BRETT WHITELEY Catalogue Raisonné : 1955 – 1992 (prospectus for the publication)

Melbourne : Schwartz City, 2020. Quarto, self-wrappers, pp. [16], illustrated.

Publisher’s prospectus for the final printed catalogue raisonne.

‘Compiled by art historian Kathie Sutherland over seven years, this seven-volume set of cloth-bound books is presented in a deluxe, elegantly finished slipcase and presents more than 4600 artworks, including hundreds of never-before-published works. Weighing 21 kilograms and totalling 2400 pages, this catalogue Brett Whiteley: Catalogue Raisonné 1955-1992 is an unprecedented publishing event that confirms Whiteley’s enduring significance as a visionary force of Australian art. Volumes I, III and IV hold paintings and drawings from the 1950s to the 1990s; Volume II contains exquisite concertina fold-outs of the mammoth Alchemy and The American Dream; Volume V contains Whiteley’s prints; and Volume VI compiles his ceramics and sculpture. A final book, Volume VII, holds essays, a cataloguing text, an exhibition history, an artist’s biography, a bibliography and an index of persistent themes that lend insightful form to the expanse of Whiteley’s rich and varied oeuvre. This one-off print release is limited to 1000 copies, with each individual set foiled with a unique number in the series and presented in bespoke packaging.’ – the publisher’s description of the seven volume set.