New book on Brett Whiteley peeks behind the drug-fuelled, rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle to reveal the true artist

BRETT Whiteley’s life was a manic, often drug-fuelled jab at the world, which left a remarkable legacy of paintings and drawings.

Brett Whiteley pictured at his studio in 1985.

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A QUIRKY quote from artist Brett Whiteley was the footnote to his funeral in 1992.

It read “Everything is just a fidget at infinity”.

But Whiteley’s life was more than a restless gesture. It was a manic, often drug-fuelled jab at the world, which left a remarkable legacy of paintings and drawings.

Now, even a Whiteley fake is enough to cause headlines.

However, it is Whiteley as an artist that journalist Ashleigh Wilson wants to draw back into the light.

Whiteley’s 1976 Archibald Prize-winning self-portrait.

He has written a new biography on the Australian artist entitled Brett Whiteley Art, Life and the Other Thing.

“Brett has become a caricature over the years and I wanted to sift through the myths and return the focus to his art,” said Wilson.

“He was an extraordinary artist, an extraordinary character with a rock n’ roll lifestyle and famous friends like Bob Dylan and Billy Connolly. Yes, Brett was a drug addict but an artist first.”

Wilson, the arts editor of The Australian newspaper, was introduced to Whiteley’s former wife Wendy Whiteley through mutual friend Nicholas Rothwell and Wendy gave the go-ahead for the book.

Wilson describes it as privilege to visit the Whiteley home at Lavender Bay “to see what Brett saw, to see what was in his paintings’’.

Author Ashleigh Wilson.

Whiteley at work.

Whiteley first rented the house at Lavender Bay in 1970 after being kicked out of Fiji for drug possession. Wilson said that a few years later Whiteley bought the house for about $50,000.

Wilson says Wendy is the greatest champion of Whiteley’s work.

“She has the best eye for his work, more than anyone else alive,” says Wilson.

“She was intimately involved in its creation for decades and her interest is to ensure Brett is seen as a serious artist in Australia.”

Whiteley was the only Australian artist to have claimed all three awards — the Archibald Prize, the Wynne and Sulman in the same year, 1978.

He also won the Archibald Prize earlier in 1976 with his Self portrait in the studio which shows a view of his studio at Lavender Bay.

A Whiteley work entitled Balmoral.

Wilson said Whiteley was familiar with Lavender Bay as a child because he went there for art lessons from his home in Longueville.

“Brett was also a big fan of Lloyd Rees who lived in the area,” said Wilson.

“Brett was entranced by Sydney Harbour, by the colours, by the movement.

“His Lavender Bay series made his name but ironically it was first shown in a Melbourne gallery because he liked the gallery.”

While Wilson says while the book is designed to bolster Whiteley’s standing as an artist, he did not ignore the “other stuff’’ in the writing the book.

Wilson’s favourite anecdote about Whiteley was when he was spotted driving in an erratic manner across the Harbour Bridge, heading for home at Lavender Bay.

Brett Whiteley with wife Wendy and daughter Arkie during the family’s stay in Fiji.

A police car followed him home and arrested him for drink driving but according to Wilson, the court case was muddied by Whiteley’s alleged admission he had been drinking something other than alcohol.

“Brett claimed he had said he’d be drinking in the universe,’’ said Wilson.

“The judge dismissed the case saying artists and cultural people operated on a different universe from local police.’'

According to Wilson, people often misinterpreted Whitely as arrogant and self delusional — remarks either skewed by drug use or at other times, by the dictums of recovery.

“But in essence, he was a humble man,” says Wilson.

“Brett had this electric energy and was incredibly charismatic with an unique way of seeing the world both artistically and verbally.”

Details: textpublishing.com.au

Brett and Wendy Whiteley pictured in 1962.