Dobell: From Archibald Fame to Wangi Wangi

by Scott Bevan

William Dobell is considered Australia's finest portrait artist. This is the first book to focus on his life in the aftermath of the tumult surrounding the 1948 Archibald win that changed his life in so many ways. It is also the story of the community that saved him. In 1944, William Dobell became what so many artists desire but few in Australia had achieved. He was a household name. His art was on the newspapers' front pages. He was recognised wherever he went. William Dobell had grabbed the public eye. But the most famous artist in the land was a broken man. His Archibald Prize-winning portrait of friend Joshua Smith had raised eyebrows - and controversy. the painting 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, and his zest for life had been dulled. He had to get away. William Dobell went to Wangi Wangi. Only 120 kilometres north of Sydney, this village on Lake Macquarie is far removed from big city life. Wangi's working class folks cared little about celebrity and even less about art. 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, former Wangi resident Scott Bevan has 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.

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About the author

Bevan was born in 1964 and grew up near Merewether in Newcastle.

In 1984 Bevan joined The Newcastle Herald as a cadet journalist. He later worked in commercial radio as a news presenter. After a fifteen month stint in Japan he joined the Nine Network in 1989 as a reporter. He spent time in Perth working for Nine News.

Bevan moved to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 2005, working initially as reporter for the 7.30 Report and a presenter on ABC Local Radio. In 2008 he was posted to Moscow as a correspondent for ABC Television.

In 2010 Bevan returned to Australia to become a presenter on ABC News 24.

Scott lives in Sydney with his wife, Jo, and twin boys, Thomas and William - and his kayak, Pulbah Raider.