Beatle News #8 …& Brett Whiteley

 Beatle News # 8

• 1963 – John Lennon’s first wife Cynthia (Powell) gives birth to a son; John Charles Julian Lennon. Julian Lennon turns 50 today.

Nuwan Sen’s Music Sense. Nuwan Sen & The Beatles (Beatle News).

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Brett Whiteley (1939-1992)

 

 Yesterday, the 7th of April 2013, was Australian artist Brett Whiteley’s 74th Birth Anniversary.

 I actually wanted to write about him yesterday, but it was such a busy and tiring day, that I couldn’t get around to doing so.

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Brett Whiteley, was one of the first Australian artists of the latter part of the 20th century, I got to hear about when I first went to live in Sydney, Australia in 2006. Almost instantaneously I fell in love with his unique curviest figurines; but it was his landscape painting of the Circular Quay’s (Sydney Cove), that ended up being my favourite piece (pictured above in Feb 2008). In January 2008, Wendy Whiteley (his ex-wife) had a talk, at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, in Sydney, and I was part of her eager audience, where this fashionista, with her trademark African inspired headscarf, spoke about their life in London during the swinging 60’s et all. Quite an interesting insight into her husbands life, the 60’s & 70’s, and London back then.  The Whiteley’s only child, late actress, Arkie Whiteley, was born in London in 1964. Brett and Wendy divorced in 1989. Brett Whiteley died of a drug overdose in 1992, Janice Spencer (his last girlfriend) died of a heroin overdose in 2000, and his daughter Arkie died of cancer in 2001.  

Wendy Whiteley, one time muse to Brett, who had posed many a times for him (pictured below), is today known as the grande dame of the Sydney art scene, where she resides. An cultural icon in her own right.

Wendy by Brett

Nuwan Sen’s Art Sense

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