WILLIAM WRIGHT
1937 - 2014. Born: Sydney Australia,
1937 - 1959 Sydney Australia
1954 - 1958 Attended National Art School, Sydney, Diploma in Painting (A.S.T.C.)
1959 – 1960 Florence
1959 – 1960 Florence, Italy. Attended the Accademia di Belle Arti with part time study of
Restoration at the Museo del Accademia
1960 - 1976 London, United Kingdom
1961 Attended Central School of Art and Design (printmaking, lithography)
1964 Attended Goldsmiths College, London (printmaking, relief etching)
1965 First Solo exhibition, Traverse Gallery, Edinburgh
1965 - 1968 Exhibited in Edinburgh, London, Warsaw, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide.
1967 Solo exhibition Komon Gallery, Sydney
Solo exhibition Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne
1970 - 1976 Head, Department of Painting, Winchester School of Art. U K.
1976 - 1981 New York, Unites States of America
1976 - 1979 Associate Dean (Programme Director) New York Studio School.
1979 -1980 Acting Dean, State University of New York at Purchase.
1981 - 2014 Sydney, Australia
1980 - 1982 Artistic Director, Vision in Disbelief 4th Biennale of Sydney.
1982 - 1991 Assistant Director Professional Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
1992 Lecturer/coordinator, Post Graduate Museum and Gallery Management
University of New South Wales
1982 - 1997 Member, Board of Directors, Biennale of Sydney
1991 - 2002 Curatorial Director, Sherman Galleries.
2002 Awarded the Australia Council Emeritus Medal
for services to art, art education, curatorship and artists.
2002 - 2005 Director, Sherman Galleries
2003 Appointed AM, Member of the Order of Australia
2003 - 2008 President, Australian Chapter, AICA (International Association of Art Critics)
2004 - 2014 Director, William Wright Consulting
2005 - 2008 Member, Board of Directors, NAVA (National Association for the Visual Arts)
2006 - 2010 Sherman Foundation Fellow in Contemporary Art
Department of Art History and Theory, University of Sydney
2009 - 2014 Tutor (painting), National Art School
2010 Appointed Fellow, National Art School
2010 - 2014 Director, William Wright • Artists Projects
EXHIBITIONS
Solo Exhibitions:
1965 Traverse Gallery, Edinburgh
1966 Richard Demarco Gallery, Edinburgh
1967 Rudy Komon Gallery, Sydney
Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne
North Adelaide Gallery, Adelaide
Edinburgh College of Art, 1967 Edinburgh Festival
British Architectural Association, London
1968 Essex University Gallery, Essex
Richard Demarco Gallery, Edinburgh
Continued studio practice but ceased actively exhibiting in 1968
2008 Triptych (3 solo exhibitions) Galerie Dusseldorf, Perth
2014 Eclipse, Drawing Room Gallery, Kings Cross, Sydney
2014 This is not an Exhibition, William Wright • Artist Projects, Sydney
Selected Group Exhibitions:
1966 Richard Demarco Gallery Inaugural Exhibition,
Contemporary British Artists, Edinburgh Festival.
Richard Demarco Gallery, Edinburgh
Australian Artists, South London Gallery, London
Gallery Artists, Richard Demarco Gallery, Edinburgh
1967 Contemporary British Painting, Gallery of the Union
of Polish Artists, Warsaw
1968 Edinburgh Festival Exhibition, Richard Demarco
Gallery, Edinburgh
1984 The 1960s, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
1985 20th Anniversary Exhibition, Traverse Gallery, Edinburgh
2008 Triptych. Dusseldorf Gallerie Perth.
2011 Triptych: Mais Mais Wright Wright
Drill Hall Gallery, Australian National University, Canberra
2012 Tr. 3, WW/Artists' Projects, Sydney
2013 ORBIT: works on paper, Drawing Room, Sydney
2014 Returning to The Field, SNO Contemporary Art Projects, Sydney
DE COLORI, WW Artists Projects, Sydney
2015 The Triumph of Modernism in the Art of Australia, Hazelhurst Regional Gallery, Hazelhurst
Tarrawarra Museum of Art, Victoria.
Painting 1: ANGLE, EDGE, GRID. William Wright • Artists Projects, Sydney
Reviews:
1965 Cordelia Oliver, The Guardian, March
Sydney Goodsir-Smith, William Wright at the Traverse;
Painter who loves world, The Scotsman, March
1966 Edwin Mullins, The Sunday Telegraph,
London, August 21st
Cordelia Oliver, The Guardian, August
Terence Mullaly, London Daily Telegraph, 26th August
Cordelia Oliver, The Glasgow Herald, 24th August
Anne Matheson, Sunday Telegraph, Sydney 17th April
1967 Elwyn Lynn, William Wright at Komon, The Bulletin,
Sydney, March 4th
Elwyn Lynn Art & Australia(DATE?)
George Berger, The Jewish News, Sydney, March
Wallace Thornton, Sydney Morning Herald, March
Elwyn Lynn The Australian
Alan McCulloch, Stimulus to use of one colour,
The Melbourne Herald, Melbourne, April
Art that’s different and worthwhile
Melbourne Sun 18th April
Patrick McCaughey, Gifts and Guesses
The Age, Melbourne, 19th April
Martin Collins, The Australian, 21st April
Ronald Millar, The Australian, 29th April
Elizabeth Young, Adelaide
Guy Brett, The Times, London, August 25th
Cordelia Oliver, Six One-Man Shows, The Guardian,
London, August 23rd
John Russell, A Challenge Won, The Sunday Times,
London, August,
1968 S L, A square view of squares,
review, Essex University exhibition
2009 Douglas Sheerer, Many Hands: Mais Wright Work
Australian Art Collector, Jan - Mar, p 87
2011 Michael Desmond, Triad, Cat Essay Triptych Exhibition
Drill Hall Gallery, Australian National University, Canberra
Sasha Grishin Talented Family has Broad Brush
Canberra Times Weekend Review 15 Oct
Collections:
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Stirling University, Perthshire, Scotland
New England Regional Art Museum, New England
Richard Demarco European Art Foundation Collection
The University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland
Australian National University, Canberra
Tarra Warra Museum, Melbourne
PERSONAL INITIATIVES - PROGRAMMES AND SERVICES ESTABLISHED BY WILLIAM WRIGHT:
Advanced Visual Arts Course, Beckenham Centre for Adult Education, London
Faculty Exchange programme between Winchester School of Art/Gloucestershire College of Art , UK and Alexander Mackie College/Prahran CAE, Australia.
Advanced technology, light and sound studio/programme and video programme, Winchester School of Art
Advanced Course for foreign students, Winchester School of Art.
Barnett Newman Scholarship, New York Studio School. A programme for foreign sculpture students, supported by Mrs Barnett Newman.
NYSS Scholarships for US students.
Peter Brown Memorial Scholarships for Australian students; co-supported by the Australia Council and the Board of Governors of the New York Studio School.
Kuwait Government Art Scholarship.
George Spaventa Memorial Scholarship for American Sculpture Students.
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney Gallery exhibitions Programme, NYSS.
Student Exchange NYSS and Slade School, London.
Arthur B Carles Scholarship for American painting students.
Student Exchange Programme, Parsons School of Design, US and Winchester School of Art, UK.
Establishment of Summer Programmes, New York Studio School, 1977,1978,1979.
Artist in Residence Programme, New York Studio School.
(John Hoyland, William Crozier and Patrick Heron)
Development/Fundraising Database (Foundation and Corporate sponsorship system)
State University of New York at Purchase.
National Visiting Lecturer Information Service, L.I.S.T. AGNSW 1983-1986
Mid-career artists exhibitions programme, AGNSW 1983-89
Artist in Residence Programme, AGNSW, 1988-89
Sherman Galleries Goodhope, 1992
Sherman-Wright Collections, 1992
Sherman-Wright Australian Art Index
(collaboration with Dr Gene Sherman with Access Economics 1992)
CURATORIAL
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS (CURATORIAL)
Recent British Painting
NYSS/GVW Gallery, New York,1978
Recent Developments in Sculpture
NYSS/GCW Gallery, New York,1978
The Drawn Image
NYSS/GVW Gallery, New York, 1979
Yugoslav Biennale in New York, 1980
(Co-selector and judge with Robert Rosenblum)
Vision in Disbelief, Fourth Biennale of Sydney.
Art Gallery of NSW, 1982
Sydney Conservatorium of Music; Ivan Dougherty Gallery,
University of NSW; University of Technology; Cell Block
Theatre, National Art School; Roslyn Oxley Gallery;
Power Gallery, University of Sydney; 2JJJ Radio. Sydney
The British Show
(Co-curator Anthony Bond)
Art Gallery of New South Wales; Art Gallery of Western
Australia, Queensland Art Gallery; Royal Exhibition Building,
Melbourne; National Gallery of New Zealand, 1984-85
Australian Drawings, 3rd Triennale of Drawings,
Nuremberg Triennale, Nuremberg, Germany, 1985
A Resistant Spirit
Roslyn Oxley9,
Sydney;
Realities Melbourne,1996
Mayakovsky: 20 Years of Work.
Art Gallery of New South Wales; Art Gallery of
Western Australia; National Gallery of Victoria, 1987
N.Z.11
Auckland City Art Gallery; Art Gallery of NSW;
Museum of Modern Art, Brisbane, 1988
(co-curators, Alexa Johnson and Francis Pound)
I.C.I. Touring Exhibition
Regional Galleries, Victoria and New South Wales, 1989-1990
On Paper
Sherman Galleries Goodhope, 1993
In Tandem
Sherman Galleries, Sydney, 1995
Flagging the Republic
Sherman Galleries and Australian Tour 1996-97
Windows on Australia I
Australian Embassy, Tokyo, 1995
Systems End: Contemporary Art in Australia
co-curator, Takeshi Kanazawa
Touring exhibition, Oxy Gallery, Osaka, Japan;
Hakone Museum, Japan;
Dong Ah Gallery, Seoul, Korea;
Kaohsiung Museum of Art,
Kaohsiung,Taiwan, 1996-97
ANON
Sherman Galleries Goodhope, Sydney, 1997
Five Australian Artists
Tokyo International Art Festival, 1997
Australian Works on Paper
Za Moca Foundation, Tokyo, 1997
Natural Drawings: the Drawings of Kenneth Martin
Sherman Galleries Hargrave, 1997
Anthony Galbraith Retrospective Exhibition
Ivan Dougherty Gallery, College of Fine Arts, University of NSW, Sydney, 1998
(Co-curators Felicity Fenner and Annette Larkin)
“Something...
Sherman Galleries Goodhope, Sydney,1998
and Australian Contemporary Art Fair, Melbourne
Anthony Pryor:
Selected works from the Pryor Estate, Sherman Galleries Goodhope and Hargrave, 1999
(Co-curator Joanna Capon)
Mike Parr, Imants Tillers, Bernhard Sachs, John Young
Orange Regional Art Gallery, Orange NSW. 1999
Imants Tillers, Paul Partos, Guan Wei
Art Chicago, 1999
The Rose Crossing
Sherman Galleries/SOCOG Australia to the World exhibition
Brisbane City Art Gallery,
Brisbane; Hong Kong Contemporary Art Centre,
Hong Kong; Singapore Art Museum, Singapore;
S H Ervin Gallery, Sydney;
Campbelltown City Bicentennial Art Gallery 1999-2000
John Young, Marion Borgelt, Hilarie Mais, Tim Storrier
ArtChicago 2002
Bleak Epiphanies: an exhibition of small black things
Virginia Wilson ART, Sydney, 2005
Headlands: John Beard Works 1993-2007
Drill Hall Gallery, Australian National University, Canberra, 2009
Cold Tongue: language as art
Conny Dietzschold Gallery, Sydney, 2009
Selection of the Sherman Galleries Goodhope exhibitions programme, 1992 – 2002
Selection, planning and organisation of the William Wright Artist’s Projects exhibitions programme, 2011 - 2014
Origins 2011
William Wright Artist’s Projects, Sydney, 2011
Origins 2012
William Wright Artist’s Projects, Sydney, 2012
De Colori
William Wright Artist’s Projects, Sydney, 2014
SELECTED ARTICLES/PUBLICATIONS:
1968 Review, Goethe: Farbenlehre, Art and Artists, London
Review, Albers: Interaction of Colour , Art and Artists, London
1972 On the Theory of Light and the Interaction of Colours
Winchester School of Art, UK
1978 Recent British Painting, NYSS, New York
1979 Yugoslav Biennale in New York, Cat. essay, New York
1982 Vision in Disbelief, Cat. 4th Biennale of Sydney,
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
1983 Australian Perspecta, Review, Studio International, London
1984 The British Show, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
1985 Internationale Triennale der Zeichnung, Nuremberg, Germany
Introduction to the Australian component.
1986 A Resistant Spirit, Catalogue
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney; Realities Gallery, Melbourne
1987 Mayakovsky: 20 Years of Work,
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
Colin Lanceley, Craftsman House monograph
1988 Marion Borgelt, Mindscapes exhibition,
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
1989 ICI Touring Exhibition ICI, Melbourne
1996 Systems End: Contemporary Art inAustralia
Art and Australia publication
1997 Natural Drawings, The drawings of Kenneth Martin,
Sherman Galleries Hargrave, Sydney
1998 Anthony Galbraith Retrospective, Ivan Dougherty Gallery Sydney
(Cat. essay, co-author Felicity Fenner)
1999 The Rose Crossing, Art & Australia publication
Sherman Galleries/SOCOG Australia to the World exhibition
2003 Elwyn Lynn: Metaphor and Texture, Review, Art & Australia, June
2004 Tim Storrier at Yarras, interview, Art and Australia
2006 A Matter of Light: the Paintings of David Serisier
Liverpool Street Gallery, catalogue essay
2007 Gregor Schneider, Art and Australia essay
European Journey, Art Monthly Australia
2009 Headlands: John Beard Works 1993 - 2007
Drill Hall Gallery, Headlands catalogue, curator's essay
John Beard: Recent Paintings, Art and Australia essay
BOARDS AND COMMITTEES:
Member, Academic Board, Winchester School of Art, 1970-1976
Chairman, Board of Studies, Winchester School of Art, Painting
Department, 1970-1976
Member, Board of Governors, NYSS, 1976-1979
Chairman, Board of Governors, NYSS, 1979
Member, Governors Selection Committee, NYSS, 1978-1979
Chairman of Faculty, New York Studio School, 1979
Chairman, Academic Board, State University of New York
Division of Visual Arts, 1979-1980
Member, Selection Panel, Yugoslav Biennale in New York, 1980
Member, Founding Management Committee, Artspace, Sydney,
1981-1982
Member, Board of Directors, Biennale of Sydney 1982-1997
Member, Selection Committee for the Director of the 1984 Biennale of Sydney
Member, Academic Advisory Committee, Nepean CEA/University of Western
Sydney. 1982-85
Member, Museum Studies Board, University of Sydney, 1982-1984
Member, Selection Committee for the Director of the Biennale of Sydney: 1986 and 1988
Member, Exhibitions Committee, Art Gallery of NSW, 1982-1991
Member, Acquisitions and Loans Committee, AGNSW, 1982-1991
Member, Paris Studios Committee, AGNSW 1982-1991
Chair, Internal Committees AGNSW: Conservation, Curatorial,
Public Programmes, Library, Registration; 1982-1991
Member, Steering Committee, Visual Arts Lobby (now the National
Association for the Visual Arts, NAVA) 1983
Member, NSW Govt. Bicentennial Sculpture Committee 1988
Member, Selection Committee for the Director of the 1990 Biennale of Sydney
Member , Sydney/San Francisco Sister City Committee 1983-1986
Member, Advisory Committee, National Art School TAFE 1984-1989
Member, Finance Committee, AGNSW 1989-1991
Sponsor/Chair, AGNSW Collections Computerisation Programme
Member, Selection Committee for the Director of the 1992 Biennale of Sydney
Member, College Board, Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney,1991-94
Member, Board of Governors, New South Wales Institute for the Arts, responsible
for the implementation of the Dawkins Report recommendations, to amalgamate the
Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Sydney College of the Arts and City Art Institute
with Sydney and New South Wales Universities 1988-1990
Member, Art Exhibition Committee - Regional Galleries Assoc. of NSW,1994-1995
Convenor, Save the National Art School Forum AGNSW, 1996
Chairman, Selection Committee for the Director of the 1998 Biennale of Sydney
Member, St Vincent’s Hospital Art Advisory Committee, 2001 - 2007
Member ACGA (NSW representative) 2002 -05
President AICA (International Association of Art Critics) 2003- 2008
Member AICA 2014
LECTURES/COURSES/SEMINARS:
Cardiff College of Art, Wales; 1966/73/74/75.
Hornsey College of Art, London; 1969/72/73.
Exeter School of Art, Exeter; 1971/72/73.
National Art School, Sydney; 1972/73.
Tasmanian CAE, Hobart; 1973.
Prahran CAE, Melbourne; 1973/79.
Gordon Institute, Geelong; 1973/74/76.
Gloucestershire College of Art,Cheltenham; 1974.
Birmingham Polytechnic, Birmingham; 1974.
Sydney University Art Workshop; 1974
Royal College of Art, London; 1974/75.
Alexander Mackie CAE, Sydney; 1975/76/79.
Fanshawe College , London, Ontario; 1977/78.
St.Martins School of Art, London; 1979/81.
Winchester School of Art, Winchester;1979/83/85/89.
Deakin University, Geelong; 1979/87.
Sydney College of the Arts; 1979/81/82.
Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne; 1979/81/86.
South Australian School of Art, Adelaide; 1979.
Canberra School of Art, 1979/81.
Haverford College, Philadelphia; 1978/79.
City Art Institute, Sydney; 1981/82/83/85/88.
Nepean CAE, Penrith; 1985/87.
National Gallery of New Zealand, Wellington; 1985.
University of Sydney, Sydney College of the Arts; 1989/90/92/93/01/04.
Art Gallery of NSW ; 1982-91.
University of NSW,College of Fine Arts; 1990/91/92/94/95.
National Art School, Sydney; 1997/2003 - 2014
The Museum of Sydney, 2003
External Examiner, MA, City Art Institute, 1986/87
External Examiner, BA, Deakin University, 1987
External Examiner, BA, Nepean CAE, 1988
Moderator, MA Arts Administration, University of NSW
College of Fine Arts, 2000
Moderator, MA, Deakin University, 1993
External Examiner, MA, University of Western Sydney. 1996/97/98/00/01,/02
External Examiner, MA, University of NSW, College of Fine Arts
1990/91/97/99/00/01/02/03/04/05/06
External Examiner, MA, University of Sydney, Sydney College of the Arts
1999/2004/05/07/08/09.
External Examiner BA, The University of Newcastle, Ourimba, 2002/03/04/05
External Examiner, PhD, The University of Newcastle, 2003/04
External Examiner, PhD, COFA, University of NSW, 2003
External Examiner, PhD, Sydney College of the Arts, U. Syd. 2003/04
External Examiner, MA, National Art School, 2009/10
External Examiner, BA, National Art School, 2010
External Adviser MA, National Art School, 2012/14
COLLECTIONS (CURATORIAL)
1982 – 1991 Special acquisitions, Modern and Contemporary art,
Art Gallery of New South Wales
1988-1989 Co-Curator (with Robert Lindsay) of the
ICI Contemporary Art Collection, Melbourne.
1993 Advisor to MEPC Contemporary Art Collection, Sydney
1992- 1997 Co-curator, MECENAT Contemporary Australian Art Collection
