Brett Whiteley: Inside The Studio

Logan Art Gallery

July 20-September 8th, 2024

 

Very little needs to be said about Brett Whiteley. Precociously talented, at a young age he won an artist’s scholarship that took him to Europe and he soon became the enfant terrible of the Australian art world. Unfortunately, his dazzling career was marred by drug addiction which resulted in his untimely death in 1992, aged just 52. Whiteley is now one of Australia’s most collected and most expensive artists and his paintings regularly sell for record prices. Henri’s Armchair, from his iconic 1970s Lavender Bay period, sold for $6.1 million at auction in 2020, the highest price realized for an Australian artist, then and now.

 

Whiteley is featured in most major Australian galleries, including Brisbane’s own Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery Of Modern Art, but touring exhibitions are rare, with his work mostly displayed in rotating exhibitions at his former Surry Hills studio. Due to major refurbishments at The Brett Whiteley Studio scheduled through 2025, Art Gallery of NSW has curated the extensive, and career-spanning, Inside The Studio. This astonishing exhibition will tour a series of regional galleries around the country until August next year, commencing at Logan Art Gallery where it will run from July 20th to September 8th, 2024.

 

Art Gallery of NSW’s initiative in bringing such a titan of the Australian art world to regional galleries is commendable. Art —and its appreciation— is universal, but smaller, regional towns are often excluded from the cultural spectacles that those in the capitals take for granted. Luckily, for those of us in Brisbane, Logan Art Gallery is but a short drive down the M1. In a further gesture of accessibility, the exhibition is ticketed but free, with tickets available through the Logan Arts (loganarts.com.au) website.

 

Inside The Studio plays like the greatest hits of Brett Whiteley’s artistic career, showcasing his remarkable ability for painting, drawing and sculpture. Almost all of the artist’s significant “eras” are represented, from his early abstracts, through the iconic Lavender Bay landscapes, and the bird paintings exhibited just before his passing. Notably absent, however, are any of his majestic Fiji paintings, or the Van Gogh-inspired artworks that were the basis of his major exhibition at Art Gallery of NSW in 1983. Unsurprisingly missing, given the family-friendly nature of the exhibition, are any of his harrowing artworks inspired by the serial killer John Christie.

 

Distinguishing highlights from within this remarkable exhibition is a difficult task and, given the personal nature of art, each individual will find something that speaks uniquely to their interests. It is, however, impossible to deny the beauty of Balcony 2, one of Whiteley’s best-loved paintings. Huge in scale and painted predominately in ultramarine blue, Whiteley’s favourite pigment, Balcony 2 is a masterpiece of Australian art and a testament to Whiteley’s unique talent. Self Portrait In The Studio, which won the artist the Archibald Prize in 1976, also merits recognition, again for its jaw-dropping scope and ambitious scale.

 

Lesser known pieces that warrant a special mention are Still Life With Meat, Grey Harbour, Self Portrait At 36 and his incredible Shark (Male) and Shark (Female) sculptures. Personally, however, if I could have left with one painting, it would have been Small Wren Bathing, a large but incredibly detailed drawing of a small bird washing itself. This simple but moving image is a testament to Whiteley’s remarkable talent, stripped of all the excesses of his more celebrated works.

 

Playing host to a significant exhibition by, arguably, Australia’s most iconic artist, is no small feat for a small gallery in Logan City Council and Logan Art Gallery deserves to be commended for any role they played in making it happen. Exposure to art in all its forms is vital for all members of our community and individuals should not be disadvantaged by default of their proximity to major artistic institutions. If Inside The Studio was exhibited in any of Australia’s major galleries, it would still be notable for being a first-rate presentation of an artist unlike any other. For this exhibition to be hosted only in regional spaces however, is what makes it truly exceptional.

 

Nick Stephan