Brett Whiteley is an icon of Australian art. Often fusing the abstract and the figurative, Whiteley creates emotionally heightened worlds of ballooning forms and elongated lines. His imagery is always immediate, reflective of his pursuit for “beauty which can best be described as being on time for the appointment.”

In his 1988 screenprint on paper, Whiteley represents the silhouette of a willow tree against an ambiguous horizon. Using broad, gestural brushstrokes of bold dark ink, Whiteley's work creates the impression of immediacy and motion, with the large branches of the tree seemingly swaying in the wind. Blending abstraction with figurative representation, Whiteley composes a scene that is instantly atmospheric.

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)
'The Willow' 1988
Screenprint on paper
Edition of 75
Image Size: 52 x 60 cm
Dimensions: 120 x 99 x 4 cm
Signed: Editioned, titled and signed in margin: 57/75 the willow brett whiteley. Stamped lower left with artist's monogram: B/W.

Comes with Letter of Provenance

Reference: Brett Whiteley: The Graphics 1961-1992, Deutscher Fine Art, Melbourne, 1992, p.115, cat.101 (illus. p.95, another example). Sutherland, K., Brett Whiteley: Catalogue Raisonne, Schwartz Publishing, Melbourne, 2020, vol.5, p.191, cat.157P (illus., another example), vol.7, p.841

Condition:Very Good: Describes a work of art's image as Excellent, but may show some small signs of surrounding wear to paper or frame. There are no tears to paper margin or disruption to the paint surface.

(c) Wendy Whiteley / Copyright Agency