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2026 update:
Closed to the public since 2024, the Brett Whiteley Studio in Surry Hills is slated to reopen on Saturday, July 25, 2026. Thoughtfully renovated by leading architectural firm Tonkin Zulaikha Greer, it offers an unfiltered look into the life and works of Brett Whiteley (1939-1992), one of Australia’s most influential artists.
Celebrations kick off with Brett Whiteley: Coming Home, an exhibition that showcases some of the artist’s most ambitious works from the 1970s. At its heart is Alchemy (1972–73), Whiteley’s extraordinary 16-metre-wide autobiographical masterpiece.
Featuring more than 80 paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs and personal sketchbooks, the exhibition offers a fascinating glimpse into Whiteley’s creative world after his return to Australia. Alongside sublime landscapes and intimate portraits, visitors will have the chance to experience the refreshed studio itself, making this one of Sydney’s most anticipated cultural reopenings of 2026. Psst! Entry is free.
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The Brett Whiteley Studio was the workplace and home of Australian artist Brett Whiteley. The artist bought the former warehouse in 1985 and converted it into a studio and exhibition space. He lived there from 1988 to 1992, the year he died in Thirroul.
The NSW Government subsequently bought the space, and it opened to the public as the Brett Whiteley Studio in 1995, managed by the Art Gallery of New South Wales. On the occasion of the Studio's 20th anniversary, the ownership was passed over to the Gallery.
Visitors visiting the Brett Whiteley Studio are provided with a unique snapshot into the artist's practise, with his studio preserved as it would have been during his life, including his unfinished paintings, art equipment and collections of reference books, and the graffiti wall covered with quotes and images.
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