Vernon Treweeke
Encyclopedia
Vernon Treweeke is an Australia
n psychedelic artist. He has been termed the "father of psychedelic art in Australia". In the late 1960s he was deemed to be "Australia's leading practitioner of abstract eroticism."
He is married to Riri Treweeke and has five children, including his sons Luke, born in 1967, whose mother is the Australian Artist Wendy Paramor
, Swift(b.1980), a musician, a fellow painter, and a label owner, and Julian, also a musician, both of which he has been known to collaborate with.
His work is held in various Australian and international collections, including the National Gallery of Australia
and the National Gallery of Victoria
.
Treweeke grew up in Sydney
, Australia. He attended boarding school at Scots School
in Bathurst
where he became a close friend of Brett Whiteley
. From 1957 to 1959 he studied painting, drawing and sculpture at the Australian National Art School under John Passmore
and Lyndon Dadswell. In 1961 He travelled to London via India and France. Whilst in London in 1962 he was included in the prestigious "Young Commonwealth Artists" exhibition that toured Germany, France and England. While in London he associated with many expatriate Australian artists including Michael Johnson, Tony McGillick and Wendy Paramor
, and the English artists, David Hockney
and Patrick Caulfield
.
In 1966 Treweeke returned to Sydney via New York and San Francisco. In the late 1960s Treweeke regularly showed his work at Central Street Gallery in Sydney. His work of this time can be seen as developing a prototype for methods of exhibition practice that have subsequently become known as installation, multi-media and electronic art. A typical Treweeke exhibition during the Central Street years included silkscreen images on modular canvas panels coated in fluorescent paint, a sound component and then the whole space would be saturated in ultraviolet neon light.
By 1970 Treweeke had abandoned his increasingly high profile career as an artist. His lifelong interest in beat culture; exotic religions and alternative lifestyles eventually led him to the town of Nimbin
. In 1973 Treweeke was instrumental in organizing the Aquarius Festival
.
He currently resides in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney
. Today he works for New South Wales State Rail. He has painted murals on several of the stations on the Blue Mountains railway line, which feature elements of local folklore.
In 2003 a major exhibition of his work, the first in 30 years, was exhibited at Penrith Regional Gallery in Western Sydney.
In June 2010, an exhibition of his work will be exhibited at CarriageWorks, centre for contemporary arts and culture, in Eveleigh, Sydney.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n psychedelic artist. He has been termed the "father of psychedelic art in Australia". In the late 1960s he was deemed to be "Australia's leading practitioner of abstract eroticism."
He is married to Riri Treweeke and has five children, including his sons Luke, born in 1967, whose mother is the Australian Artist Wendy Paramor
Wendy Paramor
Wendy Paramor was an Australian artist.Paramor was born in Melbourne. After leaving school at the age of 15, she studied art at the East Sydney Technical College and Julian Ashton art school, before leaving for Europe in 1960 where she held exhibitions in Lisbon, London and New York...
, Swift(b.1980), a musician, a fellow painter, and a label owner, and Julian, also a musician, both of which he has been known to collaborate with.
National Gallery of Australia
The National Gallery of Australia is the national art gallery of Australia, holding more than 120,000 works of art. It was established in 1967 by the Australian government as a national public art gallery.- Establishment :...
and the National Gallery of Victoria
National Gallery of Victoria
The National Gallery of Victoria is an art gallery and museum in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest and the largest public art gallery in Australia. Since December 2003, NGV has operated across two sites...
.
Treweeke grew up in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia. He attended boarding school at Scots School
The Scots School, Bathurst
The Scots School, Bathurst , is an independent, co-educational, day and boarding school, with campuses in Bathurst and Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia....
in Bathurst
Bathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
where he became a close friend of Brett Whiteley
Brett Whiteley
Brett Whiteley, AO was an Australian artist. He is represented in the collections of all the large Australian galleries, and was twice winner of the Archibald Prize...
. From 1957 to 1959 he studied painting, drawing and sculpture at the Australian National Art School under John Passmore
John Passmore
John Passmore AC was an Australian philosopher.Passmore was born in Manly, Sydney. He graduated from the University of Sydney with first-class honours in English literature and philosophy, and went on to study to become a secondary-school teacher...
and Lyndon Dadswell. In 1961 He travelled to London via India and France. Whilst in London in 1962 he was included in the prestigious "Young Commonwealth Artists" exhibition that toured Germany, France and England. While in London he associated with many expatriate Australian artists including Michael Johnson, Tony McGillick and Wendy Paramor
Wendy Paramor
Wendy Paramor was an Australian artist.Paramor was born in Melbourne. After leaving school at the age of 15, she studied art at the East Sydney Technical College and Julian Ashton art school, before leaving for Europe in 1960 where she held exhibitions in Lisbon, London and New York...
, and the English artists, David Hockney
David Hockney
David Hockney, CH, RA, is an English painter, draughtsman, printmaker, stage designer and photographer, who is based in Bridlington, Yorkshire and Kensington, London....
and Patrick Caulfield
Patrick Caulfield
Patrick Joseph Caulfield, CBE, RA was an English painter and printmaker known for his bold canvases, which often incorporated elements of Photorealism within a pared down scene.-Life and work:...
.
In 1966 Treweeke returned to Sydney via New York and San Francisco. In the late 1960s Treweeke regularly showed his work at Central Street Gallery in Sydney. His work of this time can be seen as developing a prototype for methods of exhibition practice that have subsequently become known as installation, multi-media and electronic art. A typical Treweeke exhibition during the Central Street years included silkscreen images on modular canvas panels coated in fluorescent paint, a sound component and then the whole space would be saturated in ultraviolet neon light.
By 1970 Treweeke had abandoned his increasingly high profile career as an artist. His lifelong interest in beat culture; exotic religions and alternative lifestyles eventually led him to the town of Nimbin
Nimbin, New South Wales
Nimbin is a village in the Northern Rivers area of the Australian state of New South Wales, approximately 30 km north of Lismore, 33 km southeast of Kyogle, and 70 km west of Byron Bay....
. In 1973 Treweeke was instrumental in organizing the Aquarius Festival
Aquarius Festival
The Aquarius Festival was a counter-cultural arts and music festival organised by the Australian Union of Students and sponsored by Peter Stuyvesant and held at Nimbin...
.
He currently resides in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. Today he works for New South Wales State Rail. He has painted murals on several of the stations on the Blue Mountains railway line, which feature elements of local folklore.
In 2003 a major exhibition of his work, the first in 30 years, was exhibited at Penrith Regional Gallery in Western Sydney.
In June 2010, an exhibition of his work will be exhibited at CarriageWorks, centre for contemporary arts and culture, in Eveleigh, Sydney.