{"title":"Ashleigh Wilson","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAshleigh Wilson\u003c\/strong\u003e offers a compelling insight into the lives and minds of artists through richly detailed biographies and thoughtful cultural commentary. Her works combine meticulous research with engaging storytelling, bringing to life the creative journeys and personal struggles of notable figures such as Wendy and Brett Whiteley.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders drawn to \u003cem\u003eBiography \u0026amp; Memoir\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eArts \u0026amp; Culture\u003c\/em\u003e will appreciate Wilson’s ability to explore the intersection of artistic vision and human experience, making her books both illuminating and deeply moving reflections on creativity and transcendence.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"a-year-with-wendy-whiteley-by-ashleigh-wilson-9781922458803","title":"A Year with Wendy Whiteley","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA must-have for culture lovers, \u003cem\u003eA Year with Wendy Whiteley\u003c\/em\u003e sees the biographer and critic Ashleigh Wilson painting a portrait of the inimitable Wendy Whiteley—in her own words.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWe sit at the table, opposite each other, a tape recorder and a microphone between us, and I begin by saying that I don't want to start with Brett.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'That's a good idea.' Wendy looks at me and smiles. 'I didn't start with Brett.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThese days Wendy Whiteley is a legendary figure in the art world, the keeper of the Brett Whiteley legacy, best known for creating the Secret Garden on the land below her house on Sydney Harbour. But before she met Brett, Wendy was herself a budding artist; her creative work ever since has been under-recognised.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWendy is a survivor—of drug dependence, bitter divorce, the deaths of Brett and their beloved daughter, Arkie. More than that, she is a remarkable figure whose life has had its own contours and priorities. Now in her early eighties—reflective yet outspoken, with a dry wit—she has much to tell about it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe product of many hours of candid conversations at the kitchen table in Lavender Bay with acclaimed Brett Whiteley biographer Ashleigh Wilson, and supplemented by extensive research and interviews with others, this is the unforgettable story of Wendy's life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46369990738156,"sku":"9781922458803","price":45.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/12999153482872.jpg?v=1744801650"},{"product_id":"brett-whiteley-by-ashleigh-wilson-9781925498745","title":"Brett Whiteley","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWritten with unprecedented behind-the-scenes access, this acclaimed biography reveals for the first time the full portrait of Australia's most celebrated artist.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen he died in 1992, Brett Whiteley left behind decades of ceaseless activity - some works bound to a particular place or time, others that are masterpieces of light and line.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhiteley had arrived in Europe in 1960 determined to make an impression. Before long, he was the youngest artist to have work acquired by the Tate. With his wife, Wendy, and daughter, Arkie, Whiteley then immersed himself in bohemian New York. But within two years he fled, having failed to break through.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBack in Sydney, he soon became Australia's most celebrated artist. He won the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes in the same year - his prices soared, as did his fame. Among his friends were Francis Bacon and Patrick White, Billy Connolly and Dire Straits. Yet addiction was taking its toll - Whiteley struggled in vain to separate his talent from his disease, and an inglorious end approached.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46370075443436,"sku":"9781925498745","price":36.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/15312783482873.jpg?v=1744804417"},{"product_id":"transcendence-by-ashleigh-wilson-9781760763893","title":"Transcendence","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA singer overwhelmed by his crowd. A dancer on ice above sea. A teenage girl, later to become a virtuoso conductor, jolted by the sound of a symphony.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTwo filmmakers exchange vows on their opera set. A photographer hears a Cistercian echo in the sails. And one night, after a Verdi curtain call, an audience member who looks a lot like Bob Dylan receives a private singing lesson in a theatre named after Australia's greatest opera star.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor fifty years, the Sydney Opera House has elevated the spirits of all who enter its orbit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHere, fifty artists— from Simone Young to Nick Cave, Sylvie Guillem to Briggs, Baz Luhrmann to Carlotta—share their most indelible memories from a building that embodies the Australian contemporary experience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eTranscendence\u003c\/i\u003e by Ashleigh Wilson brings together these remarkable stories, offering a glimpse into the profound impact of this iconic venue.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Thames and Hudson (Australia) Pty Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46846872223980,"sku":"9781760763893","price":65.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/25025873482814.jpg?v=1758925543"},{"product_id":"on-artists-by-ashleigh-wilson-9780733644405","title":"On Artists","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf we denounce the artist, then what becomes of the work that remains?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe #MeToo movement is overturning a cliché that has forgiven bad behaviour for years: to be creative is to be prone to eccentricity, madness, addiction, and excess. No longer can artists be excused from the standards of conduct that apply to us all.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOn Artists\u003c\/em\u003e delves into this complex interplay between art, ethics, and expectation, examining the repercussions of separating—or failing to separate—the art from the artist. Such an exploration is vital in a world increasingly sensitive to the implications of our actions and the legacy of those who create.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47383952326892,"sku":"9780733644405","price":19.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/5144343482449.jpg?v=1773390245"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/ashleigh-wilson.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}