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Emily Kame Kngwarreye 1910 - 1996
Représenté par:
SmithDavidson Gallery
"We didn’t have any tents — we lived in shelters made of grass. When it was raining the grass was roughly thrown together for shelter. That was in the olden time, a long time ago."
Emily Kame Kngwarreye is widely regarded as one of the most significant contemporary Australian artists and one of the most celebrated First Nations painters. Born in Alhalkere, in the Northern Territory, she lived most of her life in the Utopia region. Before becoming an artist, she worked as a camel driver and stock-hand, an unusual path for a woman at the time.
Her artistic journey began late in life. At nearly 80 years old, Emily joined the Utopia Women’s Batik Group in 1978 and transitioned to painting in 1988 through a landmark project led by the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association. Her debut painting, Emu Woman, revealed her immense talent and marked the beginning of a prolific, yet brief seven-year painting career.
Emily’s work is known for its vibrant color palettes, abstract forms, and deep connection to her ancestral land and culture. She developed a distinctive style, often referred to as "dump-dump," using wide brushstrokes and layered dots to represent elements of landscapes and vegetation. Later, she preferred minimalist line paintings inspired by traditional body art. Her celebrated Big Yam Dreaming (1995) exemplifies this evolution.
Emily Kame Kngwarreye is widely regarded as one of the most significant contemporary Australian artists and one of the most celebrated First Nations painters. Born in Alhalkere, in the Northern Territory, she lived most of her life in the Utopia region. Before becoming an artist, she worked as a camel driver and stock-hand, an unusual path for a woman at the time.
Her artistic journey began late in life. At nearly 80 years old, Emily joined the Utopia Women’s Batik Group in 1978 and transitioned to painting in 1988 through a landmark project led by the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association. Her debut painting, Emu Woman, revealed her immense talent and marked the beginning of a prolific, yet brief seven-year painting career.
Emily’s work is known for its vibrant color palettes, abstract forms, and deep connection to her ancestral land and culture. She developed a distinctive style, often referred to as "dump-dump," using wide brushstrokes and layered dots to represent elements of landscapes and vegetation. Later, she preferred minimalist line paintings inspired by traditional body art. Her celebrated Big Yam Dreaming (1995) exemplifies this evolution.
Oeuvres d'art
Articles
Médias
Points forts
Recommandations
Collections
Expositions
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Oeuvres de Emily Kame Kngwarreye
Médias
Portrait of Emily Kame Kngwarreye
(Indigenous Australian (Anmatyerr), 1910 - 1996)
expositions
Dans la collection corporative:
University of Wollongong Art Collection, the Australian Government
The Menil Collection, Houston
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Emily Kame Kngwarreye was one of the founders of Indigenous Women’s art in the Eastern and Central Deserts of Australia, but her impact transcends national borders. Outside of Australia, Kngwarreye’s work increasingly received the recognition it deserves. Her work is included in both private and public collections worldwide and has been exhibited in major solo and group exhibitions in various art galleries and prominent museums.
In 2008, the National Art Center in Tokyo opened the major retrospective "Utopia: the Genius of Emily Kam Kngwarray", the largest collection of works by a single Australian artist ever exhibited outside Australia, with an estimated value of no less than $30,000,000. Her masterpiece "Earth's Creation" (4 panels, each 275 x 160 cm) has been exhibited at the Central Pavilion of the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015. In that same year, her work was part of the "Signs & Traces" exhibition in Poznan, Poland.
Recently, the Tate Modern announced that it will stage a major solo exhibition dedicated to Emily Kame Kngwarreye. Organised in close collaboration with the National Gallery of Australia (NGA), this will be the first large-scale presentation of Kngwarreye’s work ever held in Europe, providing a rare opportunity for international audiences to learn more about this celebrated painter. This exhibition is now on view and affirms her legacy as a pioneering force in Australian First Nations art.
In 2008, the National Art Center in Tokyo opened the major retrospective "Utopia: the Genius of Emily Kam Kngwarray", the largest collection of works by a single Australian artist ever exhibited outside Australia, with an estimated value of no less than $30,000,000. Her masterpiece "Earth's Creation" (4 panels, each 275 x 160 cm) has been exhibited at the Central Pavilion of the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015. In that same year, her work was part of the "Signs & Traces" exhibition in Poznan, Poland.
Recently, the Tate Modern announced that it will stage a major solo exhibition dedicated to Emily Kame Kngwarreye. Organised in close collaboration with the National Gallery of Australia (NGA), this will be the first large-scale presentation of Kngwarreye’s work ever held in Europe, providing a rare opportunity for international audiences to learn more about this celebrated painter. This exhibition is now on view and affirms her legacy as a pioneering force in Australian First Nations art.
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Selected Collections
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Australia
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, Australia
Parliament House Art Collection, Canberra, Australia
Campbelltown City Art Gallery, Sydney, Australia
Benalla Art Gallery, Victoria, Australia
Allen, Allen & Hemsley, Sydney, Australia
BP Australia, Australia
Transfield Collection, Sydney, Australia
The Collection of Colin & Elizabeth Laverty, Sydney, Australia
The Kasumi Co. Collection, Japan
Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA
Collection of Steve Martin & Anne Stringfield, New York, USA
Kelton Foundation, California, USA
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Hank Ebes Collection, Melbourne, Australia
Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia
Artbank, Sydney, Australia
Donald Kahn Collection, Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami, USA
Fred Torres Collection, Australia
The Luczo Family Collection, USA
Auckland City Art Gallery, New Zealand
The Robert Holmes à Court Collection, Perth, Australia
Fondation Burkhardt-Felder Arts et Culture, La Grange, Motiers, Switzerland
Thomas Vroom Collection, The Netherlands
Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
Museum of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
ATSIC Collection, Canberra, Australia
Kaplan and Levi Collection, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, USA
The Araluen Centre of Arts and Entertainment, Alice Springs, Australia
Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia
University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
University of Sydney Union, Sydney, Australia
University of New England, Maine, Australia
Victoria University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
Flinders University Art Museum, Adelaide, Australia
Dr Peter Elliot Collection, Sydney, Australia
Delmore Collection, Alice Springs, Australia
Chartwell Collection, Waikato Museum of Art and History, Te Whare Taonga, Waikato, New Zealand
The Vatican Collection, Vatican City
TarraWarra Museum of Art, Healesville, Australia
Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia
Jacqui McPhee Collection, Perth, Australia
Stefano Spaccapietra Collection, Switzerland
Sol LeWitt Collection, New York, USA
Art Gallery of Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
Bendigo Art Gallery, Bendigo, Australia
Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Perth, Australia
The Oval Paintings Collection, Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaï
SmithDavidson Collection, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
National Museum of Australia, Canberra, Australia
Musee du Quai Branly, Paris, France
Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Australia
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Australia
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, Australia
Parliament House Art Collection, Canberra, Australia
Campbelltown City Art Gallery, Sydney, Australia
Benalla Art Gallery, Victoria, Australia
Allen, Allen & Hemsley, Sydney, Australia
BP Australia, Australia
Transfield Collection, Sydney, Australia
The Collection of Colin & Elizabeth Laverty, Sydney, Australia
The Kasumi Co. Collection, Japan
Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA
Collection of Steve Martin & Anne Stringfield, New York, USA
Kelton Foundation, California, USA
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Hank Ebes Collection, Melbourne, Australia
Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia
Artbank, Sydney, Australia
Donald Kahn Collection, Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami, USA
Fred Torres Collection, Australia
The Luczo Family Collection, USA
Auckland City Art Gallery, New Zealand
The Robert Holmes à Court Collection, Perth, Australia
Fondation Burkhardt-Felder Arts et Culture, La Grange, Motiers, Switzerland
Thomas Vroom Collection, The Netherlands
Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
Museum of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
ATSIC Collection, Canberra, Australia
Kaplan and Levi Collection, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, USA
The Araluen Centre of Arts and Entertainment, Alice Springs, Australia
Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia
University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
University of Sydney Union, Sydney, Australia
University of New England, Maine, Australia
Victoria University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
Flinders University Art Museum, Adelaide, Australia
Dr Peter Elliot Collection, Sydney, Australia
Delmore Collection, Alice Springs, Australia
Chartwell Collection, Waikato Museum of Art and History, Te Whare Taonga, Waikato, New Zealand
The Vatican Collection, Vatican City
TarraWarra Museum of Art, Healesville, Australia
Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia
Jacqui McPhee Collection, Perth, Australia
Stefano Spaccapietra Collection, Switzerland
Sol LeWitt Collection, New York, USA
Art Gallery of Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
Bendigo Art Gallery, Bendigo, Australia
Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Perth, Australia
The Oval Paintings Collection, Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaï
SmithDavidson Collection, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
National Museum of Australia, Canberra, Australia
Musee du Quai Branly, Paris, France
Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Australia
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