Brett Whiteley

Brett Whiteley, who died in 1992, was an Australian painter. who some maintain was at the "forefront of the Australian avant-garde movement".Australian Government Culture and Recreation Portal: Brett Whiteley

In the 1970s, Whiteley won three major prizes with the Art Gallery of New South Wales. He won each of the prizes twice, and he was the only painter to ever win all three in one year.Australian Art: Prizes Won

In 1992, a painting of Whiteley's sold for the amount of A$1,982,000. This set a record for the highest amount ever paid for an Australian painting. The record was later eclipsed, but Whitely's paintings continued to command a premium. In 2007, another of his paintings sold for A$2.8 million dollars.ABC News: Whiteley Painting Sells for Record Price

• Flickr: Brett Whiteley Art Photos

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• 1939: Born April 7th in Australia

• 1960: Won a Traveling Arts Scholarship

• 1962: Exhibits at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam

• 1964: Awarded International Drawing Prize

• 1967: Won a Harkness Foundation Scholarship

• 1976: Awarded the Archibald Prize

• 1976: Awarded the Sulman Prize

• 1977: Awarded the Wynne Prize

• 1991: Awarded the Order of Australia

• 1992: Died on June 15th of a heroin overdose