Born in Australia, Whiteley moved to Europe in 1960 determined to make an impression. Before long he was the youngest artist to have work acquired by the Tate and had immersed himself in bohemian New York. Living at the Chelsea Hotel he befriended Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, and Jimi Hendrix. Back in Sydney, he became Australia's most celebrated artist. Yet addiction was taking its toll, and he struggled in vain to separate his talent from his disease. Written with unprecedented behind-the-scenes access, this dazzling biography offers the full portrait of a mercurial artist.