AUCTION | SYDNEY 17 AUGUST 2025
Auction Live and Online
Sunday 17 August 2025 | 6pm AEST Start th 31 Lamrock Ave
Bondi Beach NSW 2026 Auction Viewing
25 July - 16 August 2025 | 10-5pm th th Sunday 17 August 2025 | 10-2pm th
Telephone/Absentee Bids
email bids to auctions@newsteadart.com phone: +61 412 126 645 Bidding Forms Pages 117-119 Live Online Bidding Via LiveAuctioneers www.liveauctioneers.com
Welcome to the inaugural Newstead Art Auction. This curated selection marks not only the beginning of a new chapter but also an affirmation of our belief: that art – particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, along with works from artists across the Pacific Rim –possesses a singular power. It challenges convention, transcends boundaries, and demands to be seen, understood, and honoured on its own terms.
At the heart of this vision is a commitment we have carried throughout our careers Across nearly five decades as gallerists, consultants, valuers, authors, and advocates, our guiding principle has remained clear: respect for artists begins by listening to their voices, not by speaking for them.
This initiative is grounded in connoisseurship developed over decades of working at the intersection of artists, communities, and collectors. We have created a model that honours the integrity of each work – not by relying solely on institutional endorsement, but through a deep understanding of the cultural and personal histories that underpin it. Provenance is more than documentation; it’s about relationships, context, and the responsibility we bear as cultural intermediaries.
We encourage collectors to move beyond narrow and prescriptive notions of provenance and look instead for substance – for art that carries aesthetic power, historical truth, and cultural depth. This auction reflects that shift. These works do not need to be defined within an institutional context to matter Their authority is already present – in their origins, their journeys, and the communities that continue to shape their meaning.
This sale is designed to meet the moment –inviting new collectors into the field with confidence, transparency, and access to exceptional works with clear provenance and cultural depth. Whether you ' re just beginning your collecting journey or deepening a long-held passion, this is a rare opportunity to acquire art of lasting significance.
Newstead Art Auctions draws on decades of connoisseurship, scholarship, and cultural engagement.
Thank you for joining us
Adrian Newstead OAM National President, Aboriginal Art Association of Australia
Dr. Jim Elmslie President, Oceanic Art Society of Australia
FAR NORTHWEST AND KIMBERLEY
HECTOR CHUNDALOO JANDANAY 77
JACK BRITTEN 76
LILY KARADADA 18
PADDY BEDFORD 20
PADDY JAMINJI 19
QUEENIE MCKENZIE 21, 43
ROVER THOMAS 23, 42
SHIRLEY PURDIE 22
WAIGAN DJANGHARA 17
WILLIE KEW 75
TANAMI DESERT
BOXER MILNER TJAMPITJIN 83
DOROTHY NAPANGARDI 5
JUDY WATSON NAPANGARDI 57
LORNA NAPARRULA FENCER 58
LUCY NAPANANGKA YUKENBARRI 82
JULIE NANGALA ROBINSON 11
MAGGIE WATSON NAPANGARDI 56
PADDY JAPALJARRI STEWART 37
PADDY SIMS JAPALJARRI 30
CENTRAL AND WESTERN DESERT
BILL TJAPALTJARRI WHISKEY 46, 87
CHARLIE TJARARU TJUNGURRAYI 85
CLIFFORD POSSUM TJAPALTJARRI 34, 39, 88
EUNICE NAPANANGKA JACK 10
GABRIELLA POSSUM NUNGARRAYI 7
GEORGE WARD TJUNGURRAYI 52
JIMMY DONEGAN 28
JORNA NEWBERRY 90
JUSTIN CORBY TJUNGURRAYI 81
LINDA SYDDICK NAPALTJARRI 78
MAKINTI NAPANANGKA 2, 73
NANCY ROSS NUNGURRAYI 47
NYURAPAYA NAMPITJINPA 50, 53, 54
OLD MICK WALLANGKARRI TJAKAMARRA 86
RONNIE TJAMPITJINPA 36, 41
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI 51
TIMMY PAYUNGKA TJAPANGATI 84
TJAWINA PORTER NAMPITJINPA 80
UTA UTA TJANGALA 1
WALANGKURA NAPANANGKA I 29, 48
WALANGKURA NAPANANGKA II 49, 55, 59
WALTER EBATARINJA 31, 32, 33
WILLY TJUNGURRAYI 35, 40, 85
YINARUPA GIBSON NANGALA 38
TOMMY YANNIMA WATSON 45
ARNHEM LAND
BOBBY NGANJMIRRA 63
GAWIRRIN GUMANA 65, 66
GEORGE MILPURRURRU 95
IVAN NAMIRRKI 24
KAY LINDJAWANGA 14
LIWUKAŊ BUKULATJPI 26
TIMOTHY COOK 60
JEAN BAPTISTE APUATIMI 61, 62
NORTHERN TERRITORY
LOFTY NADJAMERREK 12, 64
JOHN MAWURNDJUL 13
MUNGGARAWUY YUNUPINGU 15
PADDY FORDHAM WAINBURRANGA 25, 92
PHILLIP GUDTHAYKUDTHAY 96
YAMA MUNUNGGURRITJ 16
QUEENSLAND
BARBARA WEIR 91
EMILY KAME KNGWARREYE 4, 44, 67, 68, 69, 70
GLORIA PETYARRE 97
JOSEPHA (JOSIE) PETRICK KEMARRE 74
KATHLEEN NGALE 8, 72
KATHLEEN PETYARRE 6
MINNIE PWERLE 9
VICTORIA
LIN ONUS 93
TREVOR TURBO BROWN 89
FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND
ROSELLA NAMOK 71, 79
SALLY GABORI 3
In Aboriginal society kinship with the land, its flora and fauna and with other Aboriginal people is of great importance. A complex system governs kinship, governing the interrelatedness of customs, laws, language, and ceremonial responsibilities. ‘Skin names ’ , differ according to region. They are a method of organising society in to categories, which are related through the kinship system
Until a decade ago, it was widely accepted that these skin names ended with an e. Consequently, during their lifetimes, the names written on the back of paintings and all of the source certificates for paintings created by Eastern Anmatjerr(e) artists in particular were
Central Anmatyerr Eastern Anmatyerr
written Petyarre, Kngwarreye, Kemarre, Mpetane, Pwerle and Ngale.
Some time around 2010 however, linguist Jenny Green devised a new convention. The table below lists the spellings of skin names in the Central, Eastern and Tanami Desert regions that are currently accepted by linguists, anthropologists, academics, and most institutions.
In our catalogues we have decided to use the old spelling i.e. the spelling that is written on the back of the paintings and in the original source documentation which accompanies each individual work of art
Central and Eastern Arrernte Western Arrernte Alyawarr Kaytetye Warlpiri
Peltharr Petyarr Peltharre Peltharre
Pengart Pengart Pengarte Pengarte
Kemarr Kemarr Kemarre Kemarre
Apetyarr Kapetye Japaljarri Napaljarri
Pengarte Japangardi Napangardi
Akemarr Kemarre Jakamarra Nakamarra
Mpetyan Mpetyan Ampetyane Mpetyane Mpetyane Ampetyane Jampijinpa Nampijinpa
Ngwarray Kngwarray Ngwarray Kngwarraye Kngwarreye
Kngwarrey Ngwarrey Kngwarreye Jungarrayi Nungarrayi
Penangk Penangk Penangke Penangke Penangke Japanangka Napanangka
Pwerrerl Pwerl Perrurle Pwerrerle
Ngal Ngal Angale Ngale
Pwerl Pwerle Jupurrurla Napurrurla
Thangale Jangala Nangala
ADRIAN NEWSTEAD OAM
Adrian Newstead is one of Australia’s most respected authorities on Aboriginal art He is the current President of the Aboriginal Art Association of Australia and has been a leading advocate for Indigenous artists and culture for over four decades Adrian founded the Aboriginal art department at Lawson Menzies in 2003 and went on to serve as Managing Director of Menzies Art Brands A former President of the Art Consulting Association of Australia and Director of Aboriginal Tourism Australia, he has written extensively on the Aboriginal art market and Indigenous cultural affairs, contributing to numerous publications, monographs, and media outlets
DR JIM ELMSLIE
Dr Jim Elmslie is an economist, political scientist, and long-standing dealer and specialist in Aboriginal and Oceanic art He began his career in the field in 1983, running a gallery on Oxford Street, Sydney, for fifteen years before transitioning into the auction industry in 2004 Jim holds a PhD from the University of Sydney and currently serves as President of the Oceanic Art Society His academic and commercial expertise has underpinned decades of engagement with Oceanic and Indigenous cultural material
ANNE NEWSTEAD
Anne Newstead has lived and worked across Europe, Argentina, and New York in diverse roles including research science, hospitality, and education Since returning to Australia, she has collaborated with her husband Adrian on a range of creative projects involving Indigenous textiles, design, and art events both locally and internationally She plays a crucial role behind the scenes at Newstead Art, overseeing the conservation, restoration, and archival care of artworks She is also an avid reforestation advocate, devoting time to planting native trees on her property in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales
MIA COLLIS
Mia Collis is the Auction Manager at Newstead Art With academic foundations in Art History and Economics from the University of Sydney, Mia has held roles at Shapiro Auctioneers and Cooee Art, where she specialised in decorative arts and auction operations Having lived in London, Tokyo, Paris and Sydney, she brings a cosmopolitan perspective to the business of art, balancing intellectual insight with a pragmatic approach to event curation and collection management
KATHLEEN ROBERTS
Kathleen Roberts is a Perth-born scholar currently completing a PhD in Art History at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Her academic and professional trajectory has spanned major cultural institutions across Sydney, where she earned a Master of Museum and Heritage Studies at the University of Sydney Her work has continually engaged with the intersection of art and cultural heritage law, supported by further studies at the Université de Genève, Universiteit Leiden, and in Juris Doctor studies at the Australian National University A long-time collaborator of both Adrian Newstead OAM and Dr Jim Elmslie, Kathleen currently resides in Munich
JASMIN SMITH
Jasmin Smith spent her early years in the Aboriginal communities of Yuelamu and Alpurrurulam, and was raised in Alice Springs (Mparntwe), NT, where her love for Aboriginal art took root In 2018, she moved to Sydney to study a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) at UNSW Art & Design, majoring in painting and drawing Alongside her studies, she worked for five years as a paralegal and executive assistant in a prominent family law firm Two years ago, she became Gallery Manager at Newstead Art, where she brings her lifelong appreciation for Aboriginal art to her role
UTA UTA TJANGALA (C 1926 - 1990) YUMARI, 1979
natural earth pigment on composition board
61 x 45.5 cm
PROVENANCE
Papunya Tula, NT, Cat No. UU790419 Bob Durnan Collection* Private Collection, NSW
*Bob Durnan worked with Fred Hollows on indigenous eye health in Alice Springs and several indigenous desert communities before becoming the CEO of the Tangentyere housing company
EST $4,000 - 6,000
Uta Uta was a founding member of the painting men and became one of the most senior and influential painters amongst the group. His influence is credited with enabling the group to break through the political and cultural constraints towards a safe stylistic conformity, thereby preparing the way for personal and distinctive styles to emerge amongst the Papunya men
Despite his advancing age during the late 1970s, he continued to paint as he spent increasing time at outstations west of Papunya and, at the beginning of the 1980s, he completed what was to become one of the most important and revered works of the entire Western Desert art movement, Yumari, 1981possibly the largest and most significant Tingari painting ever created Yumari is a rocky outcrop in his home country and the key ceremonial site of the area
MAKINTI NAPANANGKA (1922 - 2011)
WOMEN'S HAIRSTRING, 2007
PROVENANCE
Papunya Tula Artists, NT, Cat No NN0702158 Private Collection, Vic
EST $15,000 - 18,000
Makinti Napanangka stands among the most acclaimed Australian Aboriginal artists of the Western Desert, renowned for her fluid, abstracted depictions of women ' s ceremonial practices In Women’s Hairstring, she renders a motif associated with both ritual and daily life: the spinning of human hair into string, used for belts, ceremonial wear, and baby slings
The rhythm of her linework echoes the twisting motion of the practice itself - long, looping forms rendered in warm ochres and whites. Makinti’s signature style, often described as gestural and luminous, transforms functional materials into symbols of cultural vitality
She was awarded the 2008 Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award and is represented in major public collections across Australia.
Works such as this, while deceptively minimal, are celebrated for their vitality and the abstract expression of embodied cultural knowledge
AUCTION RESULT COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Deutscher and Hackett, Important Australian Indigenous Art, Melbourne, 26/03/2025, Lot No 23
Price: A$42,955
Description: Lupulnga, 2004
synthetic polymer paint on Belgian linen, Papunya Tula Artists cat MN0408018, 121 5 x 92 cm
SALLY GABORI (1924 - 2015)
DIBIRDIBI COUNTRY, 2007
PROVENANCE
Mornington Island Art, Qld, Cat No 2619-L-SG-1007
Woolongabba Gallery, Qld Private Collection, NSW
EST $30,000 - 40,000
This painting recalls Dibirdibi country, sacred to the Kaiadilt people of Bentinck Island, and particularly to Sally Gabori’s late husband, Pat Gabori, whose totem was the Dibirdibi (Rock Cod). Sally’s canvases are not literal topographies but emotive mappings of identity, kinship, and memory
Her painterly style vigorous, layered, and saturated translates personal and ancestral stories into powerful fields of colour In this work the sweeping strokes evoke the tidal waters and reef systems where the rock cod swims, while anchoring her husband's presence in the currents of Country
Although she only began painting in her eighties, Sally Gabori quickly gained recognition for her intuitive abstraction and profound cultural specificity Her works are now held in major collections worldwide.
AUCTION RESULT
COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sothebys, Aboriginal Art, New York, 23/05/2023, Lot No 60
Price: A$61,135
Description: ThundiBarramundi Story, 2008 acrylic on canvas, bears Mornington Island Arts and Craft, Cat No 3139L-SG-0508, 121 x 91 cm
EMILY KAM(E) KNGWARREY(E) (C 19101996)
WILDFLOWER, 1995
PROVENANCE
Dacou Gallery, NSW, Cat No 110020 Private Collection, NSW
EST $5,000 - 8,000
Emily Kngwarreye's paintings of wildflowers reveal a spontaneous confidence and intuitive mastery rarely equalled in Australian art In Wildflower, she conjures an explosive bloom of layered marks short, gestural brushstrokes that dance across the surface in vibrant succession
This work likely references the annual blossoming of bush flowers in Alhalkere country after desert rains, an event of great cultural and ecological importance Her painting does not describe flora in a botanical sense, but embodies the essence of seasonal renewal and ancestral fertility
Emily Kngwarreye’s capacity to distill story, Country, and law into gestural abstraction is what continues to elevate her legacy For collectors, works like this offer both emotional immediacy and intellectual depth testaments to one of the most profound artistic visions of the 20th century.
05
DOROTHY NAPANGARDI (1956 - 2013)
MINA MINA , 2004
synthetic polymer on linen 91 x 122 cm
PROVENANCE
Gallery Gondwana, NT
Metro Five Gallery, Vic Private Collection, Vic
EST $5,000 - 7,000
AUCTION RESULT
COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction:Lawson Menzies (now trading as Menzies), Aboriginal Fine Art, Sydney, 23/05/2007, Lot
No 183
Price: A$18,000
Description: Mina Mina, 2004, synthetic polymer paint on linen, 122 x 92 cm
When, in 1997, Dorothy began producing works which traced the grid-like patterns of the salt encrustations on the Mina Mina clay pans, it marked a significant artistic shift in her work Over a three-year period, her paintings became less and less contrived and increasingly spare, all detail pared back to the barest essentials
In these new works, Dorothy began to explore the Women's Digging Sticks Dreaming and other stories related to the travels of the Karntakurlangu
As these works developed, her extraordinary spatial ability enabled her to create mimetic grids of the salt encrustations across the claypans of Mina Mina The lines of white dots trace the travels of these ancestral women as they danced their way, in joyous exultation, through the saltpans, spinifex and sandhills, clutching their digging sticks in their outstretched hands, during the region's creation.
KATHLEEN PETYARR(E) (1940 - 2008)
MOUNTAIN DEVIL LIZARD DREAMING , 2008
PROVENANCE
Collected Alice Springs, 2008 Private Collection, France Private Collection, Denmark
EST $6,000 - 9,000
Kathleen Petyarre painted the Mountain Devil Lizard Dreaming throughout her life The thorny devil lizard her totem is associated with a vast expanse of desert country, and her paintings evoke the lizard’s slow, meandering path across the land as it absorbs and transmits ancestral knowledge
Her dotting technique is meticulous and atmospheric, building luminous fields that echo the shimmer of heat, sand, and spiritual presence. These paintings are not maps in the Western sense; they are topographies of ceremony, of movement, and of the layered knowledge embedded in Country
Kathleen Petyarre’s work is now held in major collections internationally. Mountain Devil Lizard Dreaming remains one of the most significant Dreamings in the desert canon highly desirable for collectors drawn to works of meditative scale and ancestral precision.
AUCTION RESULT
COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Gibson's Auctioneers & Valuers, Australian & International Art, Melbourne, 10/04/2022, Lot No 137
Price: A$9,516
Description
Mountain
GABRIELLA POSSUM NUNGARRAYI (1967 - )
MY GRANDMOTHER'S COUNTRY, 2021
synthetic polymer paint on Belgian linen
142 cm diametre
PROVENANCE
Aranda Art, Vic
Private Collection, NSW
EST $6,000 - 8,000
Gabriella began painting at an early age under the tutelage of her father, Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, one of the most famous of the founding group of painters who worked at Papunya during the 1970s and 1980s She was just 16 years of age when she won the Alice Springs Art Prize in 1983. Six years later she received a grant from the Australia Council for the Arts which not only helped her to develop her recognisable painting style, but also brought her work to the attention of galleries and collectors. Since that time Gabriella has been one of Australia's most successful independent Aboriginal artists. Her work featured in Jamie Drury's Gold Medal winning entry in the Chelsea Flower Show and her work now hangs in the Royal Collection alongside that of her father At the 2014 Melbourne festival her work was used to decorate a tram as part of a major public art project called Melbourne Art Trams and two years later images of her paintings were projected onto the Sydney Opera House during Vivid
KATHLEEN NGAL(E) (1930 - 2021)
ARNWEKETY - BUSH PLUM , 2010
synthetic polymer on linen 151 x 91 cm
PROVENANCE
Delmore Gallery, NT, Cat No 10E053
Metro Five Gallery, Vic Private Collection, Vic
EST $6,000 - 8,000
Kathleen's art captures the changing colours of the wild bush plums as they ripen between Christmas and May, from yellow and orange to pink and purple In her paintings she also traces the journeys of the women in search of this much prized fruit and follows the changing colours of the seasons, the sacred topography, and the process of travel through her country.
Anmatyerre artist Kathleen Ngale belonged to the Anmatyerre tribe and lived on Arlperre country which covers several hundred kilometres from the Sandover River on Utopia Station, Northern Territory.
MINNIE PWERL(E) (1922 - 2006)
BUSH MELON, 2003
synthetic polymer on linen 120 x 120 cm
PROVENANCE
Mbantua Gallery, NT, Cat No MB18979 Private Collection, NSW
EST $8,000 - 10,000
Minnie Pwerle, began painting late in life, yet the impact of her colourful haptic works amongst collectors was immediate and electric.
Her painting style was instinctual and exuberant with its rounded forms tumbling across the painted surface in vivid colour evoking a loose, pulsing rhythm
The Bush Melon, a key women ’ s Dreaming from her country, Atnwengerrp, signifies more than sustenance - it embodies fertility, nourishment, and women ’ s custodial ties to land and kin
Minnie’s expressive freedom and raw physicality quickly placed her alongside Emily Kame Kngwarreye in critical discourse during her lifetime. For collectors, her work is both visually striking and historically significant – capturing a late-emerging but enduring voice in the canon of Australian Aboriginal art
10
EUNICE NAPANANGKA JACK (1940 - ) HAIRSTRING, 2009
synthetic polymer on linen 183 x 122 cm
PROVENANCE
Ikuntji Art Centre, NT, Cat No 16036 - 08/09 Private Collection, Vic
EST $4,000 - 6,000
Born in 1940 at Lupul in the Sir Frederick Ranges, Eunice Napanangka Jack brings a distinctive palette and narrative sensibility to her painting practice. In Hairstring, she engages a theme shared by many Pintupi womensymbolising not only the act of making, but the intricate relationships binding kin and country
Her brushwork is deliberate; her palette luminous Interwoven forms evoke both labour and lineage, with ceremonial resonance embedded in even the most domestic gestures Her art captures the continuity of life how everyday acts become sacred through repetition and memory
Her work has drawn growing curatorial attention for its confident execution and interpretive depth. For collectors, her work offers a grounded yet distinctive voice within the broader tradition of Pintupi women ' s painting.
JULIE NANGALA ROBERTSON (C 1974 - )
MINA MINA DREAMING, 2022
synthetic polymer on linen
91 x 152 cm
PROVENANCE
Art Mob, Tas, Cat No AM 20102/22
Private Collection, Tas
EST $4,500 - 5,500
The daughter of renowned award-winning artist Dorothy Napangardi, Julie Nangala Robertson spent her early life around Warlpiri painters working in Alice Springs and Yuendumu She began painting when still a young woman and has developed a style that resonates with the rhythms and movements of her mother's renditions of the Mina Mina Dreaming site
In this lovely experimental work, she has interpreted her mother's Dreaming in vivid colours Julie won the Telstra NATSIA General Painting Award in 2023.
BARDAYAL 'LOFTY' NADJAMERREK AO (1926 - 2009)
BARRK - ROCK WALLABY, C.1990
natural earth pigment on stringy bark 125 5 x 54 cm
PROVENANCE
Painted for Reg Mason of Arnhem Land Art, Oenpelli, NT Private Collection, NSW
accompanied by a letter describing the work signed by Reg Mason
EST $7,000 - 9,000
Lofty Nadjamerrek was a master of the x-ray painting style, famed for his depictions of Stone Country animals rendered in natural ochres on both stringybark and paper In Barrk, he presents the agile rock wallaby, a species closely associated with the rugged escarpments of Arnhem Land
The wallaby is shown in profile, delicately shaded with fine infill and internal anatomical detail a technique derived from ancient rock shelter traditions Lofty's hand is steady, his linework confident, bridging millennia of visual continuity with a sense of living immediacy
Lofty Nadjamerrek, a senior Kunwinjku artist, was among the last to work directly within the rock art tradition before adapting it to bark painting His works offer not only technical brilliance, but a rare, living link to over 20,000 years of Indigenous mark-making
AUCTION RESULT
COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams, The Evatt Collection of Aboriginal Bark Paintings and Sculpture, Sydney, 24/11/2013, Lot No 1
Price: A$28,060
Description: Ngalyod the Rainbow Serpent, natural earth pigments on eucalyptus bark, 129 x 49 cm
AUCTION RESULT
COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Deutscher and Hackett, Important Australian Indigenous Art, Melbourne, 26/03/2025, Lot No 22
Price: A$22,091
Description: Milmilngkan Site, 2008, earth pigments with synthetic binder on eucalyptus bark, 130 x 53 cm (irregular)
JOHN MAWURNDJUL AM (1952 - 2024)
MILMILNGKAN, 2010
natural earth pigment on stringy bark
138.5 x 42.5 cm
PROVENANCE
Maningrida Arts and Culture, NT Cat No. 1224-10
Aboriginal and Pacific Art, NSW
Private Collection, NSW
Accompanied by original certificates of authenticity from Maningrida Arts and Culture
EST $8,000 - 10,000
In this work, John Mawurndjul presents the sacred site of Milmilngkan, a billabong imbued with profound ancestral significance. It is here that the Rainbow Serpent Ngalyod resides beneath the water's surface, embodying both generative and destructive power. Within Kuninjku cosmology, Ngalyod is a central figure, linked to seasonal cycles, rainfall, and the creation of sacred sites (djang) throughout clan lands
Mawurndjul, who lived near this site, evokes its spiritual force through the use of rarrk meticulous cross-hatching that represents ceremonial power and ancestral presence The patterning itself is symbolic, channeling the metaphysical essence of the Mardayin ceremony and the serpentine energies said to animate the waterhole below
This bark painting is a powerful expression of site-based knowledge and ceremonial law, offering collectors not only a masterwork of technique but a window into the cosmological foundations of Kuninjku culture
KAY LINDJAWANGA (1957 - 2024)
MARDAYIN DESIGN, 2004
natural earth pigment on stringy bark 159 x 39 5 cm
PROVENANCE
Maningrida Arts and Culture, NT Cat No 2229-04
Aboriginal and Pacific Art, NSW
Private Collection, NSW
EST $6,000 - 8,000
Kay Lindjuwanga was a Kuninjku artist and daughter of renowned painter Peter Marralwanga She was taught to paint by her husband, the acclaimed artist John Mawurndjul This work concerns the Mardayin ceremony and its content is of a secret and sacred nature
AUCTION RESULT COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Cooee Art, Aboriginal Works of Art, Sydney, 03/12/2019, Lot No 12
Price: A$12,000
Description: Macassan
Traders, c 1968
natural earth pigments on stringy bark, 108 x 37 cm
MUNGGARAWUY YUNUPINGU (1945 - 2023)
YIRRITJA DESIGNS ASSOCIATED WITH BARU (THE CROCODILE), 1965
natural earth pigment on stringy bark
95 5 x 56 cm
PROVENANCE
Sothebys, Aboriginal and Tribal Art, Sydney, 9/11/1997
Lot No 312 John Magers Collection, Sydney Private Collection, NSW
Attribution endorsed by Will Stubbs – from BukuLarrngay Mulka
EST $5,000 - 7,000
Munggurrawuy Yunupingu was a master of ceremonial painting and an esteemed Gumatj lawman from Arnhem Land In this work, he depicts Baru - the ancestral crocodile spirit of the Yirritja moiety - whose associations include fire, initiation, and transformation
The composition features rarrk cross-hatching, geometric infill, and emblematic clan motifs - each corresponding to specific sites and ceremonial functions. These are not simply decorative devices, but acts of cultural continuity Yunupingu's cultural authority is embedded in every lineeach one a cipher for sacred identity and ancestral memory.
YAMA MUNUNGGURRITJ AND/OR HIS BROTHER WATJUNG
BÄRU IN CALEDON BAY - GUMATJ
ANCESTRAL FIRE STORY, C 1970
natural earth pigment on bark
81 5 x 36 cm
PROVENANCE
Source Unknown, Cat No LSICM5
Fireworks Gallery, Qld Private Collection, Vic
EST $4,000 - 6,000
Attributed to Yama Mununggurritj or his brother Watjung, this bark painting recounts the mythic actions of Bäru, the ancestral crocodile, in Caledon Bay central to Gumatj clan identity Elemental in force, the story tells of Bäru emerging from the water bearing fire, bringing both illumination and danger, and marking the land with ancestral authority
The bark is adorned with bold rarrk cross-hatching in vivid reds and blacks, evoking both the crocodile's scales and the flames it carries The image works across registersas a literal being, a clan totem, and a metaphor for law and transmission
In Yolngu culture, collective authorship is common For collectors, such pieces can offer unique insights into collaborative knowledge and shared iconographies rarely visible in Western traditions of authorship. 16
WAIGAN DJANGARA (C 1929 - )
WANDJINA, C 1985
PROVENANCE
Waringarri Arts, WA, Cat No 1394
D'Lan Davidson Contemporary Art, Vic Private Collection, Vic
EST $3,500 - 4,500
Waigan Djangara specialised in painting Wandjina, the ancestral spirits responsible for rain, storms, and creation in the Kimberley region Wandjina are recognisable by their large, round heads and halo-like headdresses silent yet expressive figures depicted without mouths, as their power is understood to exist beyond speech In this work, the Wandjina emerges in pale pigments white, ochre, and black hovering against a flat field
These images are not simply visual; they are acts of renewal, connected to ceremony and seasonal change. They have been repainted on cave walls over the millennia in order to ensure fertility and increase.
While Waigan is possibly less widely known than several other Wandjina painters, his works embody a deeply localised expression of enduring ancestral presence For collectors, Wandjina paintings provide a powerful intersection between spiritually iconic imagery, revivification, and seasonal rhythm between art and weather
AUCTION RESULT
COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Phillips
Auctioneers, 20th Century Art & Design, Sydney, 02/05/1999, Lot No 160
Price: A$5,060
Description: Wandjina Figure, 1990
natural earth pigments and natural binder on eucalyptus bark, 75 x 50 cm
18
WANDJINA - RAIN SPIRITS, 2001
PROVENANCE
Narrangunny Arts, WA, Cat No N-2108-LK Lawson Menzies, Aboriginal Fine Art, 2005, Lot No 205 Private Collection, NSW
EST $5,000 - 7,000
Lily was born near the Prince Regent River and is the last of a generation of fully initiated artists who painted Wandjina on cave walls and canvas In her refined style, she paints these spirits with the distinctive pointy shoulders of her particular cave area, often accompanied by totemic animals and ceremonial figures
Wandjina are powerful creator ancestors and fertility spirits who bring the monsoon rain to the Kimberley each year, thereby ensuring the health and well being of all its inhabitants Large eyes dominate in a mouthless face, sometimes on top of a simple robe-like body, or with limbs and feet (as in this work) Radiating lines around the eyes or in a halo around the head represent the lightning that heralds the storm
The earliest images transferred from rock to bark were created at the request of early missionaries and explorers during the 1930s, after the Benedictine mission was established The missionaries had displaced Lily’s Wanambal people from their traditional lands, and disrupted their way of life, including the regular re-touching of the Wandjina at important cave sites
JAMINJI (1912 - 1996) DEVIL
DEVIL, C.1982
19 natural earth pigment on composition board
45 x 124 cm ; 49 x 127 5 cm frame
PROVENANCE
Field Collected, WA
Private Collection, Vic
Lawson Menzies, Aboriginal Fine Art, Lot 212, Sydney, June 2007
Private Collection, NSW
Cooee Art, Indigenous Fine Art - Spring Sale, Lot 70, Sydney
Private Collection, Vic
EST $25,000 - 35,000
Paddy Jaminji was born on Bedford Downs station and is best known for his early ceremonial boards and ochre paintings created in the East Kimberley tradition. In Devil Devil, he depicts the spirit beings known for causing fear and disturbance figures that roam between worlds and act as warnings for social behaviour.
The forms are stark: solid fields of colour punctuated by wide eyes and minimal outlines These spirits are not anthropomorphised but remain ambiguous and powerful part animal, part shadow, entirely ancestral
Paddy Jaminji’s work carries seminal status As one of the earliest artists to emerge from the region, his paintings are held in deep regard for their connection to ceremonial practice and their raw, graphic immediacy.
AUCTION RESULT
COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby's, Important Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 24/07/2007, Lot No 32
Price: A$102,000
Description: The Spirits, Jimbi and Manginta, pre 1983 natural earth pigments and natural binders on plywood, 62 x 122 cm
PADDY BEDFORD (1922 - 2007)
DJUMPIN DEVIL SPIRIT, 2001
PROVENANCE
EST $8,000 - 15,000
Paddy Bedford, was an enigmatic octogenarian at the time he began painting, yet he immediatly stood out as a uniquely talented artist.
This work was created early in his career as an artist, during a workshop organised by Neil McLeod for Jack Dale at his home in Derby during late 2001. Bedford was staying with his old friend Dale at the time, and decided that he too would like to paint. The small number of works produced were photo-documented and as a consequence, this piece is accompanied by two good photographs of the artist at work on the painting
This image depicts both the spirit and the site southwest of Bedford Downs where a creek bed runs between high, sheer cliffs The story is from his mother's country whose birthplace was nearby at Wirndoowoon According to the artist, this was a place of dangerous Devil Devil Dreaming
AUCTION RESULT
COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Lawson Menzies (now trading as Menzies), Aboriginal Fine Art, Sydney, 23/05/2007, Lot No 9
Price: A$30,000
Description: Caves and Waterholes, Bedford Station, 2001 natural earth pigments on board, on two panels, signed verso, 92 x 61 cm
21
QUEENIE MCKENZIE (1930 - 1998)
WOOLWOOLYI HILLS, 1996
natural earth pigments on Belgian linen 72 x 99 cm
PROVENANCE
Burrinja Gallery, Vic Fireworks Gallery, Qld, Cat No FW3680 Cooee Art Gallery, NSW, Cat No 20205 Private Collection, Qld Private Collection, NSW
EST $7,000 - 9,000
AUCTION RESULT
COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Lawson Menzies
(now trading as Menzies), Aboriginal Art, Sydney, 22/11/2006, Lot No 172
Price: A$14,400
Description: Texas Downs Horsemans Creek Area, 1996
x 91 cm
Queenie McKenzie began her life of cooking for the stockmen, tending and riding horses, and journeying as they drove cattle across the vast pastoral region of the north. She was the first woman to gain prominence in the East Kimberley painting movement, inspiring other women to become involved and to embrace their ' women ' s law business' of which she was a respected custodian
Often she would recreate the country of her youth Her birthplace and its geographical location in relation to Blackfella's Creek; the large termite mound that was small when she was a child but grew bigger and bigger throughout her life; the hills of Rosewood Station where she had worked as a cook for the Aboriginal stockmen; Old Texas Station where men would collect white quartz used for spear heads; Corella, Echidna, and Bowerbird Dreaming sites and many more Her manner was always decisive and vigorous, reflecting her belief in the importance of maintaining her culture and recording its history This included the brutal massacres of her people, long remembered in their oral history
SHIRLEY PURDIE (1947 - ) SANDFROG DREAMING, 2000
PROVENANCE
EST $5,000 - 7,000
At Winnaba Springs on Mabel Downs cattle station, the sandfrog, a creature linked to waterholes and ceremonial law, makes its home In this work, Shirley has depicted a series of shallow rapids that flow around and through large monolithic rocks It maps the animal's habitat and the springs, creeks, and watercourses where these ancestral beings reside
Shirley's use of earthy tones ochre reds, black, green and grey creates a landscape that evokes lived experience Concentric circles mark large rocks, while the surrounding hills place the location of the ancestral frog's journey as both literal path and mythic passage.
As a senior Gija artist and custodian of her mother's Dreaming, Shirley's works carry not only cultural authority but stylistic clarity Her paintings remain key examples of East Kimberley narrative traditions and continue to attract collectors drawn to story-rich landscapes
ROVER THOMAS (1926 - 1998)
JAANDOO - WILD DOG DREAMING, 1995
PROVENANCE
Printed by Frank Gohier at Northern Territory University Print Workshop (later Northern Editions, Charles Darwin University)
Private Collection, NSW
EST $3,500 - 4,500
Rover Thomas transformed the Australian art landscape with his austere ochre paintings that distilled ancestral stories into elemental forms In Jaandoo (Wild Dog Dreaming), he charts the ancestral wild dog's journey across Wroowina in the Great Sandy Desert - a site saturated with story, spirit, and memory
Using a minimal palette and geometric planes, Rover evokes both topography and mythic presence The wild dog is a guardian, a hunter, and a law-carrier. Each field of colour holds narrative weight; each line registers a moment of movement or memory
This work captures the quiet intensity and restraint that brought Rover Thomas international acclaim - and continues to speak to collectors attuned to abstraction and cultural depth 23 colour lithograph Ed No 33/40 68 x 101 cm ; 105 x 137 cm frame
AUCTION RESULT COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christies, Modern Aboriginal Art, Sydney, 12/10/2004, Lot No 142
Price: A$6,572
Description: Wurritji Country, colour lithograph, numbered PM75 AP5/5, 75 x 60 5 cm
24
IVAN NAMIRRKI (1961 - )
CROCODILE, MIMI, FILE SNAKE, AND ROCK WALLABY, C 1995
natural earth pigments on arches cotton rag paper 105 x 75 cm, 124 x 94 cm frame
PROVENANCE
Painted for Reg Mason of Arnhem Land Art, Oenpelli, NT Private Collection, NSW
EST $1,500 - 2,500
Kuninjku artist Ivan Namirrikki was taught to paint by his father, the renowned Thompson Yulidjirri, and works within a lineage that extends from rock shelter art to ceremonial design This work brings together four totemic figures - crocodile, mimi spirits, file snake, and rock wallaby - all intrinsic to the stone country of West Arnhem Land
The crocodile is poised with latent menace; the mimi, delicate and elongated, hover like ancestral echo. Mimi spirits are said to inhabit the rocks, revealing themselves in dreams or ceremony - their presence here implies a layered cosmology where land, myth, and memory coexist.
Ivan Namirrikki's paintings are celebrated for their visual discipline and lyrical clarity For those drawn to the deeper structures of Kuninjku storytelling, this work offers a densely woven visual narrative - highly collectable and increasingly recognised by major institutions
PADDY FORDHAM WAINBURRANGA (C 1932 - 2006)
ARTIST'S COUNTRY, DAMDIBU, 1984
natural earth pigment on stringy bark
111 x 53 5 cm
PROVENANCE
EST $2,800 - 3,500
During his lifetime, renowned artist, dancer, didgeridoo player and storyteller, Paddy Fordham Wainburranga embodied the living history of the people of Australia's far north. Born in the bush near Bulman, northeast of Katherine, Paddy first encountered whites at the age of eleven.
Despite being best known for his history paintings, his most enduring contribution to Australian art, and the preservation of Aboriginal culture, are his narrative depictions of traditional Rembarrnga myths and legends In barks such as this, he related how Aboriginal life began, how his people became divided into moieties and skin groups, what ' pay back' means and how the clan system works including human relationship with the spirits, with nature and with each other
Here two snakes represent the two moieties, Dhuwa and Yirritja
LIWUKAŊ BUKULATJPI (1927 - 2007)
CLOUDS, STRINGRAY AND CUTTLEFISH, C 1970
natural earth pigment on stringy bark 104 x 34 5 cm
PROVENANCE
Purchased Arnhem Land, NT Fireworks Gallery, Qld Private Collection, Vic
EST $2,500 - 4,500
This painting by Liwukang Bukulatjpi, brother of David Burrumarra, draws together elemental forces clouds, stingrays, and cuttlefish linking sky, sea, and ceremony. Each motif carries its own cosmological charge: clouds signal the monsoon and ancestral breath; stingray and cuttlefish as totems, hunters, and beings of transformation
Rendered with clarity and poise, the composition suggests the interdependence of marine and weather systems a foundational theme in Yolngu cosmology The artist is rooted in the Djamarrpuyŋu clan tradition, and this painting reflects that inheritance
Liwukang Bukulatjpi’s work, though less commonly seen in the market than his brother’s, offers a refined and grounded perspective on coastal mythologies, with layered detail that rewards both aesthetic appreciation and cultural inquiry
ARTIST ONCE KNOWN
GALPU CLAN - FILE SNAKE AND LILLIES, C 1970
MOKOY, TRICKSTER SPIRIT, C 1970
UNTITLED, C.1970S
natural earth pigment on stringy bark
55 5 x 16 cm, 51 x 13 5 cm, 24 x 13 5 cm
PROVENANCE
Purchased Arnhem Land, NT
Fireworks Gallery, Qld Private Collection, Vic
EST $1,200 - 1,800
The first of these small barks represents the intertwined systems of freshwater life Each element has ceremonial resonance the snake is a water spirit and guide; the lilies, signs of seasonal change and ecological abundance
Mokuy are ghost-like spirits in Yolngu cosmology, often portrayed as agents of mischief, danger, or moral correction
The Kangaroo is rendered in the X-ray style typical of Central and Western Arnhem Land tradition.
Works like these speak to the longevity of ancestral narratives - and the enduring mystery of art created within systems where authorship is communal, and knowledge held in trust
JIMMY DONEGAN (C.1940 - )
WATI KUTJARA WANAMPI, 2015
synthetic polymer on canvas 153 x 122 cm
PROVENANCE
Ninuku Arts, NT, Cat No 15-73 Art Mob, Tas, Cat No AM 14671/17 Private Collection, Tas
EST $6,000 - 8,000
Jimmy Donegan's paintings depict ancestral stories, mostly focusing on his paternal heritage His father was from Dulu, a rock hole in the Gibson Desert well known for dingo packs and spiritually associated with the Dingo Dreaming (Papa Tjukurpa) His grandfather's country is Pukara, a sacred men ' s site south of Irrunytju that is closely associated with the story of the two snake men (Wati Wanampi Kutjara).
Though he first painted in 2001, Donegan gained greater renown after joining Ninuku Arts, when it was established in 2006. His painting Papa Tjukurpa munu Pukara won the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award in 2010.
29
WALANGKURA NAPANANGKA I (UTA UTA’S WIFE) (C 1922 - 2010)
LUPUL, 2006
synthetic polymer on canvas 153 x 61 cm
PROVENANCE
Papunya Tula Artists, NT, Cat No WN0603182 Private Collection, NSW
EST $4,000 - 6,000
AUCTION RESULT COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby's, Important Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 07/06/2011, Lot No 168
Price: A$6,960
Description: Rockholes and Soakage Waters at Lupul (2006) synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 122 x 91 cm
The roundels in the painting depict the rockholes and soakage water at Lupul, south of the Kintore community. The Peewee (small bird) Dreaming is associated with this site. In mythological times a large group of ancestral women gathered at this site to perform dances and sing the songs associated with this site. While at Lupul the women made hair string with which to make hair string skirts which are worn during ceremonies. Upon conclusion of the ceremony the women moved on to Nyirrpi The wavy lines in this work represent the hair string The gridlike design represents the surrounding rocky outcrops
As they travelled they gathered large quantities of the edible fruit known as pura, or bush tomato This fruit is the size of a small apricot, and after the seeds have been removed, can be stored for long periods by halving the fruit and skewering them onto a stick The small circles in this work represent the pura
PADDY SIMS JAPALJARRI (1917 - 2010)
YANJIRLPIRRI JUKURRPA (STAR DREAMING), 2008
synthetic polymer on linen 183 x 122 cm
PROVENANCE
Warlukurlangu Artists NT, Cat No 1997/08 Art Mob, Tas ,Cat No AM 10072/13
Private Collection, Tas
EST $8,000 - 12,000
The site depicted in this canvas is Yanjirlypiri (Star) where there is a low hill and a water soakage The importance of this place cannot be over emphasised as young boys are brought here to be initiated from as far as Pitjanjatjara country to the south and Lajamanu to the north The men wear Jinjirla (white feather headdresses), during the ceremony, on either side of their heads. They also wear wooden carvings of stars which are also laid out on the ground as part of the sand paintings produced for business Ngalyipi (snake vine), here shown as long curved lines, is used to tie Witi (ceremonial spears) vertically to the shins of the dancing initiates These Witi are shown as long straight lines. The white circles depict Yanjirlpirri (stars)
AUCTION RESULT
COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Art Leven (formerly Cooee Art), Indigenous Fine Art Auction, Sydney, 20/06/2023, Lot No 67
Price: A$13,500
Description: Yanjirlpirri Jukurrpa (Star Dreaming), 2007
synthetic polymer paint on linen, 122 x 173 cm
31
WALTER EBATARINJA(1932 - 1958)
WALLABY WITH MOUNT SONDER, C 1945
watercolour on paper
34 x 27 5 cm, 51 5 x 45 cm frame
PROVENANCE
Purchased from the artist by Raymond John Noble, Deputy Director Armed Forces, Alice Springs c 1945 Adrian and Anne Newstead Collection, NSW
EST $900 - 1,500
Walter Ebatarinja was among the first generation of Arrernte watercolour painters trained under Rex Battarbee at Hermannsburg His landscapes reflect a moment of great artistic adaptation: traditional knowledge rendered in Western perspective
In Wallaby with Mount Sonder, Walter includes both the iconic silhouette of the mountain and a native animal, drawing the viewer’s attention to Country as not just scenery but ecosystem The composition is serene, the palette soft, yet there is a distinct sense of embeddedness of painting as lived observation
Walter Ebatarinja’s works are increasingly recognised for their role in shaping Australian art history. This piece, with its quiet dignity, is an evocative document of crosscultural exchange.
32 watercolour on paper
WALTER EBATARINJA(1932 - 1958)
UNTITLED WESTERN MACDONNELL LANDSCAPE, C.1945
37 5 x 26 5 cm , 53 x 42 cm frame
PROVENANCE
Purchased from the artist by Raymond John Noble, Deputy Director Armed Forces, Alice Springs c 1945 Adrian and Anne Newstead Collection, NSW
EST $900 - 1,500
This work, like much of Walter Ebatarinja’s oeuvre, captures the spiritual grandeur of the Western MacDonnell Ranges. Untitled, yet unmistakably located, the painting features rounded hills and soft shadows that recall both the geological and sacred contours of Arrernte Country
Walter’s style is confident yet unhurried his brush articulates presence without theatricality This is landscape not as a tourist might see it, but as someone born into it sees it: layered, inhabited, known
Collectors attuned to early 20th-century Aboriginal art movements have come to value Walter Ebatarinja's contribution for its nuance and historical resonance
Each of his landscapes quietly challenges assumptions about genre, authorship, and belonging
WALTER EBATARINJA(1932 - 1958)
WALLABY NEAR MOUNT GILES, WESTERN MACDONNELLS, C 1945
watercolour on paper 38 x 28 ; 55 5 x 45 5 cm frame
PROVENANCE
Purchased from the artist by Raymond John Noble, Deputy Director Armed Forces, Alice Springs c 1945 Adrian and Anne Newstead Collection, NSW
EST $800 - 1,500
Another view of the MacDonnell Ranges, this time with a wallaby foregrounded near Mount Giles, one of the region’s most rugged escarpments Walter Ebatarinja’s choice to include native fauna adds a layer of intimacy and ecological specificity
This is not a romantic view of untouched wilderness but a relational landscape an environment shaped by millennia of coexistence between people, animals, and landforms.
The repetition of these forms across his work reveals not redundancy, but reverence Each rendering is a variation on knowing, a shift in light and memory. For collectors, this work deepens the narrative offered by the previous entries and enriches any collection focused on Hermannsburg School works
FINE AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL ART | AUGUST 2025 | SYDNEY
Daryl Blythman grew up in the Victorian Mallee, where ploughing fields often unearthed stone axe heads and relics sparking a lifelong interest in Aboriginal culture. As he grew older, he frequented second-hand dealers, visited old farming properties, and became a fixture at auctions. When he raised his hand to bid on an Aboriginal artefact, it stayed up until he secured it. His dedication, travel, and repatriation efforts soon built a remarkable collection.
Daryl was also deeply generous. Over two decades, he made substantial donations to both the South Australian Museum and the Museum of Western Australia.
While working in Alice Springs during the construction of the Papunya hospital, he was invited to visit the community. There, he purchased several early Papunya paintings without realising their historical significance.
As contemporary Aboriginal art gained popularity, Daryl formed friendships with artists from regions north-west of Alice Springs and Lajamanu. In 1992, he commissioned Clifford Possum to paint canvases and later, wooden shields. Though Clifford laughed at first, he agreed. His painted artefacts were so powerful that Daryl continued the idea, founding what would become the “Painted Artefact Collection.”
From 2009 onwards, Daryl travelled through the Central Desert collecting wooden shields, coolamons, boomerangs, and woomeras. With the help of a local art dealer, he commissioned original artists to paint them. The process was often emotional artists would chant as they painted, sharing stories and the cultural meaning behind each design.
By 2011, Daryl had built not only a collection, but a legacy.
Harold Gallasch
CLIFFORD POSSUM TJAPALTJARRI (C 1932 - 2002)
GIDGEE CREEK AT NAPPERBY STATION, C 1992
synthetic polymer on 1950s beanwood shield
64 cm
PROVENANCE
The Blythman Collection, NSW
ILLUSTRATED
The Blythman Collection - A collection of painted artefacts from Australian Aboriginal Artists Illustrated pp 10-11
a copy of this book accompanies the work
EST $4,000 - 5,000
WILLY TJUNGURRAYI (1936 - 2018)
THE SANDHILLS AND THE SANDSTORM THAT KILLED THE ANCESTRAL TINGARI MEN IN THE DREAMTIME, C.2009
synthetic polymer on 1950s beanwood shield 69 cm
PROVENANCE
The Blythman Collection, NSW
ILLUSTRATED
The Blythman Collection - A collection of painted artefacts from Australian Aboriginal Artists Illustrated pp 106-107
a copy of this book accompanies the work
EXHIBITED
Tandanya Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide SA 2021
EST $2,500 - 3,500
RONNIE TJAMPITJINPA (1943 - 2023) MEN'S CEREMONY, 2005
synthetic polymer on 1950s beanwood shield 74 cm
PROVENANCE
The Blythman Collection, NSW
ILLUSTRATED
The Blythman Collection - A collection of painted artefacts from Australian Aboriginal Artists Illustrated pp 78-79
a copy of this book accompanies the work
EXHIBITED
Tandanya Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide SA 2021
EST $3,000 - 4,000
PADDY JAPALJARRI STEWART (1935 - 2013)
HONEY ANT DREAMING, 2010
synthetic polymer on wooden coolamon 79 cm
PROVENANCE
The Blythman Collection, NSW
ILLUSTRATED
The Blythman Collection - A collection of painted artefacts from Australian Aboriginal Artists Illustrated pp 140-141
a copy of this book accompanies the work
EXHIBITED
Tandanya Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide SA 2021
EST $2,500 - 3,500
YINARUPA GIBSON NANGALA (1960) MY COUNTRY KIWIRRKURRA NEAR JUPITER WELLS, WA, 2011
synthetic polymer on wooden coolamon
70 cm
PROVENANCE
The Blythman Collection, NSW
ILLUSTRATED
The Blythman Collection - A collection of painted artefacts from Australian Aboriginal Artists Illustrated pp 306-307
a copy of this book accompanies the work
EXHIBITED
Tandanya Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide SA 2021
EST $2,000 - 3,000
CLIFFORD POSSUM TJAPALTJARRI (C.1932 - 2002)
TWO MEN SITTING AT BROOK'S WELL, C.1992
synthetic polymer on 1950s beanwood shield
80 cm
PROVENANCE
The Blythman Collection, NSW
ILLUSTRATED
The Blythman Collection - A collection of painted artefacts from Australian Aboriginal Artists Illustrated pp 10-11
a copy of this book accompanies the work
EST $2,500 - 3,500
40 synthetic polymer on linen 152 x 182 cm
WILLY TJUNGURRAYI (1936 - 2018)
TINGARI AT KAAKURATINTJA, 2003
PROVENANCE
Mason Art Gallery, NT, Cat No WT0304 Private Collection Vic
accompanied by an original certificate of authenticity
EST $30,000 - 40,000
Willy Tjungurrayi and his elder brother Yala Yala Gibbs Tjungurrayi were among the first group of painters at Papunya in the early 1970s
According to Pintupi mythology, the Tingari ancestral beings moved around the land creating its features, including the life sustaining fresh waterholes, and established Pintupi law during the earth's creation
This painting depicts designs associated with Kaakuratintja (Lake MacDonald) A large group of Tingari Men, both young and old, travelled to this site from the west A fierce hailstorm occurred which killed them all. Since events associated with the Tingari Cycle are of a secret nature no further detail was given
RONNIE TJAMPITJINPA (1943 - 2023)
TINGARI, C 2006
synthetic polymer on linen 90 x 118 cm
PROVENANCE
Muk Muk Fine Art, Alice Springs, NT
Private Collection NSW
EST $4,000 - 6,000
The classic Pintupi style of linked concentric circles tells of a sacred geometry. It is derived from body paint designs, cartography of country, and ancestral narratives
More than any other figure, Ronnie Tjampitjinpa can be credited with having forged a new artistic direction in embracing aesthetic minimalism, thereby freeing up further possibilities for the emerging generation of painters and challenging fixed perceptions of Western Desert art
His hypnotic designs explore interacting geometric shapes which emanate an eye-catching, pulsating action Still infused with the Dreamings of his mythical Tingari ancestors, Tjampitjinpa refined the characteristic Pintupi simplicity of design, boldly scaling up fundamental pictorial elements, freeing them from their iconographic reference points and strongly emphasizing the distinctive repetition of line and form that has always infused Pintupi art with the spirit of their vast and ancient lands
Rover Thomas spent a lifetime driving cattle along the Canning Stock Route and between outback Queensland and the loading yards at Wyndham Though he was originally from Martu country he moved with his fellow stockmen to Turkey Creek after the Equal Pay decision in the early 1970s
This untitled work, featuring the artist's own handprints, carries deep symbolic weight linking individual identity to ancestral Country through direct bodily imprint Rover's use of ochre and natural pigments creates a surface that feels geological more like weathered ground than painted canvas His handprints are not marks of authorship but acts of presence: a reaffirmation of connection to the land and the spirits that dwell within it
As one of the founding figures of East Kimberley painting, Rover's work helped redefine the trajectory of Aboriginal art in Australia For collectors, his handprints are both signature and invocation rare, tactile, and culturally resonant
ROVER JOOLAMA THOMAS (1926 - 1998)
UNTITLED, ROVER'S HAND PRINTS ON COUNTRY, 1993
natural earth pigments on canvas 90 x 60 cm, 95 x 64 5 cm frame
PROVENANCE
Chapman Gallery, ACT Private Collection, USA Cooee Art, Indigenous Fine Art, Sydney, 2022, Lot No 22 Private Collection, Vic
EST $35,000 - 45,000
AUCTION RESULT
COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby's, Important Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 28/06/1999, Lot No 31
Price: A$107,000
Description: Wolf Creek
Crater 1986
natural earth pigments and natural binder (bush gum) on plywood, 90 x 60 cm
QUEENIE MCKENZIE (1930 - 1998)
HILLS TEXAS STATION, 1995
PROVENANCE
Field collected, WA
Neil McLeod Fine Arts Studio
Private Collection, Vic
EST $18,000 - 25,000
In characteristic style, Queenie depicts her traditional Country in soft pastels and layered forms, capturing the undulating hills of Texas Downs station. Her brushwork is intuitive but grounded in lived memory each line a reference to walking tracks, birthplaces, and ceremonial sites
Queenie McKenzie’s paintings are often autobiographical, yet they function as collective histories. Her depictions of hills are not just scenic they are repositories of stories, songs, and laws passed down across generations
A key Gija artist and community matriarch, Queenie’s work has become essential to understanding women ’ s painting in the East Kimberley Her paintings hold a place of dignity and warmth in both institutional and private collections
AUCTION RESULT
COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Deutscher and Hackett, The Collection of William and Lucy Mora, Fine Abor, Melbourne, 21/07/2010, Lot No 12
Price: A$42,000
Description: Wirdim and Doolngayim Country, C1996, natural earth pigments and synthetic binder on canvas, 100 x 140 cm
EMILY KAM(E) KNGWARREY(E) (C 1910 - 1996)
ALTYERRE, SPINIFEX DREAMING, 1994
synthetic polymer on linen 118 x 93 cm, 120.5 x 96 cm frame
PROVENANCE
Utopia Batik and Art, NT, Cat No EK225* Aboriginal Gallery of Dreamings, Vic, Cat No 3532 Private Collection, Vic
*Commissioned by Alan Glaetzer, the store manager at Utopia Glaetzer went on to set up Utopia Batik with the community council, which ran for nearly four years through the early 1990s Later, he worked for the Central Land Council
EST $120,000 - 140,000
Emily Kngwarreye was an entirely intuitive painter whose painting style changed month by month throughout the 7-year painting career she began at 79 years of age.
Her early painting style featured visible linear tracings following the tracks of the Kam (Yam) and animal prints, as in Emu Dreamings, with fields of fine dots partially obscuring symbolic elements and playing across the surface of her canvases
By 1992 her fine dotting and symbolic underpainting had given way to works in which symbols and tracks were increasingly concealed beneath a sea of dots until eventually they were no longer evident at all.
During the period when Emily created this beautiful painting in the summer of 1994, her works had become highly descriptive of
country as if viewing the undulating landscape from an omnipotent viewpoint
Here the fine highly colour charged dotting emanates energy due to the keyed-up expectation of rain, the excitement of its arrival and the explosive flowering of the desert The painted surface breaks up into organic shapes and patterns suggesting hills and valleys, underground water sources, and of course the landscape in floral profusion.
The rhythmic arrangement of shapes evokes a sense of natural harmony and movement, reflecting her deep spiritual relationship with the land. The composition conveys a rich visual texture, suggesting the intricate interplay between the natural environment and ancestral traditions. Paintings like this were soon to give way to works that became progressively visually abstracted and ethereal
synthetic polymer on linen 183 x 250 cm
PROVENANCE
Mason Art Gallery, NT, Cat No TW0501 Private Collection, Vic
accompanied by an original certificate of authenticity
EST $50,000 - 75,000
AUCTION RESULT COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Lawson Menzies (now trading as Menzies), Aboriginal Fine Art, Sydney, 23/05/2007, Lot No 56
Price: A$240,000
Description: Waltitjatta, 2006
synthetic polymer paint on linen, 204 x 251 cm
Tommy Watson was a senior Pitjantjatjara man whose works resonate with spiritual intensity He began painting in 2001, when well into his sixties, and quickly rose to acclaim Though his technique is distinctly contemporary, his works are deeply grounded in the law and geography of his ancestors
In this work he depicted his father's country and the place where he was born Here, the vivid colours signal the energy of ancestral presence, layered over a surface that shimmers with ceremonial gravity.
Guided by his heritage and ancestral narratives, he painted intuitively, bringing his mother's and grandfather's stories of country to life. Tommy Watson's canvases are sought not only for their vibrancy but for the depth of cultural knowledge they carry a compelling combination for collectors at every level of engagement with indigenous art.
BILL TJAPALTJARRI WHISKEY (1920 - 2008)
ROCKHOLES NEAR THE OLGAS, 2007
synthetic polymer on linen 91 x 153 cm
PROVENANCE
Watiyawanu Arts, Mt Liebig, Cat No 77-07381 Private Collection, NSW
EST $35,000 - 45,000
AUCTION RESULT
COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Leonard Joel, Indigenous Art, Melbourne, 22/08/2022, Lot No 14
Price: A$39 273
Description: Rockholes
Bill Whiskey was a senior Pitjantjatjara lawman from the remote community of Amunturrngu, west of Haasts Bluff His late-life painting career was brief but meteoric, producing highly detailed and visually powerful canvases
In Rockholes near the Olgas, he painted the site of Piltati, where ancestral serpents created waterholes and shaped the surrounding landscape
His technique is layered: thousands of fine dots and pointillist clusters coalesce into glowing forms that oscillate between topographic mapping and spiritual radiance The Olgas (Kata Tjuta) are rendered not as inert rock formations but as charged ancestral sites repositories of law, memory, and myth
These paintings are not only visually striking but spiritually exacting Bill Whiskey's short but exceptional painting period has made his works some of the most highly prized in contemporary desert art, attracting collectors who value both visionary detail and the gravitas of senior cultural knowledge
47
NANCY ROSS NUNGURRAYI (1935 - 2010)
WOMEN'S CAMPSITE AT THE ROCKHOLE SITE OF MARRAPINTI , 2009
synthetic polymer on linen
76 x 84 cm
PROVENANCE
Yanda Art, NT, Cat No NR200914
Private Collection , Vic
EST $2,500 - 3,500
Nancy Ross Nungurrayi, sister of senior artist Naata Nungurrayi, presents a ceremonial landscape tied to Marrapinti - a sacred rockhole in the Western Desert where ancestral women camped during ceremonial journeys.
Finely stippled dot fields denote sandhills (tali), water sources, and ceremonial travel routes These marks encode the journeys of ancestral women performing rituals of fertility and food preparation - especially the harvesting of seeds and crafting of ceremonial objects
Nancy’s paintings are recognised for their subtle tonal shifts and spatial logic, drawing viewers into a layered mapping of memory, gendered knowledge, and country Her practice forms part of the wider legacy of Pintupi women artists, whose interpretations of Dreaming sites offer aesthetic refinement and profound cultural insight.
WALANGKURA NAPANANGKA I (UTA UTA’S WIFE) (C 1922 - 2010)
TJUKURLA, 2007
synthetic polymer on linen 121 x 152 5 cm
PROVENANCE
Papunya Tula Artists, NT Cat No WN0702190 Metro Five Gallery, Vic Private Collection, Vic
EST $14,000 - 18,000
Walangkura Napanangka's canvas encodes the iconography of Tjukurla, a significant site on the Pintupi–Luritja songline Concentric roundels mark the rock-holes, while parallel striations trace the surrounding sandhills
According to the women ' s Tingari narrative, ancestral women gathered here to dance and sing, spinning hair-string into ceremonial skirts and harvesting bush tomatoes (Solanum chippendalei) that grow here in abundance After preparing the apricot-sized fruit for storage by halving and skewering them, the women resumed their ceremonial passage to Illpilli and, later, the country near Nyirrpi
WALANGKURA NAPANANGKA II (1946 - 2014)
TRAVELS OF KUTUNGKA, 2006
synthetic polymer on linen 205 x 290 5 cm
PROVENANCE
Muk Muk Fine Art, Alice Springs, NT Chalk Horse Gallery, NSW Private Collection, Vic
EST $20,000 - 30,000
In this second iteration of Travels of Kutungka, Walangkura offers a variation on the theme that is her primary inspirational source Introducing subtle formal shifts, the structure is more spacious, the palette is warmer This suggests a new rhythm to the journey or a shift in ceremonial focus
Rather than repeating herself, Walangkura reveals how each retelling deepens meaning Just as oral history transforms with each performance, her painting practice honours both continuity and variation. While the ancestral woman ' s journey remains central, here the emphasis is more lyrical more atmospheric.
Such works reward close, comparative viewing, and are of particular interest to collectors drawn to series-based practices where repetition is not duplication, but devotion 49
AUCTION RESULT COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Deutscher and Hackett, Important Fine Art + Aboriginal Art, Sydney, 02/12/2015, Lot No 104
Price: A$48,800
Description: Johnny Yungut's Wife, Tjintjintjin, 2007, synthetic polymer paint on linen, 183 x 244 cm
50
NYURAPAYA NAMPITJINPA (MRS BENNETT) (1935 - 2013)
ROCKHOLE SITE OF YUMARRA, 2004
synthetic polymer on linen
71 5 x 56 cm, 74 5 x 59 cm frame
PROVENANCE
Yanda Art, NT, Cat No JJC98 Private Collection, Vic
EST $2,000 - 3,000
Nyurapayia Nampitjinpa also known as Mrs Bennett was born at Yumari and began painting in the 1990s after a long life spent immersed in ceremonial life In this work, she paints Yumarra, a rockhole near her birthplace, central to women ' s ceremonial activity
Nyurapayia's brushwork is bold and assured In this work earthy tones convey both the topography and spiritual resonance of the site The work may reference ceremonial body paint designs and other ritual motifs, anchoring the composition in lived cultural practice
Nyurapayia's work is represented in major public collections and is increasingly sought after for its vibrancy and connection to rarely depicted women ' s narratives For collectors, her paintings express cultural continuity from one of the few senior women artists to emerge as a key figure during the Papunya Tula movement's expansion.
51
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI (C 1964 - 2024)
TINGARI WEST OF LAST MCKAY, 2004
synthetic polymer on Belgian linen 182 x 300 cm
PROVENANCE
Mason Art Gallery, NT, Cat No TTJ0402 Private Collection, Vic
accompanied by an original certificate of authenticity
EST $25,000 - 35,000
Pintupi artist Thomas Tjapaltjarri was born in the desert and lived a traditional life until first contact in the early 1980s After emerging as one of the “last nomads ” Thomas and his brothers, Warlimpirrnga and Walala brought unique first-hand knowledge of pre-contact life into the world of contemporary art.
These artists depict the epic journeys of the ancestral Tingari men who traversed vast distances, creating sacred sites and dictating ceremonial law as they moved across the land In this work Thomas arranged a grid of concentric lines and sinuous tracks, rendered with methodical dotting in an earthy palette The composition reflects the structured ceremonial geography of his ancestral Country, linking land with song, kinship, and law
52
synthetic polymer on linen 200 x 200 cm
PROVENANCE
Muk Muk Fine Art, Alice Springs NT, Cat No A7442 Private Collection, Vic
EST $8,000 - 10,000
AUCTION RESULT
COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Leonard Joel, Aboriginal Art Timed Auction, Online, 27/07/2018, Lot No 8
Price: A$8,527
Description: acrylic on canvas, artist's name verso, Cat No GT200301, 214 x 183 cm
Since he first began painting in 1984, George Ward has become renowned for artworks that evoke ancestral sites through a calibrated matrix of dots and concentric forms, encoding ancestral presence, ancient ceremony, and a tangible sense of place.
His meticulous dot technique generates a topographical rhythm, animating his canvases with quiet intensity More than creating maps of place, his works are a choreography of story and song - holding and transmitting cultural knowledge. He largely abandoned Papunya’s restrained earth tones, and introduced chromatic vibrancy into artworks without compromising gravitas.
Among the younger generation of senior men to take up painting in the Western Desert, George Ward's work has insinuated itself through compositional finesse and ceremonial depth - qualities that have secured his place in major institutional collections, and international biennales
NYURAPAYA NAMPITJINPA (MRS BENNETT) (1935 - 2013)
YUMARRA ROCKHOLE , 2000
synthetic polymer on linen
121 5 x 91 5 cm, 125 5 x 96 cm frame
PROVENANCE
Papunya Tula Artists Alice Springs, NT, Cat No NN0007048 Private Collection, NSW
EST $6,000 - 9,000
This painting depicts the Yumarra rockhole an important water source near Yumari, Nyurapayia’s birthplace infused with sacred ceremonial significance The site is closely associated with ancestral women ’ s stories and ritual practices.
Boldly composed with arcs, circles, and linear tracks, the work reflects both the physical contours of Country and the ceremonial traces left by travelling ancestors. Mrs Bennett’s use of deep reds and contrasting white forms renders the terrain not as empty but charged marked by action, memory, and spirit
Nyurapayia was among the few senior women painters to emerge during the expansion of the Papunya Tula movement in the 1990s Her paintings are now highly regarded for their strength of design and the authority of her ceremonial knowledge For collectors, works such as this embody a rare confluence of aesthetic intensity and cultural gravitas
NYURAPAYA NAMPITJINPA (MRS BENNETT) (1935 - 2013)
ROCKHOLE SITE OF YUMARRA, 2007
synthetic polymer on linen 91 x 121 cm
PROVENANCE
Bannan and Pallin Fine Art, NT, Cat No MRS B13/1207BPG
Private Collection, NSW
EST $8,000 - 10,000
Nyurapayia Nampitjinpa often referred to as Mrs Bennett was born near the site of Yumari and began painting late in life after decades of ceremonial participation This striking work depicts Yumarra, a significant rockhole site tied to women ' s ancestral activities, executed with a visual confidence that marks Nyurapayia's mature style
The concentric roundels at the painting's centre denote water sources and ceremonial gathering places, while the interstitial black fields and dotted borders suggest rock fissures, Spinifex, and the residual imprints of ancestral movement. Each oval motif radiates from a terracotta core, pulsing outward through fields of stippled paint gestural echoes of songlines and ceremony. Informed by body paint designs and the tactile memory of place, the work offers not just a map of Country but an invocation of its spirit
With their resolute forms and lyrical complexity, Nyurapayia's paintings have become increasingly sought after by collectors for their uncommon narrative depth and cultural authority particularly as one of the rare senior women to paint for Papunya Tula at the height of its expansion
55
WALANGKURA NAPANANGKA II (1946 - 2014)
UNTITLED, 2001
synthetic polymer on linen 152 5 x 242 cm
PROVENANCE
High on Art, Vic, Cat No HOA0105/WALN Private Collection, Vic
accompanied by original certificate of authenticity
EST $35,000 - 45,000
This painting depicts designs associated with women ' s ceremonial activities around the sacred site of Kintore, the artist's homeland While untitled, the work references the travels of women who stopped here during ritual obligations and gathered bushfoods
Typically, Walangkura's brushwork is assertive, dominated by concentric motifs and fiery tonal contrasts. Her use of deep reds, yellows, orange, and stark white energises the surface, echoing the rhythm of songlines through the desert.
Even when unnamed, her paintings relating to the creation myths of her country retain powerful narrative strength, making them valuable both as cultural documents and aesthetic statements For collectors, such works reveal how abstraction and ancestral memory can be interwoven with spirit and meaning
AUCTION RESULT
COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Lawson Menzies (now trading as Menzies), Modern, Contemporary Australian and Important Abor, Sydney, 19/03/2008, Lot No 242
Price: A$52,800
Description: Kutungka Napanangka at Papunga 2005
synthetic polymer paint on linen, 182 x 300 cm
MAGGIE WATSON NAPANGARDI (1C.1925 - 2004)
WOMEN'S STORY, 1995
synthetic polymer on linen
141 5 x 202 5 cm
PROVENANCE
Ngintaka Art, Alice Springs, NT
Private Collection, Vic
Art Mob, Tas, Cat No AM 22797/24
Private Collection, Tas
EST $20,000 - 30,000
Maggie Watson created paintings for 15 years but was never a prolific artist She began painting at 60 years of age and became the senior female artist at Yuendumu, by the time of her death in 2004
Foremost amongst the major themes depicted by Maggie, Dorothy Napangardi Robertson and other female Yuendumu artists is the epic narrative tale of the Karntakurlangu The hair string belts they made to carry their babies and possessions, and the magical emergence of digging sticks out of the ground at Mina Mina, equipping them for their vast travels, is superbly illustrated in this work
Maggie Watson’s paintings are characterised by the linear precision created by dots applied in alternating bands of colour. When viewed in varying arrays across the canvas these meticulously applied textured striations impart a rhythmic trance-like quality thereby evoking the movement of lines of women as they dance and their repeated chanting during ceremony.
JUDY WATSON NAPANGARDI (1925 - 2016)
HAIR STRING STORY, 2007
PROVENANCE
EST $16,000 - 24,000
Judy Watson lived a nomadic life near Mt Doreen in the vast Warlpiri country that lies between the Tanami and Gibson deserts before settling into Yuendumu and bringing up ten children. At the time she began painting, the influence of those early years spent walking through the land of her ancestors burst forth in art works focused on creation stories of the Karnta-kurlangu ancestral beings at Mina Mina, west of Yuendumu It was here that they danced across the land, creating important sites, discovering plants, foods and medicines and establishing the ceremonies that would perpetuate their generative powers
The dancing women wore hairspring belts (Marjardi) and tassels rubbed with red ochre and fat, emphasising their passion and power The potent life force with which they imbued the country is evoked in Judy’s love of colour and richly textured, drag-dotting style which traces the sinuous lines of dancing women crossing the country
AUCTION RESULT
COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Deutscher and Hackett, Inaugural Aboriginal Art Auction, Melbourne, 25/03/2009, Lot No 53
Price: A$21,600
Description: Kurrkara Jukurrpa at Mina Mina, 2007, synthetic polymer paint on linen, inscribed verso: artist's name, size and Warlukurlangu Artists catalogue number 788/07, 183 x 122 cm
LORNA NAPARRULA FENCER (C 19252006)
CATERPILLAR DREAMING, 1998
Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Tingari Arts, NT & 3 photographs of the artist with the work
EST $4,000 - 5,000
Lorna Fencer, was the custodian of inherited land Yumurrpa situated near Chilla Well, south of the Granites Mine in the Tanami Desert She was the custodian of many Dreamings including the Yarla (bush potato), Luju (caterpillar), Bush Tomato, Onion and Plum Dreamings, as well as many different seeds and, importantly, spring water for the NapurrurlaJupurrurla and Jakamarra-Nakamarra skin groups She also had ancestral rights over the Water Snake, which become numerous when the country is in flood, and the riverbeds and claypans fill with water
Her paintings reflected the traditional stories of Ancestral women journeying through the bush, singing and dancing as they collected food. Sometimes her female ancestors would come upon a caterpillar, ‘that cheeky one ’ that bites them while they are picking fruit, making them itchy In other works Lorna would paint the digging sticks they used to find the bush potato or yam that spread underground in a meandering complex of roots and bulbs, a primary source of food in their arid homeland
59
WALANGKURA NAPANANGKA II (19462014)
TRAVELS OF KUTUNGKA, 2007
synthetic polymer on linen 202 x 292 cm
PROVENANCE
Muk Muk Fine Art, Alice Springs, NT
Cat No A11095 Private Collection, Vic
EST $15,000 - 25,000
AUCTION RESULT
COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Lawson Menzies (now trading as Menzies), Colonial to Contemporary Including Aboriginal Art, Sydney, 25/03/2009, Lot No 122
Price: A$31,200
Description: Kutungka Napanangka at Papunga 2006
synthetic polymer paint on linen, inscribed verso, Cat No WN0602, 183 x 301 cm
Walangkura, a Pintupi artist, was renowned for her dynamic, high-intensity compositions that celebrate women ' s ancestral journeys This particular work depicts an old female ancestor traveling through sandhill country, pausing at sacred water sources and performing rituals that imbue the land with a numinous spirit The painting is a symphony of undulating forms and pulsating dotting, with Kutungka's travels unfolding in waves of rhythm and light. Each cluster of concentric forms maps a ceremonial site, layered with color and symbolic resonance, generating both topographical and emotional intensity.
Her works particularly those narrating women ' s Tjukurpa (Dreaming) are celebrated not only for their painterly power but also for affirming the authority of senior women as cultural custodians
60 natural earth pigment on arches cotton rag paper
75 x 56 cm, 93 x 75 cm frame
PROVENANCE
Jilamara Arts, Melville Island, NT, Cat No (hidden by frame)
The Jacquie McPhee Collection, WA
ILLUSTRATED
The Greatest Passion of All,
The Jacquie McPhee Collection, 2017, Bluestar Print, Melbourne Illustrated p 274
a copy of the book accompanies the work
EST $4,000 - 6,000
The Kulama ceremony is performed in the Tiwi Islands at the end of the wet season, celebrating life cycles, food abundance, and spiritual renewal Timothy Cook’s paintings of Kulama are bold, circular invocations of this moment, representing the moon, yam, and the circular arena where the ceremony unfolds.
Executed in white, yellow, and red ochre on black or dark ground, his works strike a balance between sacred repetition and painterly improvisation. Each concentric form pulses with rhythm, reflecting both cosmic cycles and the grounded rituals of Tiwi ceremonial life.
Timothy’s work has become one of the defining expressions of contemporary Tiwi painting both immediate and coded, gestural yet ceremonial For collectors, his canvases offer visual dynamism and spiritual depth in equal measure
JEAN BAPTISTE APUATIMI (1940 - 2013)
JIKAPAYINGA - FEMALE SALTWATER CROCODILE, 2004
Jean Baptiste was taught to paint by her husband, the revered Tiwi elder and artist Declan Apuatimi. She emerged as an artist in her own right after he died and, in old age, became one of Tiwi Design's most successful artists
In this design, taught to her by Declan, grids of irregular squares with bright flashes of white and yellow ochre create a powerful optical dynamic. They rhythmically draw the eye around the picture plane to evoke water surging over a crocodile's scaly skin
AUCTION RESULT COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Leonard Joel, Indigenous Art, Melbourne, 22/08/2022, Lot No 68
Price: A$4,418
Description: Turtini, Nguiu Bathurst Island,
EST $2,500 - 3,500
JEAN BAPTISTE APUATIMI (1940 - 2013)
JIRTAKA, SWORDFISH, 2002
PROVENANCE
Tiwi Designs, NT, Cat No TD#171-02
Cooee Aboriginal Art Gallery, NSW Private Collection, NSW
EST $2,500 - 3,500
Jean Baptiste, was just 14 years of age when she married the renowned dancer, singer and the pre-eminent Tiwi artist of his time, Declan Apuatimi During their life together they raised fourteen children and, as she watched him create poles for important Tiwi ceremonies, he taught her how to mix ochres and paint.
Jean’s beautiful and personal paintings conform with the twin conventions of Tiwi art - moving between the figurative depiction of ceremonial objects, and body painting designs (Jilamara) She inherited the right to depict jirtaka (sawfish) from Declan However, her own personal interpretation abandoned tight formal composition by magnifying design elements, as exemplified in this particular artwork She was a meticulous painter who took great care to keep her ochres pure, thus ensuring that her paintings emanated the true power of her timeless Tiwi tradition
BOBBY NGANJMIRRA (1915 - 1992)
SALTWATER CROCODILE IN FRESHWATER, C 1990
PROVENANCE
Painted for Reg Mason of Arnhem Land Art, Oenpelli, NT Private Collection, NSW
accompanied by a letter describing the work signed by Reg Mason
EST $3,000 - 5,000
Saltwater crocodiles - apex predators - are both revered and feared across Northern Australia. In this dynamic bark painting, Bobby Nganjmirra captures the charged moment of the crocodile entering freshwaterdisrupting ecological balance and, with it, social and spiritual order.
In this work, Nganjmirra's traditional clan rarrk patterns merge an anatomical study with ancestral power More than a natural being, the crocodile is archaic, embodying ancient stories of transformation and consequence
A revered Kunwinjku elder and ceremonial lawman, Nganjmirra's practice is grounded in lived knowledge and inherited responsibility His crocodiles are icons of potency, rendered with reverence and formal clarity. 63
AUCTION RESULT
COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby's, Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 24/11/2009, Lot No 47
Price: A$9,600
Description: Sacred and Secret - Kunapipi
Ceremony, Natural earth pigments on eucalyptus bark, bears artist's name Badjerai [sic], title and size on the reverse, 75 x 47 cm
BARDAYAL 'LOFTY' NADJAMERREK AO (1926 - 2009)
HUNTING PARTY, 1990
natural earth pigments on arches cotton rag paper 102 5 x 74 cm, 117 x 88 cm frame
PROVENANCE
Painted for Reg Mason of Arnhem Land Art, NT Private Collection, NSW
EST $4,000 - 6,000
AUCTION RESULT COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Deutscher and Hackett, Important Aboriginal Art from the Laverty Collection, Sydney, 08/03/2015, Lot No 130
Price: A$6,000
Description: DjekerreFemale Black Rock Wallaby / Ngarrbek - Echidna, 1996
Natural earth pigments with synthetic binder on paper, inscribed verso: artists name, title and Injalak Arts and Crafts cat CU: 134-696, 75 x 105 cm
Lofty Nadjamerrek was born and spent his youth in the Mann River region of Western Arnhem Land He began painting in the late 1960s, and by the early 1990s he had become one of Western Arnhem Land's most significant artists
His subjects ranged across a wide array of secular and spiritual themes Figurative elements were predominantly white, often with X-ray details of internal organs, combined with his own uniquely identifiable rarrk patterns restricted to red parallel lines. These were contained within an unadorned red, brown or black ochre background In this work a hunting party surrounds a Yolngu bark shelter with dilly bags hanging at each end of a cross-pole suspended on two forked sticks
During the later part of his life, Lofty painted on Arches paper due to the difficulty of collecting suitable bark After a lifelong legacy of creativity, he was awarded the Order of Australia in 2004, for his lasting contribution to Australian culture
GAWIRRIN GUMANA (1935 - 2016)
FISH TRAP, 2005
PROVENANCE
Buku-Larrngay Mulka Centre, Yirrkala Art Centre, NT, Cat No 2573Y Annandale Galleries, NSW, Cat No BLA305 Bonhams, Important Australian Art, August 2022, Lot No 65 Private Collection, NSW
Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Buku-Larrngay Mulka Centre, Yirrkala Art Centre
EST $4,000 - 6,000
Yolngu artist Gawirrin Gumana was an important cultural leader from the Gangan area, and the eldest son of the Dhalwangu Clan leader Birrikitji Gäṉgaṉ is a freshwater area consisting of rivers, waterholes, and stringybark eucalyptus forest
His paintings were often focused on the area around the sacred watering hole, Blue Mud Bay, and the story of the ancestral hero, Laintjun who taught the meaning of the diamond pattern to the Dhalwangu clan, and brought with him the Yirritja totems
This painting demonstrates the use of the rarrk crosshatching that made Gawirrin's painting style distinctive It includes ancestral animals such as turtles, fish, and crayfish.
As an artist, he perfected the depiction of water in motion, showing how the water changes from the presence of the powerful creator Djan'kawu Sisters
Gawirrin was the last surviving member of the group that, in 1962, painted the historic Yirritja moiety Church Panels to proclaim the law and culture of the Yolgnu people long before the missionaries arrived in Arnhem Land These panels can be viewed at the BukuLarrnggay Mulka Art Centre in Yirrkala to this day
GAWIRRIN GUMANA (1935 - 2016)
BARALTJA MONUK, 2008
PROVENANCE
Buku Larrngay Mulka, Yirrkala, NT, Cat No 3377L Private Collection, NSW
Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from BukuLarrngay Mulka Centre, Yirrkala Art Centre
EST $7,000 - 10,000
The artist of this work is the son of the late Birr'kitji, leader of the Madarrpa clan He was the most senior active artist of the entire Yirritja moiety of north east Arnhem Land when he painted this work, following the death of his brother Wakuthi in 2005
Baraltja is plains country behind the shores of Blue Mud Bay. Water from the Gangan River flows into the Baraltja This is represented by the long elliptical shapes that are 'calmed' as it surges inland with the tide to the floodplains, home of Mundukal, the Lightning Snake From the onset of the wet season, the freshwaters run onto these same floodplains The serpent tastes the new season ' s water with its forked tongue and stands on its tail to spit lightning into the skies, back towards where these sacred waters come from. This action is a metaphor for explaining connections to land and sea country with associate clan groups.
Presented here are four paintings by Emily Kam(e) Kngwarrey(e) painted for Peter van Groesen the husband of Maggie Napangardi Watson’s daughter and a prominent art dealer in Alice Springs during the 1990s. All are offered for sale with photo-documentation.
When Emily painted her first works between 1989 and 1990, they featured fine dotting and symbolic underpainting. Thereafter however, they gave way to works in which symbols and tracks were increasingly concealed beneath a sea of dots, until eventually they were no longer evident at all. Employing larger brushes, she created lines of dots that ran across vibrantly coloured, haptic surfaces which, during the years that followed, became progressively visually abstracted, cloudlike and ethereal, as in Lots 68 and 70.
By the mid 1990s, Emily was creating wildly colourful canvases by double dipping brushes into pots of layered paint, thereby creating floral impressions with alternately coloured variegated outlines. Despite her age, her physicality was evident as she painted. Often with a brush in each hand she simultaneously pounded them down onto the canvas spreading the bristles and leaving the coagulating paint around the neck of the brush to create depth and form. The runnels of dotted colour across the surfaces of her more abstracted works began to be more formally arranged in parallel lines as exemplified by Lot 67 (NA1-79) in this sale. These gave way to ‘line’ paintings as early as 1993. She began working in this style more intensely during the last two years of her life. Solid lines of colour, stark and unadorned as in Lot 69, were often painted on multiple panels, and represented the body markings that were created during the ceremonial origins of her artistic practice. Formal compositions comprising these parallel lines eventually gave way to the meandering paths traced by the roots of the pencil yam as they forged their way through the desert sands.
EMILY KAM(E) KNGWARREY(E) (C 19101996)
UNTITLED - AWELYE, C.1995
synthetic polymer on linen
66 x 44 cm
PROVENANCE
Ngintaka Arts, NT
Private Collection, SA
Accompanied by four photographs of the artwork in the process of being created
EST $10,000 - 15,000
AUCTION RESULT COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sothebys, Aboriginal Art, New York, 25/05/2022, Lot No 51
Price: A$17,755
Description: Untitled (Alhalkere), 1995
Synthetic polymer paint on paper, bears artists name, dated 14 4 95, Mulga Bore Artists catalogue number 23495 and signed by Rodney Gooch on the reverse, 74 9 x 49 5 cm
EMILY KAM(E) KNGWARREY(E) (C 19101996)
UNTITLED - AWELYE, C.1995
synthetic polymer on linen
58 x 55 cm
PROVENANCE
Ngintaka Arts, NT Private Collection, SA
Accompanied by a photograph of the artwork in the process of being created
EST $6,000 - 8,000
AUCTION RESULT COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Gibson's Auctioneers & Valuers, Australian & International Art, Melbourne, 21/04/2024, Lot No 199
Price: A$9,760
Description: Wild Flower 1994 Acrylic on linen, inscribed with cat no verso: Emily Kngwarreye / 'Wild Flowers' / 1994 / DG02079, 61 x 59 5 cm
EMILY KAM(E) KNGWARREY(E) (C 19101996)
AWELYE - BODY MARKS, C.1995
synthetic polymer on linen 117 x 40 cm
PROVENANCE
Ngintaka Arts, NT Private Collection, SA
Accompanied by three photographs of the artwork in the process of being created
EMILY KAM(E) KNGWARREY(E) (C 1910 - 1996)
MY COUNTRY – YAM DREAMING, C 1995
PROVENANCE
Ngintaka Arts, NT Private Collection, SA
Accompanied by a photograph of the artwork in the process of being created
71 synthetic polymer paint on linen 106 6 x 175 cm
ROSELLA NAMOK (1979 - )
BIG STORM COMES WE'RE ROCKY POINT, 2004
PROVENANCE
Lochart River Art Centre Cat No RNC20040326
Hogarth Galleries, Sydney, NSW Private Collection, NSW
EST $4,000 - 7,000
Rosella Namok emerged as a member of the Lockhart River Art Gang in the 1990s, pioneering a contemporary painting language grounded in Far North Queensland’s changing skies, seas, and family rhythms In Big Storm Comes, We're Rocky Point, she evokes the tropical tension just before a storm breaks a theme resonant with both seasonal knowledge and emotional undercurrents
Rosella’s vertical mark-making mimics rain sheeting across corrugated iron or mangrove trunks, while her muted greys and blue-blacks conjure heavy skies rolling in over the coastline. This work, while abstract in form, carries the lived texture of place coastal life framed by salt spray, monsoon, and kin
Collectors have increasingly gravitated toward Rosella’s practice for its distinctive fusion of landscape, weather, and social memory an evolving voice in Indigenous art that speaks directly to a contemporary world without losing cultural depth
72
KATHLEEN NGAL(E) (1930 - 2021)
ARNWEKETY - BUSH PLUM , 2009
synthetic polymer on linen
88 x 120 cm
PROVENANCE
Delmore Gallery, NT, Cat No 09J012
Metro Five Gallery, Vic
Private Collection, Vic
EST $5,000 - 7,000
Anmatyerr artist Kathleen Ngale painted Arlperr country, which covers several hundred kilometers through which the Sandover River on the Utopia clan lands in the Northern Territory.
Kathleen's art captures the changing colors of the wild bush plums as they ripen between Christmas and May, from yellow and orange to pink and purple. In her paintings, she also traces the journeys of the women in search of this much-prized fruit and follows the changing colors of the seasons, the sacred topography, and the process of travel through her country
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MAKINTI NAPANANGKA (1922 - 2011)
UNTITLED, 2010
synthetic polymer on linen
152 x 92 5 cm, 155 5 x 95 5 cm frame
PROVENANCE
Ngintaka Arts, NT, Cat No ASAAMN2364 Private Collection, Vic
During mythological times a group of ancestral women visited the rockhole site of Lupulnga, south of the Kintore community They held ceremonies which are associated with the area to this day, before continuing their travels north to Kaakuratintja (Lake MacDonald), and later the Kintore area. The lines in the painting represent hair-string which is spun to make the hair-belts, which are worn by both men and women during ceremonies.
EST $5,000 - 7,000
74 synthetic polymer on canvas 190 x 151 cm
JOSEPHA (JOSIE) PETRICK KEMARR(E) (1955 - )
BUSH FLOWERS, 2005
PROVENANCE
Tingari Arts of Central Australia, NT, Cat No TJP518 Private Collection, NSW
Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Tingari Arts, NT & 3 photographs of the artist with the work
EST $2,500 - 3,500
Josie Petrick's paintings are based on the native plants of her homeland and her favourite bush tucker species at various stages of their growth. She is known for innovative works that create a sense of visual harmony through fine variegated fields of immaculately applied dotting. Her aerial depictions of country and bush tucker feature overlapping dot work with only the barest reference to Aboriginal iconography.
This painting is typical of her 2000 - 2005 period. It depicts the landscape and the seasonal cycle of wild bush berry plant from an omnipotent view, with the barren desert landscape transformed after rain into abundant vegetation At this time the women gather the edible bush berries, which are a principal source of nutrition for Aboriginal people living in Central Australia. The women ’ s celebration of this Dreaming ensures fertility, regrowth and abundance in the months to follow
75 synthetic polymer paint on canvas 144 x 83 cm
PROVENANCE
Mangkaja Arts, WA, Cat No WJ1840
The Jacquie McPhee Collection, WA
ILLUSTRATED
The Greatest Passion of All,
The Jacquie McPhee Collection, 2017, Bluestar Print, Melbourne Illustrated p 282 - 283
a copy of the book accompanies the work
EST $4,000 - 6,000
“Nyirla is my place, my country,” said Luurn Willie Kew “That’s a good one. It’s got water. Good hills.” This simple affirmation lays at the heart of Kew’s painting: a lyrical, memory-infused landscape of the remote Western Desert, articulated in warm ochres and dark outlines.
The artist’s lines map the curvature of the land the hills, creeks, and waterholes shaped by ancestral presence and lived experience. His restrained palette and composed structure speak to the patient watchfulness of desert life.
As part of the Martu art movement, Willie’s work is less stylised than that of some of his contemporaries though it retains a quiet dignity For collectors interested in the poetics of place and direct engagement with desert storytelling, his work has a steady, grounded presence
JACK BRITTEN (1921 - 2001)
GNAIRARINY - CARR-BOYD RANGES, 1999
PROVENANCE
Narrangunny Art Traders, WA Cat No N-0640-JB Private Collection, NT
Cooee Art Indigenous Fine Art - 2022, Lot 24 Private Collection, Vic
EST $8,000 - 12,000
Jack Britten was at Tickelara Station in the north-east Kimberley when he began painting later in life. In this work he portrays the Carr-Boyd Ranges with rhythmic energy and tonal variation that brings the land to life.
His palette is typically earthy ochres and reds offset by white highlights that define ridges and escarpments These are not mere landscapes; they are visual testaments to Country as kin, as witness, as law Jack’s hills rise not only from earth but from story.
Jack Britten’s approach to painting grounded in memory and ceremony earned him significant acclaim during his lifetime Works like this continue to appeal to collectors seeking early Kimberley artists whose connection to place was direct and unmediated
HECTOR CHUNDALOO JANDANAY (1929 - 2007)
DIAWUN, 1997
PROVENANCE
Warmun Traditional Artists, WA, Cat No HC0038 Kimberley Art Gallery, Vic, Cat No KAHC0038/97 Lawson Menzies, Aboriginal Fine Art, Sydney, 2005, Lot 19 Private Collection, NSW
EST $10,000 - 15,000
Hector began painting in the late 1980s, and at the time he created this work, he was the oldest member of the Warmun artists, at Turkey Creek Though his family history was littered with harrowing tales of persecution, he became an inspiration and delight to anyone who found the time to just sit and enjoy his company and humour.
He would build the surface of his canvass slowly and carefully by applying soft earth colours, pink, greens, greys and later introducing warm yellow, reds, cream, and blacks He gained renown for quirky figurative depictions and irregular hill formations rendered with an innate sense of spacial geometry Hector treated the surface of his work as if it were sacred, touching and rubbing his hand gently across it reverently
Watching him use a stone to rub, sand and smooth the thin washes of softly coloured earth pigment that had been mixed from rocks gathered and carefully ground in the surrounding environment, made one feel as if he believed the painting to be the country itself
78 synthetic polymer on linen 136 x 201 cm
LINDA SYDDICK NAPALTJARRI (C.1927 - 2021)
THE WINDMILL & THE MEDICINE MEN, 2007
PROVENANCE
Painted for Greg Willock, Alice Springs, 2007 Art Mob, Tas, Cat No AM 4968/07 Private Collection, Tas
EST $7,000 - 9,000
Linda was born in the Gibson Desert at Lake MacKay, in 1937 At the age of eight, she walked out of the desert all the way to Haasts Bluff on foot with her family and her step- father, Shorty Lungkata Tjungarrayi Walking behind them was the ‘skinny old man ’ the Walpiri witch doctor.
When they got to Mount Liebig, they saw a windmill. At first, the family was frightened but Shorty knew what it was because he had been working for the Army during the war. He explained to them that this whirling thing was harmless and was used for making water, so it was alright
Later, the old witch doctor caught up with them but was so tired from walking that he fell down, and went to sleep without seeing the windmill.
When he woke up, he rubbed his eyes and saw the noisy apparition standing before him He began shouting ‘Mamu Mamu!! this is a devil spirit, come to kill us!” He started throwing his spears at it and, but they bounced off with no effect He then threw some magic stones at it, but nothing happened The poor old man then fell sobbing to the ground until Shorty came to his side and told him not to worry that this was a good thing, made by white fellas to get water out of the ground He showed him the pool of water at the base of the windmill and finally got the old man to drink
ROSELLA NAMOK (1979)
OVERCAST DAY SPRING RAIN, 2007
PROVENANCE
Lochart River Art Centre, Cat No RNC20070537
Hogarth Galleries, NSW Private Collection, NSW
EST $3,000 - 5,000
Rosella Namok emerged from the Lockhart River Art Gang in the 1990s, developing a unique painterly language that blends ancestral stories with observations of changing weather, tides, and time.
In Overcast Day...Spring Rain, Rosella uses gestural mark-making vertical streaks, drag marks, and subtle tonal shifts to evoke tropical rain moving across the land The work feels immersive and atmospheric, capturing both a mood and a moment
Rosella’s paintings speak to a younger generation of Indigenous artists redefining what ‘country’ looks and feels like For collectors, her work offers a contemporary perspective grounded in cultural continuity, and a poetic response to season and place
80 synthetic polymer on linen 152 x 183 cm
TJAWINA PORTER NAMPITJINPA (1950 - 2024)
SANDHILL COUNTRY, 2010
PROVENANCE
Yanda Art, NT, Cat No 201016 Private Collection, NSW
EST $5,000 - 7,000
The sister of Esther Giles and half-sister of Nyurapayia Nampitjinpa, Tjawina Porter was a skilled craftsperson, and her paintings reflect that same attentiveness to form and rhythm In Sandhill Country, she evokes the vast dunes and claypans of her ancestral lands with sweeping arcs and finely applied dots The painting is a visual recollection of walking tracks, waterholes, and ceremonial sites
Her palette subtle creams, browns, and warm reds recalls the shifting hues of desert sands at different times of day. Like a woven basket, the composition is tight, functional, and beautiful a visual map of law and land.
Tjawina Porter’s work has been collected by institutions and private collections alike, and for good reason: she transmits the calm gravity of senior knowledge through a meticulous and meditative hand.
81 synthetic polymer on linen 166 5 x 121 5 cm, 169 5 x 125 5 cm frame
JUSTIN CORBY TJUNGURRAYI (1982) MENS DREAMING, 2007
PROVENANCE
Ikunji Art Centre, NT, Cat No IK07JC117 Metro Five Gallery, Vic Private Collection, Vic
EST $6,000 - 8,000
Justin Corby was born in Kintore on the border of the Northern Territory and Western Australia
This bold geometric design relates to his father's story of the Kanpi Tjukurrpa (Emu Dreaming) by drawing on ancient Pintupi narratives in which the emu is a powerful ancestral being The story describes the emu ’ s journey across the land, shaping waterholes, songlines, and sacred sites still honoured today
The intricate patterns and rhythmic lines are borrowed from the ancient men ’ s key designs seen on ceremonial objects It represents the emu ’ s nesting places, and spiritual presence in his country
This painting is a connection to ancestral knowledge and an act of cultural continuity, transmitting the law, land, and lineage through contemporary expression
82
LUCY NAPANANGKA YUKENBARRI (1934 - 2003)
MY COUNTRY, 1999
synthetic polymer on linen
100 x 150 cm
PROVENANCE
Warlayirti Artists, WA Cat No 527/99
Private Collection, NSW
Private Collection, Vic
EST $3,000 - 5,000
Lucy Yukenbarri was among the last generation of Kukatja women to live traditionally in the bush before settling at Balgo Hills in the northwestern reaches of the Tanami Desert. She began painting in 1989 with assistance from her husband, Helicopter Joe, as they explored their vast knowledge of the waterholes in the Great Sandy Desert In time they each developed their own style. Lucy's single colour fields of dotting gave way to paintings in which her dots converged, creating dense masses of pigment on the surface of the canvas Her distinctive signature style created effects that were quite unique amongst her female desert contemporaries
AUCTION RESULT COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction:Sotheby's, Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 31/10/2006, Lot No 55
Price: A$15,600
Description: Marpa 2000
synthetic polymer paint on canvas, bears artist's name, size and Warlayirti Artists catalogue number 785/00 on the reverse, 180 x 120 cm
83
BOXER MILNER TJAMPITJIN (1935 - 2009)
PURKITJI , 2006
synthetic polymer on canvas
120 x 80 cm
PROVENANCE
Warlayirti Artists, WA
Art Mob, Tas, Cat No AM 4294/06
100% of the hammer price on this painting goes to the Aboriginal Benefits Foundation which supports the health and welfare of artists and their communities
EST $7,000 - 10,000
Boxer Milner lived on Tjaru land, where the country and vegetation move from flat and featureless rolling Spinifex plains to flood plains with enormous river channels and permanent water holes Here the yearly cycles of flood and dry create swamps with abundant bird life, through which runs Purkitji, or Sturt Creek This work depicts a ceremonial re-enactment of the creation story of Djaringarra, a site found along the central sections of the creek
Boomerangs that were carved by the artist were used as a stencil to create the painting These boomerangs are clapped together during men ' s ceremonies The circles represent tjurrnu (rockholes) which occur after the waters of Purkitji have receded following the wet season Boxer's unique aesthetic was informed by his intimate knowledge of all the facets of the river system His paintings all depict different physical and mythological aspects of the middle and upper stretches
PAYUNGKA TJAPANGATI (1940 - 2000)
TINGARI ANCESTORS, 1989
synthetic polymer on linen 122 x 41 cm
PROVENANCE
Warumpi Arts, NT, Cat No TP899701
Aboriginal Fine Arts Gallery, NT, Cat No 1438 Private Collection, NSW
Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Aboriginal Fine Arts Gallery, Darwin including a photo of the artist with the work
EST $4,000 - 6,000
Timmy Payungka Tjapangati was a Pintupi elder and original member of the Papunya Tula movement. In Tingari Ancestors, he maps the journey of powerful ancestral beings who crossed the Western Desert, creating sacred sites and establishing law
The composition employs dense dotting and geometric structure to map multiple ceremonial sites - often rendered as concentric circles - and the ancestral paths that connect them. These tracks are not only narrative they are ontological, defining the very structure of land and law.
For collectors, this painting offers a direct encounter with the foundational visual language of the Western Deserta cultural matrix rendered with both precision and authority
CHARLIE TJARARU (C 1925 - 1999) & WILLIE TJUNGURRAYI (1932 - 2008)
BANDICOOT ANCESTORS FIGHTING OVER FIRE AT TALTALTANYAM, MADE 1979 AND PRINTED 1981
screenprint on paper
76 × 56 cm, 90 5 x 71 5 cm frame
PROVENANCE
Mal Studio, The Larry Rawling print workshop Edn 20/90 Private Collection, NSW
EST $700 - 1,200
This print is of great historical significance, created by two senior Pintupi men: Charlie Tjararu and Willie Tjungurrayi, whose names are associated with the foundational years of the Papunya movement The subject matter is drawn from Taltalpa, where ancestral bandicoots fought over fire a Dreaming that encodes lessons about sharing, power, and survival.
The composition, though printed rather than painted, carries the visual intensity of early Papunya works: concentric circles, journey lines, and pulsing geometries. It reflects not just a story, but a cosmology an encoded map of laws and consequences.
Prints like this are rare and historically significant, often overlooked in favour of canvases but increasingly recognised for their documentary and artistic value They offer new and seasoned collectors alike a window into the collaborative spirit and narrative depth of early desert art
OLD MICK WALLANGKARRI TJAKAMARRA (1910 - 1996)
MEN'S SITE, 1978
PROVENANCE
Purchased by Australian artist Tim Johnson, directly from director Andrew Crocker at the Papunya Tula Artists Stockroom, NT, 1981
Accompanied by a letter from Tim Johnson
EST $4,000 - 6,000
Old Mick Tjakamarra was among the founding artists at Papunya and a senior custodian of desert law. In Men’s Site, he depicts a ceremonial ground used by initiated men - a space where sacred songs and knowledge are passed on under ancestral law.
The composition is deliberately pared back: concentric circles, linear motifs, and a restrained dot palette reflect the artist's preference for clarity over ornamentation His paintings stand as early markers of a cultural shift - when sacred knowledge entered public space with both caution and resolve - positioning him as a key figure for collectors drawn to works of historical gravity
AUCTION RESULT COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Davidson
Auctions, Estate & Collector - Pictures & Tribal (Art lots only), Sydney, 09/03/2024, Lot No 450
Price: A$6,000
Description: 'Honey Ant Dreaming, 1976 acrylic on canvas board, 50 5 x 40 cm
ROCKHOLES NEAR THE OLGAS, 2008
synthetic polymer paint on illustration board
2 panels x 38 x 25 cm, 40 x 27 cm frame
PROVENANCE
Watiyawarnu Arts, Mt Leibig, Cat Nos 10-08229 and 10-08301
Private Collection, NT
EST $2,500 - 3,500
In this complementary pair of works, the compact spatial arrangement and saturated palette offer a distinct visual rhythm to the artist’s rendition of rockholes near the Olgas in the Central Desert
The work seems to pulse inward, as if drawing viewers toward the heart of the story. The waterholes are not simply landscape features they are places where spiritual and geological histories intersect.
Collectors often seek multiple iterations of Bill Whiskey’s work precisely because each one, while thematically related, opens a different visual door into an ancient cosmology rendered with startling modernity
88 synthetic polymer on canvas 60.5 x 38 cm
CLIFFORD POSSUM TJAPALTJARRI (1932 - 2002)
CARPET SNAKE DREAMING, 1995
PROVENANCE
Purchased by the current owner directly from the artist, NT Private Collection, NSW
Signed verso
EST $2,000 - 3,000
Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri (c. 1932–2002) was a foundational figure in the Western Desert movement, best known for transforming ancestral narratives into complex, dynamic compositions
Carpet Snake Dreaming, follows the journey of the ancestral snake through country dotted with Spinifex grass
The depiction of the carpet snake is not merely that of an animal it is an ancestral presence whose movements shaped the landscape, waterholes, ceremonial grounds, and dictated social mores.
In this small work, Clifford brings together sacred cartography and painterly rhythm, creating a surface that is both layered and luminous
The work exemplifies the narrative authority and formal clarity that set Clifford Possum apart from his peers
AUCTION RESULT COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction:Lawson Menzies
(now trading as Menzies), Australian Aboriginal Art, Sydney, 14/11/2007, Lot No 260
Price: A$7,200
Description: Eagle Dreaming at Mt Allan 1989, synthetic polymer paint on canvas, signed verso, 55 x 40 5 cm
TREVOR TURBO BROWN (1967 - 2017) GATHERING OF MAGPIES
PROVENANCE
directly
EST $2,000 - 3,000
Trevor Turbo Brown was born with an intellectual disability and was abandoned by his family at a young age. As a teenager he took up boxing and became a recognised rapper and breakdancer, and when his adoptive parents joined a visual arts course, they took him along with them This was a transformative experience by giving him direction and a positive outlook through art
Turbo’s subject matter is the outdoor world of birds and animals he encountered as a homeless youth, living along the banks of the Murray River At that time the animals were his special friends, and these bright and colourful creatures were the primary focus of his world and art
JORNA NEWBERRY (1959) WALPA TJUKUPA (WIND DREAMING), 2021
PROVENANCE
Purchased directly from
EST $1,500 - 2,500
Pitjantatjarra artist Jorna Newberry first began painting in the mid-1990s at Warakurna under the guiding hand of her uncle, the famous artist Tommy Yannima Watson. Foremost amongst the subjects she explored in her art were Waru (Fire Dreaming), Ngintaka (Perentie) and Walpa (Wind). Her use of delicate line and dot work became her signature style
Wind Dreaming relates to her mother’s country at Utantja, a large stretch of sacred ceremonial land that has hilly country and a large rock hole In this work she has pared back her palette, using white, creams and neutral tones on a black background The intricate movement and rhythm of the wind is rendered with a contemporary aesthetic, while simultaneously preserving the artist's deep cultural integrity
91 synthetic polymer on linen
BARBARA WEIR (1945 - 2023)
GRASS SEED DREAMING, 2004
122 x 91 5 cm, 125 x 94 5 cm frame
PROVENANCE
Mbantua Gallery, NT, Cat No MB24464 Private Collection, NSW
EST $6,000 - 8,000
Barbara Weir was born on Bundy River Station and was a member of the Stolen Generation She later reconnected with her mother, Minnie Pwerle, and her extended family, rising to artistic prominence in the 1990s with shimmering, texturally abstracted paintings.
Her Grass Seed Dreaming works refer to an important women ' s story from Atnwengerrp country Native grass seeds, once ground into flour and forming a dietary staple, were gathered in a process interwoven with kinship, ceremony, and seasonal cycles In Weir's hands, this ancient practice transforms into pure visual rhythm; the fine linework suggests movement, wind, and abundance.
These paintings are often described as meditative, even musical, with a surface complexity that invites close attention Her career, marked by international exhibitions and critical acclaim, positioned her as a key voice in the Utopia movement and a compelling figure for contemporary collectors.
PADDY FORDHAM WAINBURRANGA (C 1930 - 2006)
DANCING MIMI MAN WITH MEN'S CLAPSTICKS, C.1995
PROVENANCE
Katherine Art Gallery, Cat No P-1097 Private Collection, NSW
EST $800 - 1,200
During his lifetime, Paddy Wainburranga Fordham was not only a respected artist but also a dancer, hunter, and storyteller This work depicts a Mimi spirit supernatural beings from Arnhem Land known for their extreme thinness and agility caught mid-dance, holding ceremonial clapsticks.
Paddy’s figure is elongated and animated, rendered with vivid ochres against a dark background The image pulses with movement, recalling the traditional dances that transmit law and Dreaming across generations His art bridges myth and performance, capturing the presence of ancestors within lived ritual
Paddy’s work is held in several public collections and remains a favourite among those who seek expressive figuration rooted in Arnhem Land law and oral tradition
LIN ONUS (1948 - 1996)
DJALNG BALTJIGI NYUNI DJINIGIMA, 1994
original experimental screenprint Edn 14/70 30 x 65 cm (irregular) ; 50 x 70 cm paper
PROVENANCE
Port Jackson Press, printmaker: Shaike Snir Private Collection, Vic
EST $3,500 - 4,500
Lin Onus was instrumental in the recognition of urban Aboriginal art post-1970. Of Yorta Yorta and Scottish descent, his practice bridged Western techniques and Indigenous iconography, through humour, wit, and beauty.
The composition of his paintings and prints combine naturalism with formal patterning such as those in which eucalypts set against water surfaces that glimmer with cross-hatching or mirrored reflection
Lin Onus’s work has become emblematic of bicultural fluency his paintings offer layered commentary on history, environment, and belonging For collectors, they represent both a distinct chapter in Aboriginal art history and a bridge into broader cultural discourses
AUCTION RESULT
COMPARISON
Type: Closely related
Auction: Leonard Joel, Prints & Multiples, Melbourne, 10/11/2021, Lot
No 97
Price: A$6,136
Description: Gumiring
Garkman 1994
Screenprint, ed H/C, editioned, titled, signed and dated in pencil below image, 50 x 70 cm
ARTIST ONCE KNOWN
TURTLE, FILE SNAKES, AND FISH, C 1980
natural earth pigment on stringy bark
91 5 x 37 cm
PROVENANCE
Purchased Arnhem Land, NT Fireworks Gallery, Qld Private Collection, Vic
EST $1,500 - 2,500
This bark painting offers a finely composed study of wetland fauna - turtle, file snake, and fish - each linked to specific clans, hunting practices, and ceremonial knowledge in the Arafura Swamplands
The file snake, known for its smooth skin and aquatic grace, is associated with freshwater systems and seasonal renewal The turtle signifies both sustenance and ritual power, while fish traverse the symbolic threshold between water and spirit The composition balances naturalism and stylisation, likely through x-ray infill and rarrk, rendering the animals as spiritually charged forms
For collectors, the work stands as a fragment of a larger cosmological map - one that continues to shape identity, movement, and meaning in Arnhem Land
95
GEORGE MILPURRURRU (1934 - 1988)
ARAFURA SWAMP SCENE, C.1990
natural earth pigments on arches cotton rag paper
76 x 102 cm, 92 x 120 cm frame
PROVENANCE
Painted for Reg Mason of Arnhem Land Art, Oenpelli, NT Private Collection, NSW
EST $1,500 - 2,500
George Milpurrurru was raised in his father’s country, known for its sprawling wetlands and rich animal life This painting presents a layered portrait of the Arafura Swamp - birds, fish, turtles, and freshwater plantsrendered with fine observational skill and refined rarrk
George's strength lies in orchestrating ecological abundance with clarity and grace Every element holds its place, forming a harmonious depiction of interconnected life cycles. The composition reads almost like a visual diagram of seasonal rhythms, hunting knowledge, and custodial stewardship.
Milpurrurru ‘ s work was featured in the 1988 Biennale of Sydney, and he was the first Aboriginal artist have a solo exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia. For collectors, Milpurrurru offers a poetic lens on Arnhem Land ecology - one that is both delicate and assured
96 synthetic polymer on canvas
PHILLIP GUDTHAYKUDTHAY (C 1925 - 2022)
GANDAYALA - RED KANGAROO, 2017
95 x 86 5 cm
PROVENANCE
Bula’Bula Arts, Ramingining, NT, Cat No 641-17 Private Collection, NSW
EST $2,500 - 3,500
Gandayala the red kangaroo is the creation ancestor of Ramingining in Central Arnhem Land The Gandayala/Garrtjambal story originates from the artist’s mother’s country Gudthaykudthay was the junggayi, or traditional owner, of the land where the community stands, a right inherited through his mother’s lineage
In its creation story, Garrtjambal journeyed from Roper River in the south, naming various sites along the way. Upon reaching the place now known as Ramingining, he consumed a specific yam This act caused him to change his language to Djardewitjibi, the language of this area
Several sacred sites around the Ramingining community are named after different parts of the red kangaroo’s body
GLORIA PETYARR(E) (C 1945 - 2021) LEAVES, 2007
PROVENANCE
Boomerang Art, SA, Cat No 4259 Private Collection, NSW
Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Boomerang Art, SA which includes a photograph of the artist holding the work
EST $500 - 700
Gloria Petyarre was an extremely prolific painter influenced, no doubt, by her equally prolific aunt Emily Kame Kngwarreye, with whom she lived and worked for many years Although Gloria remained very much in Emily’s shadow during her aunt’s life, she emerged as an artist of note from 1996 onward.
She is said to have pioneered the depiction of Bush Medicine leaves, a theme that is now ubiquitous amongst the women of the Utopia region Although medicine leaves paintings of today can often feature the leaves of other trees, the leaves of the Kurrajong tree are especially significant because they were traditionally used for medicinal purposes and are known to have healing properties
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Not including buyer’s premium or GST (where applicable) Bids are made in Australian dollars Absentee bids must be received by 2pm on the day of the auction All absentee bids received will be confirmed by phone or email In the event that confirmation is not received, please resubmit or contact our office
Please refer to the Buyers Terms & Conditions of Auction found at www.newsteadart.com.au/buyingfrom-a-newstead-art-auction for information regarding sales By completing this form, absentee bidders request and authorise NEWSTEAD ART to place the following bids acting as agent on their behalf up to and including the maximum bid specified Lots will be bought at the lowest possible bid authorised by the bidder in absentia I understand it is my responsibility to enquire whether any Sale-Room Notices relate to any lot on which I intend to bid I also understand that should my bid(s) be successful, a buyer’s premium of 25% (inclusive of GST) will be added to the final hammer price NEWSTEAD ART provides this complimentary service as a courtesy to clients and does not accept liability for errors and omissions in the execution of absentee bids Should your bid be successful, you will be obliged to pay the final bid price plus buyer’s premium of 25% (incl of GST) of the final bid price
please email or post this completed form to:
NEWSTEAD ART
31 LAMROCK AVE BONDI NSW 2026
tel: +61 (0) 412 126 645 auctions@newsteadart.com
DATE
TIME
BIDDER NO
(Mr/Mrs/Ms/Miss) Name (please print)
Business name
Address
City
Telephone/Mobile
SALE NO 1 FINE AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL ART
17 AUGUST, 2025, 7:00PM AEDT
LOTS 1 - 99
31 LAMROCK AVE
BONDI NSW 2026
please email or post this completed form to:
NEWSTEAD ART
31 LAMROCK AVE
BONDI NSW 2026
tel: +61 (0) 412 126 645
auctions@newsteadart.com
There are four ways to bid at a Newstead Art auction: in person, telephone, absentee, or online In person – Our auctions are open to the public and held at our premises at 31 Lamrock Ave, Bondi We welcome your attendance if you are in Sydney, NSW BUYER’S PREMIUM A buyer’s premium of 25% (including GST) is added to the hammer price on each lot The hammer price is the last bid that is accepted by the auctioneer SUCCESSFUL BIDS The fall of the auctioneer’s hammer indicates the bid has been accepted and the work is sold, and the buyer assumes full responsibility for the lot from this time PAYMENTS The day after the sale, the Post Sale Service team will send you an invoice The final amount due will include the hammer price, the 25% buyer’s premium, and the service fee charged by Invaluable if you are using their services Electronic Bank Transfer is the simplest payment method, and your invoice will include our bank details A 2% surcharge applies to Visa, MasterCard, and AMEX payments Alternatively, payment may be made by cheque, cash, or EFTPOS Please note: payments made by cheque are subject to a 5-day clearance before goods can be collected GOODS AND SERVICES TAX Buyers are required to pay a 10% GST when: a Buying from a GST-registered vendor, GST is included in the final hammer price; & b Included in any additional fees charged by Newstead Art; & c Included in the Buyer’s Premium COLLECTION, TRANSPORTATION & SHIPPING All collection notifications, shipping options, and requests for carrier recommendations are to be emailed to our Post Sale Services email address auctions@newsteadart com Newstead Art will endeavor to supply you with the best and most cost-effective option for shipping your artwork to you, but you are not obliged to use this service and may organize your own transport options Please inform us as soon as possible of your preferred method Proof of identification is required upon collection, and lots not collected within seven days of the sale may incur costs associated with external storage and freight Should you request that Newstead Art wrap and/or pack your goods and arrange postage of your items for you, a fee will apply, and whilst all care is taken, we accept no responsibility for any damage
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Promoting
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Providing
The Aboriginal Benefits Foundation promotes, provides and carries out activities, facilities and projects for the benefit, welfare and well-being of Aboriginal communities throughout Australia and the members of those communities.
The Foundation has a particular focus on supporting health and education projects with a connection to Aboriginal art and/or artists, which are undertaken to assist the youth, the aged and those who suffer from infirmity, disability, poverty or other disadvantageous social or economic circumstances.
To assist in achieving its aims, the Aboriginal Benefits Foundation is able to accept donations in the form of money, as proceeds in full or in part from the sale of art works, as gifts in kind, and as bequests and in other ways
The Foundation is a Deductible Gift Recipient organisation and as such, all monetary gifts over $2 are tax deductible
To donate funds or find out about other types of gifts that are tax deductable, please contact the Treasurer of the ABF via our website
CONTACT US
website: aboriginal org au
For general correspondence: Aboriginal Benefits Foundation 14 Levick Street Cremorne NSW 2090
TThe aim of the Oceanic Art Society is to further the understanding and appreciation of Oceanic art. The focus is on traditional and contemporary art and cultures of the indigenous people of Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia and Australasia
Activities
Regular presentations and seminars throughout the year
Quarterly Journal
Yearly OAS Forum
Sydney Oceanic Art Fair (SOAF)
Other Events and Publications
JOIN US. The Society welcomes anyone with an interest in Oceanic art. Our membership is international and includes collectors, academics, artists, students, art dealers and museum professionals. Please visit our website www.oceanicartsociety.org.au
Brandl & Schlesinger, 480pp
173x245 mm
200 colour photographs
$60.00 hb $50.00 pb w flaps this is the only book on the history of the Aboriginal art trade
for the general reader interested in Aboriginal culture, art and art collectors, and art institutions and students
Available at no cost to accredited libraries and teaching institutions
Adrian Newstead’ s explosive memoir lifts the lid on what Robert Hughes once described as “the last great art movement of the 20th century.” After thirty years sitting round campfires with Aboriginal artists all over Australia, Newstead has produced the definitive expose of “the first great art movement of the 21st century” From remote indigenous communities with their dispossessed populations of tribal elders and troubled youth, to the gleaming white box galleries, high powered auction houses, and formidable art institutions of major cities all over the world, Newstead combines personal anecdotes with an insider’s grasp of the international art market. Newstead watched as the value of the Aboriginal art industry jumped from one million dollars in 1970 to two hundred million dollars in 2000
With vivid portraits of artists, dealers and scamsters, the book races from pre-contact and colonial days to the heady celebrations of the Sydney Olympics and the devastating impact of the global financial crisis. Newstead’s humour, love and respect for his subjects produces a story that reads at times like a thriller and also a lament for a lost world.
“Newstead brings to this book a valuable personal and exceptionally well-informed perspective... disarmingly frank and honest... written in a very accessible manner devoid of ethnographic jargon of the anthropologists or the art speak of the arts industry apparatchiks...”
Sasha Grishin, Professor of Art History, ANU
Adrian Newstead is an Aboriginal art consultant, dealer, and art commentator, based in Bondi, NSW. He has had thirty years experience working in Aboriginal and Australian Contemporary art and established Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Australia’s oldest continuously operating Aboriginal art gallery, in 1981 He is the current President of the Aboriginal Art Association of Australia and a former Director of Aboriginal Tourism Australia
Purchase direct from author: www.newsteadart.com.au/the-dealer-is-the-devil adrian@newsteadart.com
