Patrick White and Art

1938-39: Roy de Maistre painted Suzanne, and then Ruth, and then Paddy – all three now in AGNSW.

1957-58: Sidney Nolan’s Galaxy, one of White’s faves.

Tom Gleghorn sells a series of sketches inspired by Voss, which reflect the preparatory work for his two paintings, Of Voss and Death of Voss, the latter of which wins the Hunter River Valley festival art prize.

1961: Eric Smith did a series of paintings inspired by Voss, which were exhibited at the David Jones gallery in Sydney in Feb 1961 – reviewed in Bulletin 15/2/1961 and by Robert Hughes in Nation 25/2/1961

1962: Louis Kahan painted a portrait of Patrick White which won the 1962 Archibald.

In the early 1960s Sidney Nolan was working on “The Ladies”, portraits of women in hats inspired by figures in White’s novels. Four of these ladies appeared on the original cover of The Burnt Ones.

Around the late 1960s, White started gifting a few to the Art Gallery of NSW with plans to leave them all upon his death. De Maistre, Bacon and eventually Whiteley all impressed him. Ian Fairweather’s Gethsemane hung above his desk at Highbury.

1980s: Whiteley: Patrick White as a Headland (used as the cover on Collected Plays Volume 2)

1989: Christopher Waddington had an exhibition called “Paintings from the novels of Patrick White” at the Holdsworth Gallery, Woolharra, 8-26 July 1989

Brett Whiteley’s famous portrait of White hung in the wall of NSW Parliament House near the Premier’s office because then-Premier Neville Wran liked it. However by 1986 (SMH 11/4), the new Premier – Barrie Unsworth – had a less charitable relationship with the author, who had became a constant thorn in the side of the government. A debate was held, with some advisors voting to get rid of it. Others decided to keep it because they felt the painting wasn’t aesthetically flattering, and they knew White was annoyed by the inclusion of some private information which Whiteley had included in the painting without the author’s knowledge (a list of his favourite and least favourite things). Ultimately Unsworth chose to have it removed: sent to the Art Gallery of NSW, where it ended up in the basement (SMH 6/10/1990). The piece was brought out after White’s death for a 1992 exhibition. The painting is now part of the NSW Parliament Art Collection, and was hanging in the Parliament’s Macquarie Room as recently as 2018; I hope it is there still.

Misc

Michael Ramsden, “The Wedding Party”, based on an old 1945 Australian Women’s Weekly photograph (in which White appeared as a young man?) (SMH28/04/1979)

1956 photo: “Patrick White and ‘Tom Jones’, Sydney” [cat], now held by the NLA

1968: Thomas Gleghorn, “Coast wind”, 1959, painting

1969: Stanislaus Rapotec, “Zeus, Poseidon, Pluton”, 1969, painting

Clement Meadmore, “Silence”, 1960, sculpture

1970: Dick Watkins, “Untitled”, 1970, painting

Louis James, “Spy-hole”, 1969, painting

Frank Hodgkinson, Untitled, 1964, watercolour

Robert Henderson Grieve, “Ukiyoe theme no. 2”, 1965, painting

Jacqueline Hick, “Boys at the dam”, 1966, painting

Thomas Gleghorn, “Synaptic displacement”, 1958, painting

1972: Joe Szabo, Untitled, 1972, painting

John Stockdale, Untitled, c. 1969, painting

1973: Imants Tillers, “Still life 1: 131-137”, painting

Thea Proctor, “Woman in shawl”, c. 1923, watercolour

John Olsen, “The chapel”, 1966, painting

1974: David Rankin, “Willow eyebrows II”, 1973-1974, painting

John Peart, “Golden”, 1973-1974, painting

Sidney Nolan, “Snake (detail)”, 1970, painting

Sidney Nolan, “Shark (detail)”, 1970, painting

Sidney Nolan, “Paradise garden (detail no. 1, grass tree)”, c. 1968, painting

Sidney Nolan, “Paradise garden (detail no. 2, flowers), c. 1968, painting

Sidney Nolan, “Paradise garden (detail no. 3, lily), c. 1968, painting

Sidney Nolan, “Leda and swan”, c. 1960, painting

Sidney Nolan, “The galaxy”, 1957, painting

Sidney Nolan, “Shakespeare sonnet (poet with death’s hand), 1967, painting

Rodney Milgate, “Thoughts on holism”, 1974, painting

Erica McGilchrist, “Mandala for my mother and father”, 1971, painting

1975: Brett Whiteley, “(Free standing ultramarine) Palm trees”, 1974, sculpture

Brett Whiteley, “Big orange (sunset)”, 1974, painting

Stanislaus Rapotec, “Attending high mass, St. Mark’s Venice”, 1966, painting

Stephen Earle, “A kind of family”, 1965, painting

1977: Bob Jenyns, “The wedding”, 1970s, sculpture

1979: Brett Whiteley, “Face of an old man”, 196?, charcoal

Brett Whiteley, “Head studies”, 1971, drawing

Brett Whiteley, “Crying woman”, 196?, drawing

Brett Whiteley, “The green mountain (Fiji)”, 1969, painting

Brett Whiteley, “The pink heron”, 1969, painting

Robin Wallace-Crabbe, “Lovers at Port Macquarie”, 1968, painting

Michael Franklin Taylor, “Cape 3 points”, 1969, painting

William Salmon, “Six frames”, 1975, painting

Louis James, “Garden: dawn, noon, and night”, 1969, painting

1981: Ken Whisson, “Flag for an Australian backyard no. 2 (Flag of my disposition no. 13)”, c. 1980, painting

Robin Wallace-Crabbe, “Lovers”, 1980, painting

Richard Larter, “Stand up walking dog no 1”, 1972, painting

1982: Frank Littler, “Mineral thoughts”, c. 1982, painting

1983: Brett Whiteley, “Stanner’s dream”, 1974, painting

Brett Whiteley, “Coincidence”, 1973, painting

Brett Whiteley, “Preliminary sketch for large cream landscape”, 1972, painting

Stanislaus Rapotec, “Spring”, 1968, painting

1986: Chris O’Doherty, “Park in Melbourne”, 1986, painting

Chris O’Doherty, “Lines of trees, near Tathra”, 1986, painting

Chris O’Doherty, “House and garage at dusk”, 1986, painting

Chris O’Doherty, “Abandoned truck body, North Coast, NSW”, 1986, painting

Chris O’Doherty, “Bulk cement hopper, Hobart”, 1982, painting

Chris O’Doherty, “Corner of a house and some garden, Tathra, NSW”, 1986, painting

Chris O’Doherty, “Electric pylon, near Taree”, 1986, painting

Chris O’Doherty, “Two young persons in a modern interior”, 1974, painting

Chris O’Doherty, “Motel swimming pool, Los Angeles”, 1986, painting

Chris O’Doherty, “Surf club, Era Beach”, 1986, drawing

Chris O’Doherty, “Untitled group (Coogee; Hobart, Tasmania; Princes Highway between Ballina and Grafton; Dunedin, New Zealand; Hume Highway between Gundagai and Yass; Coogee Beach; Invention, Princes Highway near Mullumbimby)”, 1982, painting

Chris O’Doherty, “View of Ballina from hotel window”, 1982, watercolour

Chris O’Doherty, “View from Hume Highway approaching Campbelltown”, 1985, painting

Chris O’Doherty, “Self portrait with a lumpy coat”, 1986, painting

Chris O’Doherty, “Part of a holiday in Alice Springs”, 1977, painting

Frank Littler, “History of parliament”, date unknown, painting

Frank Littler, “Goldhead of treasurer found”, date unknown, painting

Thomas Gleghorn, Untitled, 1969, painting

Thomas Gleghorn, “Robber gull in net II”, 1959, watercolour

Thomas Gleghorn, “Portrait of Patrick White”, late 1950s, painting

Thomas Gleghorn, “Wheogo”, 1960, painting

Thomas Gleghorn, “Study for day of rain”, 1959, watercolour

Rhonda Hamlyn, The wave (“Girl entangled”), c. 1967, drawing

Bim Hilder, Abstract form, date unknown, sculpture

Christine Hiller, Self portrait, 1982, watercolour

E. Jones, “Streetscape”, date unknown, painting

Robert Juniper, “Desert landscape with figures”, 1961, painting

Michael Kmit, Head of artist”, 1955, painting

Richard Larter, “Middle shift”, 1974, painting

Richard Larter, “Mr No, the rat fink censor”, 1965, painting

Lisl Levinsohn, “Geometric Composition”, 1978, print

Gerald Lewers, Abstract form, date unknown, sculpture

Gerald Lewers, “Signaller”, c. 1960, sculpture

Margo Lewers, “Orange shapes”, c. 1956, painting

Frank Littler, “Planets”, 1986, painting

Elwyn Lynn, “Slope”, 1978, mixed media

Erica McGilchrist, “Enigmatic entrance no. 1: Come and go”, 1970, painting

Erica McGilchrist, “River bed: end of the way”, 1962, painting

Erica McGilchrist, “Five panel study”, 1974, painting

Sally McInerney, “Zebras”, date unknown, etching

Mary Macqueen, “Old lady feeding pigeons at King’s Cross”, date unknown, drawing

James Meldrum, “Flow past”, 1960, painting

Clem Millward, “Along the foothills”, c. 1970, painting

Clem Millward, “Lake”, c. 1970, painting

Patricia Moylan, “Common gardens”, c. 1975, painting

Martin Murphy, “Lovers”, c. 1982, painting

Alan Oldfield, “Lovers”, 1966, painting

John Peart, “Ozmos blue”, 1973, painting

John Peart, “April Snow”, 1968, drawing

Frances Peck, “Untitled (house with sheep)”, 1981, print

Frances Peck, “The jockeys”, c. 1984, painting

Frances Peck, “Bronte”, 1981, print

Emanuel Raft, “Laminated red”, 1967, painting

Emanuel Raft, “Reflection 8”, 1965, drawing

Michael Ramsden, “Australian Totem”, 1978, painting

Michael Ramsden, “Australian head, c. 1976, painting

Michael Ramsden, “Blackheath, evening” (Rosellas), c. 1976, painting

David Rankin, “Untitled, 1973, print

Stanislaus Rapotec, “Palestrina’s Mass at St. Eustache”, 1967, painting

Jon Rhodes, “Gurka’wuy, Trial Bay, Northern Territory”, 1974, photograph studies

Jon Rhodes, “Ray Sharpe”, 1972-1974, photograph diptych

Victor Rubin, “Sydney draught – So, why are we here?”, 1982, mixed media

Ken Searle, “Newtown”, 1978, painting

Ken Searle, “Patchwork”, 1976, painting

Ken Searle, “Roger’s lamingtons”, c. 1980, painting

Ken Searle, “St Stephen’s”, c. 1976, painting

Martin Sharp, “Couples”, 1979, collage

Martin Sharp, “Signal driver (theatre poster), 1979, print

John Stockdale, “Free-bound transition”, c. 1965, painting

John Stockdale, “Red burning blue”, 1965, painting

John Stockdale, “Abstract study”, 1971, painting

John Stockdale, “Abstract study”, 1971, drawing

John Stockdale, “Abstract study”, 1972, watercolour

Imre Szigeti, “Ash Wednesday”, ??, drawing

Imre Szigeti, “Ragpicker”, ??, drawing

Ann Taylor, “The House”, 1970, painting

Peter Upward, Abstract, 1960, painting

3 x unknown artist abstract works

Max Watters, “Church of England, Camberwell”, c. 1965, painting

Brett Whiteley, “Stones staring at the ground (anywhere)”, 1979, painting

Robert F. Williams, “Sidescape”, 1967, drawing

Rod Withers, “Untitled 13”,197?, watercolour

Rod Withers, “Untitled 19”, 197?, watercolour

Susan Wright, “Deepwater”, 1973, collage

William Yang, “Bondi delicious (Portrait of Jim Sharman), 1976, photograph