ABOUT BRETT WHITELEY
Avant-garde artist known for his portraits, landscape paintings, and unique sculptures. His "Head of Christie" represented his 1964 fascination with murderer John Christie .
He took art classes as a teenager and completed his first major work, "The Soup Kitchen," in 1958.
He was a two-time recipient of the Archibald Prize, an honor awarded to Australian portrait painters. He also won the Wynne and Sulman prizes twice.
He married Wendy Julius in 1962.
He was a contemporary of American artist Roy Lichtenstein .
