Brett Whiteley first exhibited images of the zoo in 1965 London alongside his famed Christie series, a confronting body of work about the serial killer John Christie. In contrast to the violent imagery of Christie, his images of zoo life were palette cleaners, encapsulations of immediacy, energy and character.

When Whiteley returned to Australia, he lived within walking distance of Taronga Zoo and would often go there to draw. ‘Baboon II’ stems from this time, a vivacious portrait of a roaring monkey. It is a work about being in the moment and expressing yourself by an artist struggling against the cage of addiction.

The zoo was a sacred place for Whiteley. An anonymous voyeur among the animals, he found truths about human nature here, a release from city life and infinite formal inspiration. The year after this work was produced, Whiteley would win the trifecta of the Wynne, Sulman and Archibald prizes, cementing his status as one of Australias greatest artists. For collectors of important works on paper, Whiteley and animals, ‘Baboon II’ roars with life.

Brett WHITELEY (1939 - 1992)
'Baboon II' 1977
sugarlift aquatint etching
Edition of 60
Image Size: 50 x 50 cm
Signed: Signed and editioned in margin
Literature: Brett Whiteley: The Graphics 1961-1992, Deutscher Fine Art, Melbourne, 1995, p.112, cat.42 (illus. p.50, another example)
Condition:Excellent:
(c) Brett Whiteley / Copyright Agency