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y separately published work icon Bill : The Life of William Dobell single work   biography  
Issue Details: First known date: 2014... 2014 Bill : The Life of William Dobell
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'By 1945, William Dobell had become what so many artists desire but few in Australia had achieved. He was a household name. But the most famous artist in the land was a broken man.

'His Archibald Prize-winning portrait of Joshua Smith became the subject of a sensational legal case, challenging not just Dobell’s right to the prize, but the very idea of art itself. Dobell won the legal battle but lost so much else. His health was shattered, his desire to paint was wiped out, and his zest for life had been dulled. He had to get away.

'Only 120 kilometres north of Sydney, Wangi Wangi is far removed from big city life. Dobell had come to Wangi to escape fame, but he found community and friendship. In this beguiling little place, William Dobell rediscovered the passion to paint, and the joy of life.

'Through years of research and interviews with Dobell’s friends and long-time locals, acclaimed author and former Wangi resident Scott Bevan discovered how the village protected the artist, cared and posed for him, drank and partied with him. Wangi loved him as one of their own. To the world, he was Sir William Dobell, acclaimed artist. To Wangi, he was simply Bill.

'Bill is the story of one of Australia’s greatest artists and the times he lived through. It explores how ambition and talent took a working class boy a long way in the world, and how the reaction to one painting almost destroyed him. It is a celebration of community, and how one man finally discovers where he belongs – in the unlikeliest of places. ' (Publication summary)

Notes

  • Dedication: for Jo

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Brookvale, Manly - Allambie - Curl Curl area, Sydney Northeastern Suburbs, Sydney, New South Wales,: Simon and Schuster Australia , 2014 .
      image of person or book cover 1628171980472577659.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 497p.
      Description: still images
      Note/s:
      • Available: 1st November 2014
      ISBN: 9781925030549, 1925030547

Works about this Work

Artist and Local Hero Douglas Hassall , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: Quadrant , June vol. 59 no. 6 2015; (p. 107-110)

— Review of Bill : The Life of William Dobell Scott Bevan , 2014 single work biography
The Man Who Knew Too Much Martin Edmond , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: Sydney Review of Books , May 2015;

— Review of Bill : The Life of William Dobell Scott Bevan , 2014 single work biography
No Handles, Please : A Colloquial Account of Dobell the Man Ian Britain , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , March no. 369 2015; (p. 46-47)

— Review of Bill : The Life of William Dobell Scott Bevan , 2014 single work biography
The Enigma and the Art Eileen Chanin , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 14-15 February 2015; (p. 37) The Age , 14 February 2015; (p. 31)

— Review of Bill : The Life of William Dobell Scott Bevan , 2014 single work biography
The Enigma and the Art Eileen Chanin , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 14-15 February 2015; (p. 37) The Age , 14 February 2015; (p. 31)

— Review of Bill : The Life of William Dobell Scott Bevan , 2014 single work biography
No Handles, Please : A Colloquial Account of Dobell the Man Ian Britain , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , March no. 369 2015; (p. 46-47)

— Review of Bill : The Life of William Dobell Scott Bevan , 2014 single work biography
The Man Who Knew Too Much Martin Edmond , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: Sydney Review of Books , May 2015;

— Review of Bill : The Life of William Dobell Scott Bevan , 2014 single work biography
Artist and Local Hero Douglas Hassall , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: Quadrant , June vol. 59 no. 6 2015; (p. 107-110)

— Review of Bill : The Life of William Dobell Scott Bevan , 2014 single work biography
Last amended 9 Sep 2015 11:31:49
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