Biography

1939 Born 7 April, Sydney, Australia. Grew up at 18 Lucretia Avenue, Longueville

1948 Sent to boarding school at Scots College, Bathurst.

1954 Saw Lloyd Rees's European paintings exhibition at Macquarie Galleries, Sydney. Briefly attended Scots College, Sydney 1954-55.

1956 Left school mid year, and worked in Sydney for Lintas Advertising Agency in the layout and commercial art department. His mother Beryl Whiteley left Australia for London.

1956-1959 Met Wendy Julius, who was attending the National Art School East Sydney, where Whiteley and Michael Johnson occasionally drew at the Life drawing Class. Sometimes attended sketch clubs such as John Santry's sketch club (also frequented by Lloyd Rees) on Thursday nights. Used the glasshouse at his home in Longueville as a studio. Sporadically attended life drawing at Julian Ashton Art School.

1960 Spent March to May in Rome and Florence. Had an apartment in Rome near the Spanish Steps with his mother Beryl. Brief visits to Paris and London. While in London took portfolio around galleries and was selected for a group show by McRoberts and Tunnard. In November moved to London, 129 Ladbroke Grove W11. In December met British painters William Scott and Roger Hilton and other Australian artists then in London, including Arthur Boyd and John Passmore. Met Bryan Robertson director of Whitechapel Gallery. Included in 'Survey of Recent Australian Painting' at the Whitechapel Gallery, from which Untitled Red painting was purchased by the Tate Gallery.

1962 Married Wendy Julius on 27 March at Chelsea Registry Office, London. April to September travelled through Europe with his father, Clem, visiting Rome, Paris, Barcelona and the Haute Pyrenees, where they stayed with American painter George Sheridan. In October travelled to the United States visiting New York, Connecticut and Washington. Met de Kooning. Returned to London in November and moved into 13 Pembridge Crescent, W11.

1967 Sailed on the Queen Mary to New York in September. Moved into a penthouse apartment at the Chelsea Hotel.

1969 n July fled New York for Fiji and lived in a bure at Navutuleva, about 45 miles along the coast from Suva. Returned in November to Australia, moving to Lavender Bay, Sydney.

1970-72 Involved with The Yellow House artist's community in Potts Point, Sydney.

1982 Travelled to Spain Germany, France. Returning to Australia, stopped in Rome to work with Walter Rossi on three etchings at Vigna Antoniniana, Rome.

1983 Travelled to Central Australia in the summer with Michael Driscoll and worked on publication Native Rose.

1985 Purchased an old T-shirt factory in Surry Hills, Sydney, and converted it into a studio. Travelled to London in May; Wendy remained in England.

1986 Travelled to India to meet Wendy in Bombay and returned to Australia together

1989 Divorced from Wendy. May to August in London and Morocco, spending two months in Paris in an apartment on Rue de Tournon. Travelled for five weeks in Bali, Tokyo and Kyoto with Janice Spencer. October in Byron Bay, New South Wales.

1992 Died at Thirroul, New South Wales, 15 June.

Selected Solo Exhibitions

1962 Solo exhibition 9 March - 31 March, 'Paintings and Gouaches', Matthieson Gallery, London.

Selected Group Exhibitions

1962 Exhibited at the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam and at the Berlin World Fair in the Stuyvesant Collection

1963 'Australian painting' exhibition at the Tate Gallery, London, and 'British painting in the '60s', which opened at the Whitechapel Gallery in London before touring Great Britain and Switzerland. April in France.

1965 Exhibited in Australia, France, Belgium and Italy. 'Treasures from the commonwealth' Commonwealth Festival Exhibition, Burlington House, London.

1966 Included in a group show with David Hockney and Arthur Boyd. Exhibited at Clune Galleries, Sydney, with 'The Zoo Graphics'

1967 Exhibited at Pittsburgh International Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, USA

1972 Exhibited in 'Australian Painters and Tapestries of the Past 20 Years' New South Wales House, London.

Awards

1946 Won first art competition: annual RSPCA exhibition at Farmer's Blaxland Gallery for The driver sits in the Shade but what about the horse?

1956 Awarded first prize, Young Painters' Section, Bathurst Show, New South Wales.

1959 Awarded Italian Government Travelling Art Scholarship for 1960, judged by Sir Russell Drysdale at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Whiteley submitted four paintings: Sofala, Dixon street, July and Around Bathurst - the painting for which he was awarded the scholarship.

1964 Awarded International Drawings Prize for Bather and heater (1964) International der Zeichnung, Darmstadt, Germany. Awarded travel grant from the Stuyvesant Foundation. Awarded Perth Festival Art Prize, Australia.

1976 Archibald prize for Self-portrait in the studio (1976). Sir John Sulman Prize for Interior with Time Past (1976) (genre painting).

1991 Awarded Order of Australia (General Division) on June 10.