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. His 1979 etching 'Chimp: Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney' emerges from this period. In lyrical black mark-making, the animal's intricately-rendered face is an intimate portrayal of Whiteley's personal perspective. In many ways, the strong black bars obscuring its face are a visual shock, a stark contrast to the softness of the animal's features.

The zoo was a sacred place for Brett Whiteley. An anonymous voyeur among the animals, he found truths about human nature here, a release from city life and infinite formal inspiration.

Whiteley’s work is represented across Australian public collections and internationally at the Tate Gallery in London and MoMA in New York. An adjunct of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, his studio has become a permanent public gallery. For collector’s of important Australian art, Whiteley is a prize.

Brett WHITELEY (1939 - 1992)
'Chimp: Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney' 1979
Etching on paper
Image Size: 24 x 20 cm
Dimensions: 59 x 48 x 5 cm
Signed: Signed and editioned in margin. Book signed and numbered on title page.

Comes with Letter of Provenance

Copy of Brett Whiteleys Zoo included with work.

Literature: Mandy, R. Brett Whiteley: The Complete Graphics, 1961-1982, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, 1983, p.40, cat.53 (illus. another example, as Zoo). Brett Whiteley: The Graphics 1961-1992, Deutscher Fine Art, Melbourne, 1995, p.113, cat.55 (illus. p.62, another example, as (Monkey)). Sutherland, K. Brett Whiteley: Catalogue Raisonne, Schwartz Publishing, Melbourne, 2020, vol.5, pp.106, cat.96P (illus. another example), vol.7, p.826.

Condition: Excellent

(c) Wendy Whiteley / Copyright Agency