Tjunkiya Napaltjarri 1927 - 2009
Represented by:
SmithDavidson Gallery
Tjunkiya Napaltjarri was a prominent Australian First Nations artist and key figure in the Western Desert art movement. Born near Kiwirrkura in Western Australia, she was a member of the Pintupi people, whose rich cultural heritage profoundly influenced her art.
Raised in the traditional customs and nomadic lifestyle of her people, Napaltjarri learned Dreamtime stories and cultural practices, which became the foundation of her artistic expression. These stories, conveying the spiritual beliefs and ancestral history of the Pintupi, were integral to her identity and creative output.
In the early 1980s, she joined the Papunya Tula Artists cooperative, which played a crucial role in developing contemporary Indigenous Australian art. Napaltjarri quickly gained recognition for her distinctive style, translating complex traditional stories into vibrant, intricate paintings. Her work often depicted sacred sites, waterholes, and ancestral journeys, blending traditional symbolism with contemporary aesthetics.
Her paintings were celebrated in numerous exhibitions and collected by major galleries, including the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. As a respected elder, she was committed to preserving and teaching the cultural heritage of the Pintupi people. Tjunkiya Napaltjarri passed away in 2009, leaving a lasting legacy through her evocative and powerful art.
Raised in the traditional customs and nomadic lifestyle of her people, Napaltjarri learned Dreamtime stories and cultural practices, which became the foundation of her artistic expression. These stories, conveying the spiritual beliefs and ancestral history of the Pintupi, were integral to her identity and creative output.
In the early 1980s, she joined the Papunya Tula Artists cooperative, which played a crucial role in developing contemporary Indigenous Australian art. Napaltjarri quickly gained recognition for her distinctive style, translating complex traditional stories into vibrant, intricate paintings. Her work often depicted sacred sites, waterholes, and ancestral journeys, blending traditional symbolism with contemporary aesthetics.
Her paintings were celebrated in numerous exhibitions and collected by major galleries, including the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. As a respected elder, she was committed to preserving and teaching the cultural heritage of the Pintupi people. Tjunkiya Napaltjarri passed away in 2009, leaving a lasting legacy through her evocative and powerful art.
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Artworks by Tjunkiya Napaltjarri
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Portrait Tjunkiya Napaltjarri
(Australian Indigenous (Pintupi), 1930 - 2011)
In museum collection:
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
Art Gallery of New South Wales
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Selected Collections
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Australia
Araluen Arts Centre Collection, Alice Springs, Australia
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
Campbelltown City Art Gallery, New South Wales, Australia
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, Australia
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
Supreme Court of the Northern Territory, Darwin, Australia
Artbank, Australia-wide collection, managed by the Australian Government
Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA
Aboriginal Art Museum Utrecht (AAMU), Utrecht, The Netherlands
Musée du quai Branly, Paris, France
The Griffith University Art Collection, Brisbane, Australia
Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia
San Antonio Museum of Art, Texas, USA
“When I paint I feel happy, I don’t feel sick, I don’t feel any pain. I feel strong and healthy, like I am a young girl again. I used to paint one way. Black one for Tjukurrpa (dreaming), white one, yellow one. But I’m getting old now. I wanted to mix it up. I was watching the other women I sit with – Kawayi Nampitjinpa, Mary Anne Nampitjinpa and my sister Wintjiya Napaltjarri. They use all those different colours – purple, pink, red, blue, orange. I use those colours now. All different colours, mixing it up. I’m old now and want to paint a new way.” - Tjunkiya Napaltjarri
Selected Exhibitions
2024 - "Ladies from Papunya", SmithDavidson Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2016 - "Artist’s Hand: Collectors’ Eye – The Angel Gift", National Gallery of Victoria,Melbourne, Australia
2012 - "Unique Perspectives – Papunya Tula Artists and The Alice Springs Community", Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs, Australia
2009 - "Pro Community - Papunya Tula Artists", Kunstwerk, Eberdingen-Nussdorf; Art Bar71, Berlin; VDMA, Frankfurt; Artkelch, Freiburg, Germany
2009 - "Painting the Country", Cross Cultural Art Exchange, Darwin, Australia
2008 - "Marrkangku Yara Palyantjaku Ngurrangka - Making Strong Paintings at Home", Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Australia
2008 - "The Other Thing - a survey show", Charles Darwin University Art Collection, Darwin, Australia
2008 - "Virtuosity: The Evolution of Painting at Papunya Tula," The Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA
2007 - "Pintupi – Mixed Exhibition", Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Australia
2007 - "Recent Paintings 2007", Cross Cultural Art Exchange, Darwin, Northern, Australia
2007 - "Gifted: Contemporary Aboriginal Art, The Mollie Gowing Acquisition Fund", Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
2006 - "Yawulyurru kapalilu palyara nintilpayi", Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Australia
2005 - "Pintupi Artists", Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Australia
2005 - The Desert Mob Art Show, Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs, Australia
2004 - "Pintupi Artists", Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Australia
2001 - "Twenty Five Years And Beyond - Papunya Tula Painting", The Araluen Centre, Alice Springs, Australia
2000 - "Pintupi Women", Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Australia
2000 - "Papunya Tula: Genesis and Genius", Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
1999 - "Twenty Five Years And Beyond - Papunya Tula Painting", Flinders University Art Museum, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
1996 - C.A.A.A.C.E., Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs, Australia
1996 - Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, Australia
1996 - "Dots", National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Australia
Araluen Arts Centre Collection, Alice Springs, Australia
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
Campbelltown City Art Gallery, New South Wales, Australia
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, Australia
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
Supreme Court of the Northern Territory, Darwin, Australia
Artbank, Australia-wide collection, managed by the Australian Government
Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA
Aboriginal Art Museum Utrecht (AAMU), Utrecht, The Netherlands
Musée du quai Branly, Paris, France
The Griffith University Art Collection, Brisbane, Australia
Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia
San Antonio Museum of Art, Texas, USA
“When I paint I feel happy, I don’t feel sick, I don’t feel any pain. I feel strong and healthy, like I am a young girl again. I used to paint one way. Black one for Tjukurrpa (dreaming), white one, yellow one. But I’m getting old now. I wanted to mix it up. I was watching the other women I sit with – Kawayi Nampitjinpa, Mary Anne Nampitjinpa and my sister Wintjiya Napaltjarri. They use all those different colours – purple, pink, red, blue, orange. I use those colours now. All different colours, mixing it up. I’m old now and want to paint a new way.” - Tjunkiya Napaltjarri
Selected Exhibitions
2024 - "Ladies from Papunya", SmithDavidson Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2016 - "Artist’s Hand: Collectors’ Eye – The Angel Gift", National Gallery of Victoria,Melbourne, Australia
2012 - "Unique Perspectives – Papunya Tula Artists and The Alice Springs Community", Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs, Australia
2009 - "Pro Community - Papunya Tula Artists", Kunstwerk, Eberdingen-Nussdorf; Art Bar71, Berlin; VDMA, Frankfurt; Artkelch, Freiburg, Germany
2009 - "Painting the Country", Cross Cultural Art Exchange, Darwin, Australia
2008 - "Marrkangku Yara Palyantjaku Ngurrangka - Making Strong Paintings at Home", Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Australia
2008 - "The Other Thing - a survey show", Charles Darwin University Art Collection, Darwin, Australia
2008 - "Virtuosity: The Evolution of Painting at Papunya Tula," The Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA
2007 - "Pintupi – Mixed Exhibition", Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Australia
2007 - "Recent Paintings 2007", Cross Cultural Art Exchange, Darwin, Northern, Australia
2007 - "Gifted: Contemporary Aboriginal Art, The Mollie Gowing Acquisition Fund", Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
2006 - "Yawulyurru kapalilu palyara nintilpayi", Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Australia
2005 - "Pintupi Artists", Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Australia
2005 - The Desert Mob Art Show, Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs, Australia
2004 - "Pintupi Artists", Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Australia
2001 - "Twenty Five Years And Beyond - Papunya Tula Painting", The Araluen Centre, Alice Springs, Australia
2000 - "Pintupi Women", Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Australia
2000 - "Papunya Tula: Genesis and Genius", Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
1999 - "Twenty Five Years And Beyond - Papunya Tula Painting", Flinders University Art Museum, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
1996 - C.A.A.A.C.E., Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs, Australia
1996 - Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, Australia
1996 - "Dots", National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
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