Poetry Sydney nurtures innovation, discovery, and inspiration through the poetry of today.  Brett and Wendy Whiteley first bought the former Surry Hills warehouse in 1985, converting it into a studio and exhibition space where Brett lived and worked from 1988 until his death in 1992. The space opened to the public in 1995, two years after the NSW Government purchased it. It is now owned and managed by the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW).

The Brett Whiteley Studio offers visitors the unique opportunity to experience the atmosphere of the artist’s working space, with paintings, art materials, his personal collection of art books and objects that inspired him, alongside the graffiti wall covered with quotes and images.

“Poetry to Whiteley was rich air to inhale and to consume – Rimbaud and Baudelaire set fire to his imagination – and poetry in this studio became an integral part of the public programs here… we celebrate voices, words, ideas, soundscapes which travel inward and light our way.”

Alec George, Coordinator, Brett Whiteley Studio

The Brett Whiteley Studio (BWS) is managed by the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) with free admission made possible by principal sponsor J.P.  Morgan.