Eileen Napaltjarri
Encyclopedia
Eileen Napaltjarri is a Pintupi
-speaking Indigenous artist
from Australia's
Western Desert
region. Eileen Napaltjarri, also known as Anyima Napaltjarri or Nanyuma Napaltjarri, began painting for Papunya Tula
artists' cooperative in 1996. She was named as one of Australian Art Collector magazine's 50 Most Collectible artists in 2008; her works are held by the National Gallery of Australia
and the Art Gallery of New South Wales
.
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Born at Haasts Bluff, Northern Territory
in 1956, daughter of Charlie Tarawa Tjungurrayi (aka Charlie Tararu Tjungurayi), one of the founding members of Papunya Tula Artists, and Tatali Nangala, Eileen was the only one of seven siblings to follow her parents' advice and take up painting. She was reportedly the only one still alive by 2008.
. Their work, which used acrylic paints to create designs representing body painting and ground sculptures, rapidly spread across Indigenous communities of central Australia, particularly following the commencement of a government-sanctioned art program in central Australia in 1983. By the 1980s and 1990s, such work was being exhibited internationally. The first artists, including all of the founders of the Papunya Tula
artists' company, had been men, and there was resistance amongst the Pintupi men of central Australia to women painting. However, there was also a desire amongst many of the women to participate, and in the 1990s large numbers of them began to create paintings. In the western desert communities such as Kintore, Yuendumu, Balgo, and on the outstations
, people were beginning to create art works expressly for exhibition and sale.
, of which her father had been one of the founders in the early 1970s. Sources differ on when her work for Papunya Tula became regular, with Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi
placing this at 1999, while Vivien Johnson, in her survey Lives of the Papunya Tula Artists, suggests 2002. As of 2010, Eileen had held two solo exhibitions, the second at Utopia Art Sydney.
Eileen won the "emerging artist" category of the Redlands Westac Art Prize in 2005. In 2006, journalist and writer Nicholas Rothwell named her as the successor to Papunya Tula's most significant founding women: Makinti Napanangka
, Wintjiya Napaltjarri
and Tjunkiya Napaltjarri
. Australian Art Collector
magazine, in its annual survey of Australian art, included Eileen in its 50 Most Collectable Artists for 2008. Works by Eileen are held by the Art Gallery of New Wales, and the National Gallery of Australia.
Napaltjarri paints sites associated with both her mother's country around Kintore, Northern Territory
, and her father's country, Tjitururrnga (or Tjiturrulpa), to the west of Kintore.
Pintupi language
Pintupi is an indigenous Australian language. It is one of the Wati languages of the large Southwest branch of the Pama–Nyungan family. It is one of the varieties of the Western Desert Language ....
-speaking Indigenous artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
from Australia's
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
Western Desert
Western Desert cultural bloc
The Western Desert cultural bloc or just Western Desert is a cultural region in Australia covering about 600,000 square kilometres, including the Gibson Desert, the Great Victoria Desert, the Great Sandy and Little Sandy Deserts in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia...
region. Eileen Napaltjarri, also known as Anyima Napaltjarri or Nanyuma Napaltjarri, began painting for Papunya Tula
Papunya Tula
Papunya Tula, or Papunya Tula Artists Pty Ltd, is an artist cooperative formed in 1972 that is owned and operated by Aboriginal people from the Western Desert of Australia. The group is known for its innovative work with the Western Desert Art Movement, popularly referred to as "dot painting"...
artists' cooperative in 1996. She was named as one of Australian Art Collector magazine's 50 Most Collectible artists in 2008; her works are held by the National Gallery of Australia
National Gallery of Australia
The National Gallery of Australia is the national art gallery of Australia, holding more than 120,000 works of art. It was established in 1967 by the Australian government as a national public art gallery.- Establishment :...
and the Art Gallery of New South Wales
Art Gallery of New South Wales
The Art Gallery of New South Wales , located in The Domain in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, was established in 1897 and is the most important public gallery in Sydney and the fourth largest in Australia...
.
Life
Haasts Bluff, Northern Territory
Haasts Bluff, also known as Ikuntji, is an Indigenous Australian community in Central Australia, a region of the Northern Territory. The community is located in the MacDonnell Shire local government area, west of Alice Springs...
in 1956, daughter of Charlie Tarawa Tjungurrayi (aka Charlie Tararu Tjungurayi), one of the founding members of Papunya Tula Artists, and Tatali Nangala, Eileen was the only one of seven siblings to follow her parents' advice and take up painting. She was reportedly the only one still alive by 2008.
Marriage discrepancies
In 2008, researcher Vivien Johnson reported that she married Puuna Tjakamarra, and had two children, William Tjupurrula and Sharon Napurrula, as well as an adopted son, Jeffrey. However, journalist Nicholas Rothwell in 2006 stated that Eileen's husband was named Kenny Williams Tjampitjinpa.Background
Contemporary Indigenous art of the western desert began in 1971 when Indigenous men at Papunya created murals and canvases using western art materials, assisted by teacher Geoffrey BardonGeoffrey Bardon
Geoffrey Robert Bardon AM 1940, Sydney – 6 May 2003) was an Australian school teacher who was instrumental in creating the Aboriginal art of the Western Desert movement, and in bringing Australian indigenous art to the attention of the world....
. Their work, which used acrylic paints to create designs representing body painting and ground sculptures, rapidly spread across Indigenous communities of central Australia, particularly following the commencement of a government-sanctioned art program in central Australia in 1983. By the 1980s and 1990s, such work was being exhibited internationally. The first artists, including all of the founders of the Papunya Tula
Papunya Tula
Papunya Tula, or Papunya Tula Artists Pty Ltd, is an artist cooperative formed in 1972 that is owned and operated by Aboriginal people from the Western Desert of Australia. The group is known for its innovative work with the Western Desert Art Movement, popularly referred to as "dot painting"...
artists' company, had been men, and there was resistance amongst the Pintupi men of central Australia to women painting. However, there was also a desire amongst many of the women to participate, and in the 1990s large numbers of them began to create paintings. In the western desert communities such as Kintore, Yuendumu, Balgo, and on the outstations
Outstation movement
The Outstation movement refers to the relocation of Indigenous Australians from towns to remote outposts on traditional tribal land.As described in the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody a range of problems faced Aboriginal people living in towns.During the 1980s a number of groups...
, people were beginning to create art works expressly for exhibition and sale.
Career
She first began painting in 1996, aged 40, for Papunya TulaPapunya Tula
Papunya Tula, or Papunya Tula Artists Pty Ltd, is an artist cooperative formed in 1972 that is owned and operated by Aboriginal people from the Western Desert of Australia. The group is known for its innovative work with the Western Desert Art Movement, popularly referred to as "dot painting"...
, of which her father had been one of the founders in the early 1970s. Sources differ on when her work for Papunya Tula became regular, with Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi
Gabrielle Pizzi
Gabrielle Pizzi was an Australian art dealer who promoted Aboriginal art from the Western Desert from the early 1980s.-Early life:Born Gabrielle Wren, in Sydney she moved to Hobart when she was five years old...
placing this at 1999, while Vivien Johnson, in her survey Lives of the Papunya Tula Artists, suggests 2002. As of 2010, Eileen had held two solo exhibitions, the second at Utopia Art Sydney.
Eileen won the "emerging artist" category of the Redlands Westac Art Prize in 2005. In 2006, journalist and writer Nicholas Rothwell named her as the successor to Papunya Tula's most significant founding women: Makinti Napanangka
Makinti Napanangka
Makinti Napanangka was a Pintupi-speaking Indigenous Australian artist from Australia's Western Desert region...
, Wintjiya Napaltjarri
Wintjiya Napaltjarri
Wintjiya Napaltjarri , and also known as Wintjia Napaltjarri No. 1, is a Pintupi-speaking Indigenous artist from Australia's Western Desert region...
and Tjunkiya Napaltjarri
Tjunkiya Napaltjarri
Tjunkiya Napaltjarri was a Pintupi-speaking Indigenous artist from Australia's Western Desert region...
. Australian Art Collector
Australian Art Collector
Australian Art Collector is a quarterly art magazine. It primarily covers Australian contemporary and Indigenous art, but also occasionally features New Zealand and international artists.-Publication:...
magazine, in its annual survey of Australian art, included Eileen in its 50 Most Collectable Artists for 2008. Works by Eileen are held by the Art Gallery of New Wales, and the National Gallery of Australia.
Napaltjarri paints sites associated with both her mother's country around Kintore, Northern Territory
Kintore, Northern Territory
Kintore is a remote settlement in the Northern Territory of Australia, located approximately 530 km west of Alice Springs and close to the border with Western Australia. At the 2001 census, Kintore had a population of 691, of which 95% identified themselves as Aboriginal...
, and her father's country, Tjitururrnga (or Tjiturrulpa), to the west of Kintore.