Brett Whiteley (1939-1992)

Whiteley stated of his interest in still lifes: 'I have in my studio a table on which there are various objects that I arrange. The arranging of these objects is like a chess game. The table becomes the canvas as the window becomes the canvas perimeter in the interiors. I want to make my still lifes very, very detached - almost eerie, removed. Wonderfully real. ... I see still life as an interim period in which I don't have any ambition to paint a new subject, or to travel, or to be involved with politics. I don't have any interest or ambition to impress or to be the last to leave a party, to gossip, to be involved with other people's affairs ... I am interested in a point of trying to re-start, restate again ...' (Brett Whiteley quoted in S. McGrath, Brett Whiteley, Sydney 1979, p.210)

These works will be included in the forthcoming Brett Whiteley catalogue raisonné being compiled by Kathie Sutherland.