of Martin Sachs, Leski Auctions, Melbourne; 8 March 2022, lot 63 (illus.); Private collection, NSW

Literature: Addendum, Sutherland 2020, Drawings 1978, Landscapes; Lavender Bay Gardens, cat. 187a.78

Related Work: drawings: (a selection) Lavender Bay Gardens 1978 (cat. 187.78); Clark Gardens, Lavender Bay 1978 (cat. 188.78)painting: The Split-second Summer Began 1979 (cat. 190.79); Refer Sutherland, 2020, vol. 7, Persistent Themes, Subjects and Motifs (Clark Park and Watt Park, Lavender Bay) p. 951; (Arkie) p. 911

Primary Inscription: dated and inscribed (in pencil) ‘weird [sic] tree / Bali 78’

Provenance: Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney; Private collection USA, purchased from RG in 1980

Literature: Addendum, Sutherland 2020, Drawings and Works on paper 1978, Landscapes (Bali), cat. 205a.78

Primary Inscription: signed and dated l.r. (in pencil) ‘brett whiteley 79’

Provenance: Private Collection, Sydney; Private Collection, Sydney; Smith & Singer, Sydney, 20 April 2021, lot 36 (illus.); Private collection, Sydney

Primary Inscription: signed, dated and inscribed l.r. (in pencil) ‘brett whiteley ’79 / Lavender Bay’; stamped l.r. (in black ink) with artist’s monogram

Provenance: Private collection, Melbourne, purchased in Sydney c. 1979 through Colin Bowman as buyer’s agent

Literature: Addendum, Sutherland 2020, Drawings and Works on paper 1979, Landscapes; Lavender Bay Gardens, cat. 100.79

Related Work: drawings: Refer Sutherland, 2020, vol. 7, Persistent Themes, Subjects and Motifs (Clark Park and Watt Park, Lavender Bay) p. 951

Primary Inscription: signed, dated and inscribed l.l. (in pencil) ‘Oberon. N.S.W / brett whiteley 79’

Provenance: Miller Gallery and Artworks, Claremont, Western Australia; Private collection, Sydney, purchased from Miller Gallery in 1982 (2,250.00); Menzies Art Brands, Melbourne, 20 November 2024, lot 52 (illus.); Private collection, Sydney

Literature: Addendum, Sutherland 2020, Drawings and Works on paper 1979, Landscapes, Oberon, River and Rocks, cat. 117.79

Related Work: (a selection) drawings: Study for Spring at Oberon (1979) (cat. 113.79); Letter to my Mother, Carcoar 1979–80 (cat. 122.79); The Fish River with Boulders 1979 (cat. 129.79); painting: The Fish River in Winter, Oberon (cat. 133.79)

Primary Inscription: signed, dated and inscribed u.r. (pen and black ink) ‘sketch for the camelia [sic] bush / brett whiteley 79’

Provenance: Sotheby’s, Melbourne, November 1997, lot 224D; Artarmon Galleries, Sydney; Tony White, Sydney; Private collection, Sydney, acquired by succession; Philip Bacon Galleries, Brisbane; Private collection, acquired from Philip Bacon on 20 September 2020

Literature: Addendum, Sutherland 2020, Paintings 1979, cat. 156.79

Inscription: with inscription and dedication verso

Provenance: Tom Thompson, Sydney, a gift from the artist, Christmas, Mangrove Mountain, 1980; Private collection, purchased 2024

Literature: Addendum, Sutherland 2020, Drawings and Works on paper 1980, Erotica, cat. 100.80

Related Work: drawings: (a selection) (Drawing for ‘Afterwards’) (c. 1981) (cat. 113.81); (Nude Sketch for ‘Afterwards’) (c. 1981) (cat. 114.81); print (linocut): Reading 1981 (cat. 112P); painting: Afterwards 1981 (cat. 192.81)

Reference: Hopkirk, 1996, p.311

Primary Inscription: inscribed (pen and ink) ‘Iran [calligraphy notations]15’; envelope signed and inscribed l.l. (pen and ink) ‘SENDER / Brett Whiteley 1 Walker St N. Sydney.’; inscribed c. to addressee ‘Graeme Dennis / P O Box 302 / Carlton / Victoria / 3053’

Inscription: verso ‘Have put the two black + white / ‘stamps’ on the front, just to / show how effective
b + w can be. / Also the darker one could have / 1/4ʺ cut / off the bottom of it and be used / as the stamp we want?’
(The ‘envelope’ bears the postmark ‘Lindfield NSW 2070, 30080’.)

Provenance: Graeme Dennis, Melbourne; Stamp auction, Melbourne [details unknown]; Private collection, Melbourne, purchased at auction from the estate of Graeme Dennis; Leski Auctions, Melbourne, 14 December 2022, lot 1109; Private collection, New South Wales

Sketchbook: Design for stamp commission, Australia Day 1981 22c (1980), ink drawing in artist’s notebook ‘10’, 1980 (KS25)

Literature: Addendum, Sutherland 2020, Drawings and Works on paper 1980, Landscapes; Sydney Harbour Bridge from Lavender Bay, cat. 127.80

Related Work: drawings: Design for 22c Stamp, Australia Day 1981 (1980) (cat. 128.80); Sydney Harbour Bridge [from Lavender Bay] (c. 1980) (cat. 129.80)
Refer Sutherland, 2020, vol. 7, Persistent Themes, Subjects and Motifs (Sydney Harbour Bridge) p. 958

Note: Graeme Dennis worked for the Australia Post Group from the late 1970s to the early 1990s as liaison and stamp production manager.
Whiteley was commissioned to design a stamp which was intended for issue in March 1982 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932. Ultimately, however, this design was rejected by the Post Office. (Burke, Kelly, The Stamp of Australia, Allen and Unwin, Sydney, 2009, p. 180)

Reference: Burke, Kelly, The Stamp of Australia, Allen & Unwin, New South Wales, 2009, p. 180

Primary Inscription: signed, dated and inscribed l.r. (purple paint) ‘brett whiteley / [pencil] 19/1/80 / [black fibre-tipped pen] ‘(first glimpse of the morning sun on the steps at Lavender Bay)’;

Inscription: stamped l.r. (in black ink) with artist’s monogram

Provenance: Private collection, Sydney

Literature: Addendum, Sutherland 2020, Paintings 1980

Related Work: painting: The Split Second Summer Began (October) 1979 (cat. 190.79)

Primary Inscription: signed, dated and inscribed l.r. (in pencil) ‘brett whiteley / jan / 81’ ‘Little Buddha. Daniel’; stamped l.r. with artist’s monogram

Provenance: Daniel Carlisle, Sydney, nephew of the artist

Literature: Addendum, Sutherland 2020, Drawings and Works on paper 1981, Portraits and People, cat. 2a.81

Related Work: drawing: Little Buddha Daniel 1981 (cat. 2.81)

Note: This image is drawn on the back of a print by Joel Elenberg. Whiteley painted two versions of this portrait; he kept one and gave this one to his nephew, Daniel, who was six years old.
Daniel recounts: ‘I was sitting on their Veranda, at the Lavender Bay house, when he came out and found me sitting in the cane chair, cross legged, I guess like a little Buddha! After doing the two drawings, he laid them out on the verandah and put stones and ink pots on the corners of the paper, to dry in the sun. Minutes later a wind blew through and flipped one of the drawings up, splattering ink across the page. He said ‘you have this one, it’s a better drawing’ and, something along the lines of it having more life with the contribution that nature brought to it. However, as a six year old, I remember thinking: ‘Not fair, you’re just giving me the wrecked one!..’ Now, of course, I now love the ink splatters too, and can almost smell that Southerly Buster, as it blew across the Harbour.’ (e-mail to Kathie Sutherland June 2023)

Primary Inscription: signed l.r. (in pencil) ‘brett whiteley’; stamped l.l. (in red ink) with artist’s monogram; titled on gallery label attached verso

Provenance: Holdsworth Galleries, Sydney (gallery labels attached verso); Private collection, Sydney, purchased from Holdsworth, 20 November 1981 (invoice 6605) ($1,750); Private collection, Sydney, acquired by descent

Literature: Addendum, Sutherland 2020, Drawings and Works on Paper 1981; Portraits and People, cat. 10.81

Primary Inscription: signed on foot of vase (blue pigment) ‘brett’
with impressed initials of the potter on inside rim of the base ‘HC’

thrown by Harriett Collard

Provenance: Philip Bacon, Queensland

Exhibited: [probably] Brett Whiteley: Recent Nudes, the artist’s studio, Circular Quay, Sydney, 1981

Literature: Addendum, Sutherland 2020, Ceramics, cat. 84C

Primary Inscription: signed and inscribed verso on stretcher (black fibre-tipped pen) ‘brett whiteley’ ‘Thrush feeding its young’ / 81’

Inscription: inscribed l.r. ‘(1) at; in; on, up to / (2) to stay (in position) to / rest with; to consist in / (3) to be alive living; to be present / (4) used to indicate a progressive tense’; inscribed u.r. [black ink] with calligraphy characters

Provenance: Private collection, Sydney, purchased in 1981

Literature: Addendum, Sutherland 2020, Drawings and Works on paper 1981; Animals and Birds, cat. 163.81

Primary Inscription: signed and dated l.r. ‘brett whiteley / 2/81’

Provenance: Private collection, purchased from the artist; Private collection, Sydney, purchased in the 1980s from the previous owner

Literature: Addendum, Sutherland 2020, Paintings 1981, Landscapes, cat. 174.81

Related Work: painting: (Blue Wren) (c. 1979) (cat. 176.79)
Refer Sutherland 2020, vol. 7, Persistent Themes, Subjects and Motifs (wrens) pp. 946–947

Primary Inscription: signed, dated and inscribed l.r. (green oil) ‘marulan / brett whiteley 4/81’

Provenance: Barry Stern Gallery, Sydney; Private collection, acquired from Barry Stern c. 1981; Smith & Singer, Melbourne, 2023 (private treaty sale);
Private collection, Melbourne, purchased in 2023

Literature: Addendum, Sutherland 2020, Paintings 1981; Landscapes, cat. 175.81

Related Work: painting: The Kingfisher (c. 1978) (cat. 241.78)

Primary Inscription: stamped l.r. (in black ink) with artist’s monogram

Provenance: Private collection, Sydney, acquired from the artist in 1988; Davidson Auctions, Sydney, 22 May 2022, lot 8 (illus.); Company collection, Melbourne, purchased from Davidson’s

Related Work: print: screenprint and etching: Vincent (an Essay in Opposites) 1982 (cat. 120P); drawing: Vincent’s Right Eye (c. 1982) (cat. 130.82); work on paper: Vincent, 2 of 24 colour Polaroid photographs in Work in Progress 1983 (cat. 91.83)
Refer Sutherland, Catalogue Raisonné, 2020, vol. 7, Persistent Themes, Subjects and Motifs (Vincent) pp. 923–924

Provenance: Private collection, London

Literature: Addendum, Sutherland 2020, Drawings and Works on paper 1984, Portraits and People, cat. 30.84

Note: The sitter recounts that this portrait was drawn while he and Whiteley were dining at a café in Queensway, Bayswater, London in November 1984.

Inscription: [dated and inscribed by Peter Kingston quoting Whiteley] (in pencil) ‘Birdnests [sic] are almost as beautiful as their eggs and Them” Brett Possum Close 27.8.85’

Provenance: Jenny Wauchop, Western Australia

Literature: Addendum, Sutherland 2020, Drawings and Works on paper 1985, Still Life and Botanical Studies, cat. 124.85

Note: Jenny (née Lodge) lived in an apartment at No.3 Lavender Street (also known as Possum Close). Her neighbours were Brett and Wendy Whiteley and Peter Kingston (also known as Kingo). She recalled that ‘on this particular day, I was upstairs in Kingo’s home cum studio when Brett wandered in and first, discussion turned to a recent documentary on birds and the nesting habits of storks. Brett was fascinated by the huge nests they built and remarked that their nests were almost as beautiful as the birds and their eggs.’ Conversation then turned to teaching art and techniques of brush painting, ‘Brett immediately picked out a bamboo brush from Kingo’s brush tin and grabbed a white china saucer that Kingo had been using to mix paint on, squeezed a wee squeeze of black paint from a tube lying on the table, mixed some water from the kitchen tap into the saucer and emulsified the paint in the water. He found a sheet of white paper lying around and started randomly doing bamboo brush work saying, ‘Didn’t it go something like this? Swish, swish up and back, flick and finish – just like that. It was amazing to watch – all in about 3 minutes. Kingo then said to me, ‘What was that Brett said about the nests?” He then wrote Brett’s quote at the bottom of the barely dry little Bamboo painting and dated it.’ (Jenny Wauchop (née ‘Lodge’) 2020)

Primary Inscription: signed l.c. (pencil incised in paint) ‘brett whiteley’; signed and inscribed verso (black fibre-tipped pen) ‘Brett whiteley / OIL, TEMPERA / PHOTOGRAPHS / + WIG / ON / 5 / PLY’; further inscribed verso ‘ROYAL EASTER / SHOW’S MOM…[?] / TRIPTYCH / 34.4 3/4‶ x 34.4 3/4‶’; inscribed on distressed paper affixed verso ‘TRIBUTE TO “THE ROAD TO BERRY / BY LLOYD REES. 1948” / COLL ART GALLERY OF NEW SOUTH WALES / By brett whiteley / START – 12/1/85 / FINISH 6/2/85’

Inscription: with typed details on Macquarie Galleries label affixed verso

Provenance: Private collection, Sydney

Exhibited: Artists Salute Lloyd Rees on the occasion of his 90th birthday, Macquarie Galleries, Sydney, 1985 (exhibition label attached verso)

Literature: Addendum, Sutherland 2020, Paintings 1985, cat. 185a.85

Related Work: drawing: Lloyd Rees and ‘The Road to Berry’ (1985) (cat. 147.85); painting: Lloyd Rees’s ‘The Road to Berry’ (also titled ‘Road to Berry’: Homage to Lloyd Rees) (1985) (cat. 185.85); Refer Sutherland 2020, vol. 7, Persistent Themes, Subjects and Motifs (homage to Lloyd Rees) p. 916

Provenance: Whiteley Estate (BWS1893)

Literature: Addendum, Sutherland 2020, Drawings and Works on paper 1986, The Nude, cat. 30.86

Related Work: drawing: (Nude Turning Her Head) (1976) (cat. 61.76)

Note: This drawing was discovered during the audit of the Whiteley Estate housed at the Brett Whiteley Studio in 2023 and is presently undergoing conservation. (Jan 2025).

Primary Inscription: signed l.r. (white paint) ‘brett w’
signed, dated and inscribed verso (black fibre-tipped pen) “THE FRENCHMAN / [2 lines of text scored out] / brett whiteley 1987 / oil on canvas’

Provenance: Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney; Private collection, Sydney, purchased from RG on 6 October 1987 (Invoice No. 8330); Deutscher and Hackett, Sydney, 14 September 2022, lot 9 (illus.); Private collection, Sydney

Exhibited: Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney, 1987 [gallery stock] ($28,800)

Literature: Addendum, Sutherland 2020, Paintings 1987, cat. 50.87

Related Work: painting: Tim Storrier, the Egyptian 1991 (cat. 84.91)

Primary Inscription: signed and dated l.r. (in pencil) ‘brett whiteley 88’; stamped l.r. (in black ink) with artist’s monogram

Provenance: Savill Gallery, Sydney; Private collection, USA; Shapiro Auctioneers and Gallery, Sydney, 13 September 2022, lot 13 (illus.);
Private collection, New South Wales

Literature: Addendum, Sutherland 2020, Drawings and Works on paper 1988; Erotica, cat. 15a.88

Related Work: drawing: (Sex on a Chair) 1988 (cat. 15.88)
Refer Sutherland 2020, vol. 7, Persistent Themes, Subjects and Motifs (erotica) pp. 933–935

Primary Inscription: signed, dated and inscribed l.r. (in pencil) ‘for J c brett whiteley 88’; stamped l.r. (in black ink) with artist’s monogram

Provenance: Janice Spencer, Brisbane, gift of the artist; Alex and Kitty Mackay, Brisbane, acquired from Janice Spencer, 22 September 1994

Literature: Addendum, Sutherland 2020, Drawings and Works on paper 1988; Erotica, cat. 20.88

Related Work: Refer Sutherland 2020, vol. 7, Persistent Themes, Subjects and Motifs (erotica) pp. 933–935

Primary Inscription: signed l.l. ‘Brett Whiteley’

Provenance: [possibly] Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney; Private collection, Sydney

Literature: Addendum to Sutherland, 2020, Paintings, 1991, cat. 100.91

Related Work: paintings: Orange Palm and Lavender Bay (Small Version) 1991 (cat. 98.91); The Pier at Lavender Bay 1991 (cat. 99.91)

Note: This painting was authenticated by Wendy Whiteley in July 2025.