Wendy Whiteley facts for kids

Wendy Susan Whiteley (born 1941) is well-known as the former wife of famous Australian artist Brett Whiteley. She is also the mother of their daughter, actress Arkie Whiteley (1964–2001). Wendy has become an important person in Australian culture, especially since Brett passed away in 1992.

She often posed for Brett's paintings. Even though they divorced, Wendy now manages Brett Whiteley's art and his copyright. She helped create the Brett Whiteley Studio in Surry Hills, New South Wales. This studio is now an art museum run by the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Wendy Whiteley is also famous for creating a beautiful "magic garden" in Lavender Bay, Sydney. She transformed old, unused railway land into this amazing garden. It is also where Brett and Arkie's ashes were scattered.

Wendy's Early Life and Family

Wendy Susan Julius was born in Sydney in 1941. She was the older of two sisters. Her family had a history of creative and clever people. Her great-grandfather, C. Y. O'Connor, was a famous engineer. He designed the Kalgoorlie Pipeline.

Her grandfather, Sir George Julius, invented the totalisator. He also helped start the CSIRO. This is a big science organization in Australia. Wendy's great-aunt, Kate O'Connor, was a painter who lived in Paris.

Wendy went to Lindfield Public School. She also attended Hornsby Girls' High School. She won art awards when she was young. One award helped her pay for art classes at East Sydney Technical College.

Meeting Brett Whiteley

Former Brett Whiteley home at Lavender Bay

In 1957, Wendy met Brett Whiteley. He was 17 years old at the time. She met him at his home, where a friend had invited her. They felt a strong connection right away and soon became a couple.

Brett was taking life drawing classes at the Julian Ashton Art School. He also worked for an advertising company. He took Wendy to a drawing class once. Her drawing skills were even better than his!

Brett's mother had moved overseas. Brett was living with his father, Clem Whiteley. Wendy moved in with them. She also started working for Clem's interior design business. People often compared Wendy and Brett's stylish and grand lifestyle to that of famous couple Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald.

Life and Travels with Brett

In 1959, Brett won a special art scholarship to travel to Italy. He wanted Wendy to come with him. His father, Clem, did not want to pay for Wendy's trip. After some arguments, Wendy moved out of the house. She waved goodbye to Brett as his boat left. Then, she worked very hard to earn enough money for her own trip to Europe.

Brett arrived in Italy in February 1960. Wendy met him in Paris on June 14. They lived in Florence for several months. In 1961, they moved to London. Brett set up his art studio there. In March 1962, Brett had his first art show. It was very successful and earned a lot of money.

Because of this success, they decided to get married. They married on March 27, 1962, in London. They had a long honeymoon in the south of France. Brett once said that if he ever had a show of all his past works, it would be a story about Wendy and their life together.

Wendy worked as a fashion buyer for a store called Harvey Nichols. Their daughter, Arkie Whiteley, was born in London on November 6, 1964. The family returned to Australia in December 1965. They lived at Whale Beach, north of Sydney. Arkie took her first steps there.

In 1967, they moved to New York City. Brett had won another scholarship. They sailed on the last trip of the Queen Mary ship. They stayed in a special apartment at the Hotel Chelsea. Famous singer Janis Joplin sometimes babysat Arkie. Brett worked very hard on his paintings, especially one called The American Dream.

Settling in Lavender Bay

In July 1969, Brett was very tired and stressed. He stopped working on The American Dream. The family quickly left New York and went to Fiji. They stayed there for five months. They lived in a small village, far from busy city life. They wanted to live a simple life in a peaceful, tropical place.

Soon after an art show in Fiji, they had to return to Australia. They moved into a house in Lavender Bay, Sydney. They had traveled a lot and seen many art museums. But five-year-old Arkie said she was tired of moving. She wanted to stay in one place. This made Wendy and Brett decide to settle down in Lavender Bay.

They first rented one floor of the house. In 1974, they bought the whole house. The inside of their home often appeared in Brett's paintings. In 1985, Brett bought an old factory in Surry Hills. He turned it into a studio away from home. Wendy and Brett lived separately for a while. They divorced in 1989.

Brett Whiteley passed away in 1992. Arkie died of cancer in 2001. The Surry Hills studio is now the Brett Whiteley Studio. It is an art museum that Wendy first managed to honor Brett. Now, the Art Gallery of New South Wales owns and runs it.

Wendy's Secret Garden

Wendy Whiteley's Secret Garden

View of the Bay

Wendy Whiteley showed artistic talent when she was a teenager. Brett even thought her drawing skills and understanding of colors were better than his. Wendy put her own art dreams aside to be a wife and mother. After Brett died, she found a new way to be creative.

Wendy started to clean up and landscape a large piece of unused land next to her home in Lavender Bay. This land belonged to the New South Wales Rail Corporation. It was full of weeds, old train parts, and trash. Wendy spent a lot of her own money to fix it up.

The Rail Corporation did not mind her improving the area. They even helped remove the biggest pieces of junk. Wendy worked on the garden like it was a giant painting. She planned, planted, trimmed, and moved things around. She let nature help too.

Over 15 years, the garden became a special place. It has benches in quiet spots and hidden paths. It also has an amazing view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Many different birds came to live there. People often call it "Wendy's Secret Garden." Everyone can visit it for free.

The garden has special items, like an old fountain from another famous artist's garden. It also has palm trees donated by Arkie. Wendy found other objects in the bushes, like an old tricycle.

Arkie helped her mother with the garden project. She even planned to have her second wedding there. But she became sick with cancer. She married her husband, Jim Elliott, in the house overlooking the garden. This was just a few weeks before she passed away in 2001.

In 2009, Wendy Whiteley received an award called the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM). She got it for helping the community by creating and taking care of the public garden. She was also honored for supporting the visual arts.

In 2015, the New South Wales Government agreed to let the North Sydney Council lease the land for 30 years. This lease can be renewed. People from the community can also help maintain the gardens.

Brett Whiteley's Art Legacy

After Brett Whiteley passed away, his will caused a big legal argument. Another person claimed Brett had left everything to her. But Arkie Whiteley said her father had written a new will after his divorce, leaving everything to her. This paper was lost.

Finally, the New South Wales Supreme Court decided in Arkie's favor. Arkie's first marriage ended in divorce. Arkie left most of the artworks she inherited from Brett to Wendy. These artworks, along with Wendy's own collection, became the start of the Brett Whiteley Studio.

Before Arkie died, she began talks with the Art Gallery of New South Wales. She wanted them to take over and manage the studio. Wendy successfully finished these talks after Arkie's death.

Wendy Whiteley is now a well-known person in Australia's art world. She attends art shows and judges art competitions. She also gives talks about Brett Whiteley and organizes exhibitions of his work. She presents awards to young artists through the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship.

Wendy has been featured on TV shows like Australian Story and Enough Rope. She has also been the subject of portraits for the Archibald Prize. This is a famous art prize that Brett Whiteley won twice.