Anatjari Tjakamarra Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Anatjari Tjakamarra Art Value Price Guide

Nov. 21, 2024
ANATJARI No.III TJAKAMARRA (1938-1992) Bush Tucker Dreaming 18 x 11 7/8 in (45.7 x 30.1 cm) (Painted in 1971)
Est: $30,000 - $50,000
ANATJARI No.III TJAKAMARRA (1938-1992) Bush Tucker Dreaming synthetic polymer paint on composition board 18 x 11 7/8 in (45.7 x 30.1 cm) Painted in 1971
Bonhams
Jun. 20, 2023
Anatjari Tjakamarra - Ngumulynga (Two Boys), 1974
Est: $12,000 - $18,000
'This painting represents the Dreamtime story of the "Two Boys" at a place called "Ngumulynga" ("Boy Place"). The main water at this place is a large soakage which is surrounded by rockholes. The two boys had followed the Kangaroo Dreaming from one hundred miles to the north and had finally given up stopping at "Ngumulynga" on their journey home. The lines connecting the circles are the tracks of the two boys as they walked around the camp - the tracks have become stone. These "Two Boys" are said to have carried potent napanpa - sacred objects - in their bodies, and therefore to have been powerful clever men'. Professor Fred Myers
Cooee Art
Mar. 22, 2023
ATTRIBUTED TO ANATJARI NO. III TJAKAMARRA, UNTITLED (CEREMONY), 1972
Est: $60,000 - $80,000
ATTRIBUTED TO ANATJARI NO. III TJAKAMARRA (c.1938 - 1992) UNTITLED (CEREMONY), 1972 synthetic polymer powder paint on composition board 53.5 x 34.0 cm PROVENANCE Private collection, Tasmania, acquired by the vendor's father at Papunya in the early 1970s Thence by descent Private collection, Victoria Deutscher and Hackett would like to thank John Kean and Luke Scholes for their assistance in cataloguing this work. ESSAY Described by Geoffrey Bardon as a man of wistful temperament, ‘slightly built with a particularly calm and gentle manner … very attentive and interested in what was going on but saying nothing.'1, Anatjari Tjakamarra was among the first of the Western Desert men to commence painting at Papunya in the Spring of 1971. Bardon recognised early that he was a painter of particular ability and by 1972, he had provided him with fine sable brushes that complemented his very fine line work. Anatjari occupied a particular place under the curved corrugated iron roof of the Nissen Hut that was the Men’s Painting Room – a place that ‘buzzed with excitement as men of high standing came together to paint a constellation of sites distributed across a broad band of country’2 and where Anatjari was able to observe the creative rush, individual styles and varied traditions that flourished in the early months of 1972. Anatjari and his family were amongst the last of the desert dwellers to be moved off their lands by the ‘Pintupi Patrols’ and relocated to Papunya in mid-1966. These last arrivals became fringe dwellers, resistant to assimilation and consequently, the least acculturated of the Papunya settlement, renowned for their uninterrupted deep cultural links and ritual authority. With the resurgence of interest in traditional culture which occurred in the late 1960s, the new Pintupi arrivals began to receive recognition as senior figures within the Papunya community. According to historian Dick Kimber, Anatjari was a ritually very correct, conservative man, with a great concern for country and the key influences on his work related to secret-sacred men’s activities.’3 The current attributed work, Untitled (Ceremony), 1972, was most likely painted in the first months of 1972, and illustrates a men’s ceremony at an unidentified site in the artist’s homelands, far to the west of Papunya in the Gibson Desert, Western Australia. Painted on a matte black ground, five roundels representing ceremonial sites create a vertical axis through the centre of the painting with men shown seated at these sites. Space is created in the composition by the careful separation of sites and related objects, all of which are depicted in fine detail. Bullroarers and other objects of varying designs are distributed throughout the composition. The painting is balanced with different elements repeated in the work – a characteristic that highlights the influence of Anmatyerre artist, Kaapa Tjampitjinpa. Despite coming from different cultural backgrounds, Anatjari’s art was heavily influenced by Kaapa; as John Kean notes, ‘Anatjari adopted Kaapa’s sparse background and shared his capacity for graphic precision, punctilious attention to detail and both artists express a similar meticulous sensibility.’4 Untitled (Ceremony) relates to other paintings by the artist such Ceremony, 1972, in the collection of the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, and Men’s Ceremony, 1971, formerly in the Laverty collection, Sydney 1. Bardon, G., and Bardon, J., Papunya, A Place made after the Story, The Miegunyah Press, Victoria, 2009, p. 71 2. Kean, J., ‘Framing Papunya Painting: Form, Style and Representation, 1971 – 72’ in Scholes, L. (ed.), Tjungunutja: From Having Come Together, Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory, Darwin, 2017, p. 192 3. Johnson, V., Lives of the Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, IAD Press, 2008, p. 7 4. Kean, op. cit., p. 179 CRISPIN GUTTERIDGE © Anatjari Tjakamarra, Copyright Agency, 2023
Deutscher and Hackett
Mar. 21, 2023
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA (c.1938-1992) Kuniya Kutjarra (Two Sandhill Pythons) c.1980 synthetic polymer paint on canvasboard
Est: $7,000 - $9,000
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA (c.1938-1992) Kuniya Kutjarra (Two Sandhill Pythons) c.1980 synthetic polymer paint on canvasboard 70 x 45cm PROVENANCE: Painted at Docker River, Northern Territory The Collection of Richard Hill, Docker River Private collection, Melbourne
Leonard Joel
Aug. 22, 2022
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA (c.1938-1992) (Pintupi Language Group) Kuniya Kutjarra (Two Sandhill Pythons) c.1980 synthetic polymer paint on...
Est: $9,000 - $12,000
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA (c.1938-1992) (Pintupi Language Group) Kuniya Kutjarra (Two Sandhill Pythons) c.1980 synthetic polymer paint on canvasboard 70 x 45cm PROVENANCE: Painted at Docker River, Northern Territory The Collection of Richard Hill, Docker River Private collection, Melbourne
Leonard Joel
Apr. 11, 2022
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA (c.1930-1992) Snake Dreaming at Kantawarrany 1978 synthetic polymer paint on canvasboard
Est: $8,000 - $12,000
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA (c.1930-1992) Snake Dreaming at Kantawarrany 1978 synthetic polymer paint on canvasboard 60.9 x 45.7cm PROVENANCE: The Collection of Ken Colbung c.1978 Mary Macha, Perth The Kelton Foundation, United States of America, acquired 1993
Leonard Joel
Nov. 20, 2021
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA (1927-1999) Untitled 1987
Est: $5,000 - $7,000
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA (1927-1999) Untitled 1987 acrylic on canvas 161.5 x 46cm inscribed verso: ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA catalogue no. AT811131 Papunya Tula Artists certificate of authenticity accompany's this work 163.5 x 46cm PROVENACE Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne
Gibson's
Oct. 24, 2018
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA 1930-1992 Tinikutinupa (Kangaroo Rat Dreaming) (Version 2) (1973) synthetic polymer paint on composition board 5...
Est: $60,000 - $80,000
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA 1930-1992 Tinikutinupa (Kangaroo Rat Dreaming) (Version 2) (1973) synthetic polymer paint on composition board 57.5 x 43 cm PROVENANCE Probably painted at Yai Yai, Northern Territory Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs (stock A730923) The Anvil Gallery, New South Wales Private Collection, Melbourne Important Aboriginal Art, Sotheby's Australia, Melbourne, 28 June 1999, lot 198, illustrated Private Collection, Melbourne, acquired from the above Aboriginal Art, Sotheby's Australia, Sydney, 28 July 2003, lot 232, illustrated Private Collection, Melbourne, acquired from the above LITERATURE Geoffrey Bardon and James Bardon, Papunya: A Place Made After the Story: The Beginnings of the Western Desert Painting Movement, The Miegunyah Press, Melbourne, 2004, p. 454 (illustrated)
Smith & Singer
Apr. 18, 2018
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA, (c.1930 – 1992), MEN’S CEREMONY, 1972, synthetic polymer powder paint on composition board
Est: $60,000 - $80,000
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA, (c.1930 – 1992), MEN’S CEREMONY, 1972, synthetic polymer powder paint on composition board DIMENSIONS: 97.0 x 60.5 cm PROVENANCE: Painted in Papunya, Northern Territory John Longley Snr, Melbourne, acquired in 1972 Thence by descent Private collection, Melbourne RELATED WORK: Men's Ceremony, 1971, synthetic polymer powder paint on composition board, 45.0 x 46.0 cm, formerly in the collection of Geoffrey Bardon, Papunya and The Laverty Collection, Sydney, illus. in Bardon, G., and Bardon, J., Papunya: A Place Made After the Story – The Beginnings of the Western Desert Painting Movement, The Miegunyah Press, Melbourne, 2004, painting 354, p. 398 Big Pintupi Ceremonial Occasion, 1972, 70.5 x 35.5 cm, formerly in the collection of Tony Norton and Jann Williams, illus. in Bardon, G., and Bardon, J., Papunya: A Place Made After the Story – The Beginnings of the Western Desert Painting Movement, The Miegunyah Press, Melbourne, 2004, painting 356, p. 394 (illus.) ESSAY: Under the provisions of the Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986, buyers may be required to obtain an export permit for certain categories of items in this sale. Information is available at http://arts.gov.au/movable or by contacting the Cultural Property Section: movable.heritage@arts.gov.au. Attention is drawn to clauses pertaining to export in Section 3 of the D+H prospective buyers and sellers guide: www.deutscherandhackett.com/content/buying-and-selling Described by Geoffrey Bardon as a man of wistful temperament, 'slightly built with a particularly calm and gentle manner … very attentive and interested in what was going on but saying nothing'1, Anatjari Tjakamarra was among the first of the Western Desert men to commence painting at Papunya in the Spring of 1971. Bardon recognised early that he was a painter of particular ability and by 1972 he had provided him with fine sable brushes that complemented his very fine line work. Anatjari occupied a particular place under the curved corrugated iron roof of the Nissen Hut that was the Men’s Painting Room. A place that ‘buzzed with excitement as men of high standing came together to paint a constellation of sites distributed across a broad band of country’2 and where Anatjari was able to observe the creative rush, individual styles and varied traditions that flourished in the early months of 1972. Anatjari and his family were amongst the last of the desert dwellers to be moved off their lands by the ‘Pintupi Patrols’ and relocated to Papunya in mid-1966. These last arrivals became fringe dwellers, resistant to assimilation and consequently the least acculturated of the Papunya settlement, renowned for their uninterrupted deep cultural links and ritual authority. With the resurgence of interest in traditional culture which occurred in the late 1960s, the new Pintupi arrivals began to receive recognition as senior figures within the Papunya community. According to historian Dick Kimber, Anatjari was a ritually very correct, conservative man, with a great concern for country and the key influences on his work related to secret-sacred men’s activities.3 The current work, Men’s Ceremony, 1972, was most likely painted in May – June 1972, and illustrates a major men’s ceremony at an unidentified site in the artist’s homelands, far to the west of Papunya in the Gibson Desert, Western Australia. Painted on a matte black ground, a ceremonial site dominates the centre of the painting with space created in the composition by the careful separation of sites and related sacred objects, all of which are depicted in fine detail. The entire work is bordered by two rows of bullroarers and ceremonial objects of varying designs and importance, including some of a sacred nature which are wrapped in string for concealment. The painting has a reflected symmetry with elements mirrored either side of a centreline defined by two string crosses. This compositional characteristic and the inclusion of a pair of painted ceremonial figures highlights the influence of Anmatyerre artist, Kaapa Tjampitjinpa. Despite coming from different cultural backgrounds, Anatjari’s art was heavily influenced by Kaapa and as John Kean noted, ‘Anatjari adopted Kaapa’s sparse background and shared his capacity for graphic precision, punctilious attention to detail and both artists express a similar meticulous sensibility’.4 From the variety of designs found depicted on the objects in this painting, it is possible that multiple stories are being recorded, but the final result is a work that re-traces and re-affirms the artist’s relationship with the land, its people and their mythologies. 1. Bardon, G., and Bardon, J., Papunya, A Place made after the Story, The Miegunyah Press, Victoria, 2009, p. 71 2. Kean J., ‘Framing Papunya Painting: Form, Style and Representation, 1971-72’ in Scholes L. (ed.), Tjungunutja: From Having Come Together, Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory, Darwin, 2017, p.192 3. Johnson, V., Lives of the Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, IAD Press, 2008, p. 7 4. Kean, J., in Scholes, L. (ed.), op. cit., p. 179 CRISPIN GUTTERIDGE
Deutscher and Hackett
Mar. 14, 2018
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA C. 1930-1992 | Ngaminya, Grandfather’s Country
Est: £100,000 - £150,000
Synthetic polymer paint on Belgian Linen
Sotheby's
May. 25, 2016
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA , (c.1930 1992), THE TINGARI AT YAWALYURRU, 1990 , synthetic polymer paint on canvas
Est: $30,000 - $50,000
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA , (c.1930 1992), THE TINGARI AT YAWALYURRU, 1990 , synthetic polymer paint on canvas SIGNED: bears inscription verso: artists name, title, date, location and East to West exhibition cat. 96 DIMENSIONS: 182.0 x 121.5 cm PROVENANCE: Commissioned by Duncan Kentish in Docker River, Northern Territory, 1990 Collection of the late Duncan Kentish, Adelaide EXHIBITED: East to West: Land in Papunya Tula Painting, Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide, 4 March 3 June 1990, cat. 96 LITERATURE: Kean, J., East to West: Land in Papunya Tula Painting, Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide, 1990, un-paginated, (Illus.) ESSAY: Anatjari Tjakamarra's homeland is nestled in sandhill country, south west of Karrkurutinya (Lake Macdonald), country that is dominated by geological features associated with the actions of Kuninka, the Western Quoll (Dasyurus geoffroii). Kuninka is a towering figure in the sacred epics of the Western Desert. His deeds are awe-inspiring, causing major landforms and inaugurating post-initiatory ceremonies coupled with the travelling Tingari ancestors. The narrative celebrated in Tingari at Yawalyurru illustrates the dramatic interaction of Kuninka, with the Tingari Men, at one of the most significant sites in Pintupi country.1The events come into focus when Kuninka became aware that the Tingari had stolen from his country near Karrkurutinya, spearing and eating an emu without consent. Determined to exact his revenge, Kuninka followed the travelling Tingari, and at Mintjirnga, climbed a hill and made smoke to signal his presence. Kuninka then continued south to Yawalyurru, where he sighted a puff of smoke rising from a small hole in the earth, indicating the location of the subterranean camp of the Tingari Men. When they failed to respond to his calls, Kuninka thrust his throwing stick into the ground with explosive force 'like dynamite'. Shaken, the Tingari climbed from the earth. Instead of seeing a host of men, they encountered Kuninka, sitting alone on the edge of a sandhill, remorseful for the havoc he had caused. Significantly, the Tingari left a trail of shiny, round deposits on the wall of their cave as they emerged. These dark forms became Yawalyurru, the tasty black currant that gives its name to the place. Kuninka then ordered the Tingari to leave the Yawalyurru and go to Kulkurta (the artist's birthplace). Kuninka's lust for revenge was finally sated when his sons destroyed the Tingari at Karrkurutinya with a deluge of hail and lightening.2 Anatjari has encoded the events at Yawalyurru within a constellation of interconnected concentric circles. The icon simultaneously represents the paths of Kuninka and the Tingari at Yawalyurru, and the body paint of the performers who re-enact these events in contemporary post-initiatory ceremonies. An exemplary practitioner of the classical Tingari motif, Anatjari here features roundels composed of up to twenty-three perfectly executed concentric circles, whose precision and amplitude is intended to convey the authority with which Anatjari approaches his subject. The rigorous austerity of the Tingari design is softened by the lightness of dotted florets, hovering within a (ceremonial) space, delineated by the interconnected site-path motif a pattern signifying the abundance of the bush fruit Yawalyurru, the growth of which is promoted by the performance of ceremony at this site. The weightless, shimmering power of this canvas marks Tingari at Yawalyurru as a major work by Anatjari Tjakamarra, a founding master of the art of the Western Desert. 1. Kimber, D., Anatjari Tjakamarra, in Tjukurrtjanu: Origins of Western Desert Art, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 2011, p. 72 2. Myers, F., Pintupi Country, Pintupi Self: Place and Politics Among Western Desert Aborigines, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington DC and Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra, 1986, pp.62-64 JOHN KEAN
Deutscher and Hackett
Sep. 24, 2015
ANATJARI No. 1 TJAMPITJINPA (1927-1999) Untitled 1987
Est: $8,000 - $12,000
ANATJARI No. 1 TJAMPITJINPA (1927-99) Untitled 1987 synthetic polymer paint on linen 181.0 x 120.5 cm inscribed on stretcher verso: 870659 ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA
Menzies
Jun. 10, 2015
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA CIRCA 1938-1992 | Kuningka (Western Quoll/Native Cat)
Est: £75,000 - £100,000
Bears artist’s name, title, catalogue number A731065 and date on Aboriginal Arts and Crafts Pty Ltd label on the reverse, together with a description of the story depicted and an annotated diagram
Sotheby's
Apr. 28, 2015
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA circa 1938-1992 Untitled (1972) synthetic polymer paint on composition board
Est: $80,000 - $120,000
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA circa 1938-1992 Untitled (1972) synthetic polymer paint on composition board 73.5 x 62 cm PROVENANCE Painted at Papunya, Northern Territory Stuart Art Centre, Alice Springs (stock 19329) Private Collection, acquired from the above in 1972 Important Aboriginal Art, Sotheby's Australia, Melbourne, 30 June 1997, lot 182, 'Untitled Tingari Painting' illustrated Private Collection, Melbourne, acquired from the above
Smith & Singer
Mar. 08, 2015
ANATJARI NO. III TJAKAMARRA, (c1938 - 1992), MEN'S CEREMONY, 1971, synthetic polymer powder paint on composition board
Est: $50,000 - $70,000
ANATJARI NO. III TJAKAMARRA, (c1938 - 1992), MEN'S CEREMONY, 1971, synthetic polymer powder paint on composition board SIGNED: annotated diagram attached verso DIMENSIONS: 45.0 x 46.0 cm EXHIBITED: The Bardon Collection - Early Papunya Paintings, Gabriella Roy, Cremorne Point, Sydney, date uncertain, cat. 2 A Century of Collecting 1901>2001, curated by Nick Waterlow, Ivan Dougherty Gallery, Sydney, 29 March - 28 April 2001 LITERATURE: Bardon, G., and Bardon, J., Papunya: A Place Made After the Story - The Beginnings of the Western Desert Painting Movement, The Miegunyah Press, Melbourne, 2004, painting 354, p. 398 (illus.) PROVENANCE: Geoffrey Bardon and James Bardon, Papunya Aboriginal and Pacific Arts, Sydney The Collection of Colin and Elizabeth Laverty, Sydney, purchased in September 1999
Deutscher and Hackett
Mar. 26, 2014
ANATJARI NO. III TJAKAMARRA c1938 - 1992, KUNINGKA, 1973, synthetic polymer powder paint on composition board
Est: $50,000 - $70,000
ANATJARI NO. III TJAKAMARRA c1938 - 1992, KUNINGKA, 1973, synthetic polymer powder paint on composition board SIGNED: inscribed verso: title, Papunya Tula Artist cat. A731078, and a large annotated diagram in Peter Fannin's hand on the reverse DIMENSIONS: 61.0 x 79.0 cm PROVENANCE: Probably painted at Yai-yai, the Pintupi outstation in October 1973 Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs Sotheby's, Melbourne, 9 July 2001, lot 113 Private collection, Melbourne ESSAYS: The original documentation accompanying this painting was recorded by Peter Fannin who had succeeded Geoffrey Bardon as the manager of Papunya Tula Artists. It identifies the subject as being the ancestral echidna or porcupine traveling between a cave near the present day Pintupi settlement of Walungurru (Kintore) to another in the east, as represented by the two large circles. The ceremonial associations of the work are indicated by the concentric roundels that refer to a variety of ritual designs painted onto the bodies of ceremonial participants. According to the anthropologist Professor Fred Myers who carried out extensive fieldwork with the artist, the subject of this work may relate to the Tarkurrnga narrative that takes an ancestral echidna from near Angus Hills to the east. However, Myers suggests that it is probable that the word 'Kuningka' was incorrectly heard by Fannin as 'Echidna', as the main subject of this painting is Kuningka the Native Cat who is not usually associated with Walungurru, though the ancestor is said to have visited the site of Tikatika to the southeast. Kuningka, 1973, relates to a later canvas by Anatjari about his major Dreamings: Big Map of Country, 1975, illustrated in Myers, F.R., Painting Culture: The Making of an Aboriginal High Art, Duke University Press, Durham and London, 2002, p. 105, pl. 4. This work connects the ancestral Native Cat to Kutungu the Snake Woman and a Tingarri man that is being chased by the Cat. Here, the Cat's tracks which traverse the canvas are drawn in a similar fashion to those joining the two larger roundels in Kuningka, 1973 (Myers, 2002, pp. 105-106). Kuningka is a recurring theme in Anatjari's paintings, however Geoffrey Bardon describes the ancestor that bears this name as a 'kangaroo rat' or hopping mouse (Bardon, G., and Bardon, J., Papunya, A Place Made After the Story: The Beginnings of the Western Desert Painting Movement, The Miegunyah Press, Melbourne, 2004, pp. 454-457). Anatjari usually renders the subject in a series of square or rectangular motifs as in Rat Kangaroo Dreaming, c1974, in the collection of the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, and Rat Kangaroo Dreaming, 1972, in the collection of the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, both illustrated in Perkins, H., and Fink, H. (eds), Papunya Tula: Genesis and Genius, Art Gallery of New South Wales in association with Papunya Tula Artists, Sydney, 2000, pp. 21 and 22 respectively; and 'Kuningka' Kangaroo Rat Dreaming (Version 3), 1973, illustrated in Bardon and Bardon, 2004, painting 430, p. 455.
Deutscher and Hackett
May. 28, 2013
Anatjari Tjakamarra 1930-1992 UNTITLED (TJUNTUPUL) (1988) synthetic polymer paint on canvas
Est: $12,000 - $18,000
Anatjari Tjakamarra 1930-1992 UNTITLED (TJUNTUPUL) (1988) synthetic polymer paint on canvas 152.8 X 61.3CM PROVENANCE Painted at Kintore, Northern Territory Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs (stock AT880490) Private Collection, Melbourne This painting is sold with a Papunya Tula Artists certificate
Smith & Singer
Nov. 19, 2012
Anatjari Tjakamarra (circa 1938-1992)
Est: £6,000 - £8,000
Wallaby Dreaming at Paranya bears Papunya Tula Artists catalogue number AT870489 on the reverse synthetic polymer paint on linen 121 x 91cm
Bonhams
Nov. 19, 2012
Anatjari Tjakamarra (circa 1938-1992)
Est: £8,000 - £12,000
Ngumulynga (Two Boys) synthetic polymer paint on canvas board 76 x 60.5cm
Bonhams
Oct. 15, 2012
Anatjari Tjakamarra circa 1938-1992 KUNIYA KUTJARRA (TWO SANDHILL PYTHONS) (CIRCA 1980) synthetic polymer paint on canvas board
Est: $12,000 - $18,000
Anatjari Tjakamarra circa 1938-1992 KUNIYA KUTJARRA (TWO SANDHILL PYTHONS) (CIRCA 1980) synthetic polymer paint on canvas board 60.9 X 45.7CM PROVENANCE Painted at Docker River, Northern Territory Richard Hill, Docker River Private Collection, Melbourne PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION, MELBOURNE
Smith & Singer
Oct. 15, 2012
Anatjari Tjakamarra circa 1938-1992 TINIKUTINUPA (KANGAROO RAT DREAMING) (VERSION 2) (1973) synthetic polymer paint on composition b...
Est: $80,000 - $120,000
Anatjari Tjakamarra circa 1938-1992 TINIKUTINUPA (KANGAROO RAT DREAMING) (VERSION 2) (1973) synthetic polymer paint on composition board 57.5 X 43CM PROVENANCE Probably painted at Yai Yai, Northern Territory Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs (stock A730923) The Anvil Gallery, New South Wales Private Collection, Melbourne Important Aboriginal Art, Sotheby's Australia, Melbourne, 28 June 1999, lot 198, illustrated Private Collection, Melbourne Aboriginal Art, Sotheby's Australia, Sydney, 28 July 2003, lot 232, illustrated Private Collection, Melbourne LITERATURE Geoffrey and James Bardon, Papunya: A Place Made After the Story: The Beginnings of the Western Desert Painting Movement, The Miegunyah Press, Melbourne, 2004, p. 454 (illustrated) PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION, MELBOURNE
Smith & Singer
Oct. 15, 2012
Anatjari Tjakamarra circa 1938-1992 SONS AND ORPHANS NEAR KURLKURTA (1984) synthetic polymer paint on linen
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
Anatjari Tjakamarra circa 1938-1992 SONS AND ORPHANS NEAR KURLKURTA (1984) synthetic polymer paint on linen 183 X 122CM PROVENANCE Painted at Kaltukatjara (Docker River), Northern Territory Duncan Kentish, Docker River Aboriginal Art, Sotheby's Australia, 29 June 1998, lot 123, illustrated Private Collection, Melbourne EXHIBITED East to West, Land in Papunya Tula Painting, Tandanya Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide Festival of the Arts, Adelaide, 1 March - 30 June 1990 Contemporary Aboriginal Painting from Australia, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 15 December 2009 - 27 June 2010 PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Smith & Singer
Oct. 15, 2012
Attributed to Anatjari Tjakamarra circa 1938-1992 KANILPA (COOLAMON) (1972-1973) carved wood and synthetic polymer paint
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
Attributed to Anatjari Tjakamarra circa 1938-1992 KANILPA (COOLAMON) (1972-1973) carved wood and synthetic polymer paint 71 X 25CM PROVENANCE Executed at Papunya, Northern Territory Ian Higgins, New South Wales PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF IAN HIGGINS, NEW SOUTH WALES
Smith & Singer
Oct. 15, 2012
Anatjari Tjakamarra circa 1938-1992 UNTITLED (TINGARI CEREMONY) (1972) synthetic polymer paint and natural earth pigments on composi...
Est: $50,000 - $70,000
Anatjari Tjakamarra circa 1938-1992 UNTITLED (TINGARI CEREMONY) (1972) synthetic polymer paint and natural earth pigments on composition board 46.5 X 31.5CM PROVENANCE Painted at Papunya. Northern Territory Stuart Art Centre, Alice Springs (stock 19181) Ian Higgins, New South Wales PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF IAN HIGGINS, NEW SOUTH WALES
Smith & Singer
Jun. 05, 2012
Anatjari Tjakamarra circa 1938-1992 TJUKURLA (NORTH OF DOCKER RIVER) (1990) synthetic polymer paint on linen
Est: $20,000 - $25,000
Anatjari Tjakamarra circa 1938-1992 TJUKURLA (NORTH OF DOCKER RIVER) (1990) synthetic polymer paint on linen 183 X 121CM PROVENANCE Papunya Tula Artists, Northern Territory (stock AT900430) Gabrielle Pizzi Gallery, Melbourne Private Collection, United States of America (1991) This painting is sold with a Papunya Tula certificate that reads in part: The roundels in this painting represent the many rockholes visited by the Tingari men during their travels from the west towards Tjukurla, north of Docker River. As the Tingari matters are of a secret sacred nature no further details were given. Anatjari Tjakamarra was one of the Pintupi men in the Papunya painting movement when it was established in 1971. In the early years of the movement he was noted for highly esoteric and minimal images featuring sets of concentric squares painted on board. These images largely refer to the Tingari ancestors of the Pintupi. Knowledge of the ancestral events of the Tingari is restricted to the highly esoteric realm of Pintupi religion, thus paintings made for the public domain which refer to these ancestors are rarely described in detail. The Tingari are normally described as two senior figures who travel across the desert accompanied by a group of people, creating sacred sites and laying down the laws that govern society and nature. In this work, for example, the roundels are described as the many rockholes visited by the Tingari Men during their travels from the west towards Tjukurla, north of Docker River, in the Petermann Ranges due west of Uluru (Ayers Rock). The sacred nature of the creative acts of the Tingari are suggested in paintings such as this where the artist's intention is not to depict events in a form of pictorial narrative, rather it is to convey to the viewer the power of ancestral forces within the land through the creation of a visually pulsating and shimmering painted surface. Wally Caruana PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Smith & Singer
Jun. 05, 2012
Anatjari Tjakamarra circa 1938-1992 TJIMANA (1991) synthetic polymer paint on linen
Est: $30,000 - $40,000
Anatjari Tjakamarra circa 1938-1992 TJIMANA (1991) synthetic polymer paint on linen 183 X 153CM PROVENANCE Painted at Kiwirrkura, Northern Territory Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs (stock AT910743) Private Collection, Italy This painting is sold with a Papunya Tula Artists certificate that reads: 'In this painting the artist depicts designs associated with the ancient mythological subject of the Tingari Cycle. The Tingari ancestors gathered at a site known as Tjimana west of the Tjukula Community. The roundels represent the rockhole sites visited as they travelled from Tjimana to the east. The lines connecting the roundels depict the path of travel as well as traditional body paint designs. Events associated with the Tingari Cycle are of a secret sacred nature therefore no further detail was given.' The mature works of Anatjari Tjakamarra exemplify the exacting austerity of traditional Pintupi/Winampa life. Anatjari's country is amongst the least accessible area in Western Australia. South west of Kaakurutinja (Lake Macdonald), it is concealed deep in rolling sandhills. His key sites Kurlkuta and Yawalyurru are both associated with the travelling Tingari ancestors. It was this isolation from European incursion that enabled Anatjari and his family to remain on their country well after most of their relatives had moved to the missions and government settlements that ringed the Western Desert. Ultimately however Anatjari and his family began the long walk out of the 'desert', before being picked up by vehicles from the Weapons Research Establishment, arriving at Papunya in 1966. (1) A man of few words, Anatjari rarely raised his voice above a whisper. Moving camp constantly, he maintained a respectful distance from Europeans. Though retiring, Anatjari was warm and self-assured, especially when requiring assistance to achieve his aims. Despite his relative unfamiliarity with settlement life, Anatjari was among the first Pintupi/Winampa artists to take up the brush. Remarkably it was just five years after he left his desert homeland, in 1971, when that opportunity arose. Painting enabled Anatjari and countrymen Uta Uta Tjangala and Lungkata Tjungurrayi to vividly recall the creative force of the land they had left behind. The medium allowed them to revisit their country through an incisive visual form. By singing 'songlines' while painting they were able to share the experience with others similarly isolated from the sites that enriched them. From his first spidery works, painted with ochre and school paints on scraps of recycled board, Anatjari's works are characterized by their extraordinary focus. It was this intensity expressed through an unequalled mastery of the medium that made him one of the most distinctive and sought after of the first generation of Papunya Tula Artists. Throughout his career Anatjari produced exquisitely crafted, hypnotic works. He was the master of the concentric circle, producing densely packed perfect roundels. Anatjari possessed a sense of line and space so finely attuned that the positive and negative spaces in his compositions are equal balanced, vibrating with the ever-shifting intensity of the best Islamic art. While his early paintings showed the tracks of the ancestors and the ceremonial objects associated with their rituals, Anatjari's mature works eschewed representation. This later period is exemplified by exquisitely poised compositions where illustrative elements are replaced by highly encrypted symbols of the Tingari. Anatjari and his peers were generally unwilling to provide much detail about the episode of a particular work however the Papunya Tula Artists' documentation that accompanies Tjimana provides the following gloss. 'Generally the Tingari are a group of mythical characters of the Dreaming, who travelled over vast stretches of country, performing rituals and creating and shaping particular sites… These mythologies form part of the teachings of the post-initiate youths today…' Rather than providing a pictorial encapsulation of the narrative, Tjimana, is a mesmerizing distillation of the Tingari ceremonies associated with the site of that name. The luminous, shimmering surface of the work is a meticulously created manifestation of ancestral power, intentionally impenetrable to anyone who has not been inducted into the metaphysical world of men's ritual. Anatjari's painting has its source in the exacting performance of Tingari ritual. The exemplary execution is apparent in Tjimana - reiterating the precision required for the production of tightly incised ritual objects that lie at the heart of ceremonial practice. In 1989 Anatjari Tjakamarra was represented in the exhibition Papunya Tula at John Webber Gallery, New York, from which the Metropolitan Museum of Art purchased, Tingari Cycle Dreaming. The following year the artist presented a solo exhibition at the John Webber Gallery. John Kean (1) Vivien Johnson, Lives of the Papunya Tula Artists, IAD Press, Alice Springs, 2008, p. 7 OTHER NOTES GST is applicable to hammer price of this lot PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION, ITALY
Smith & Singer
May. 18, 2011
ANATJARI NO. III TJAKAMARRA WOMEN'S STORY, 1972
Est: $150,000 - $200,000
ANATJARI NO. III TJAKAMARRA WOMEN'S STORY, 1972 74.0 x 35.5 cm synthetic polymer powder paint on composition board
Deutscher and Hackett
Jul. 26, 2010
Anatjari Tjakamarra, circa 1930-1992, MEN'S CORROBOREE DREAMING IN A CAVE
Est: $8,000 - $12,000
Anatjari Tjakamarra, circa 1930-1992, MEN'S CORROBOREE DREAMING IN A CAVE synthetic polymer paint on composition board 50. 5 BY 45CM Provenance: Commissioned by Geoffrey Bardon at Yaiayi in 1974 Mr Reg Brabham Utopia Art Sydney Private collectionThis painting is sold with accompanying notes signed by Geoffrey Bardon with
Smith & Singer
Jul. 26, 2010
Anatjari Tjakamarra, circa 1930-1992, STORY OF A WOMAN'S CAMP AND THE ORIGIN OF DAMPER 1973
Est: $150,000 - $250,000
Anatjari Tjakamarra, circa 1930-1992, STORY OF A WOMAN'S CAMP AND THE ORIGIN OF DAMPER 1973 synthetic polymer powder paint on composition board bears consignment number A731104 on the reverse 122 BY 92CM Provenance: Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs Private collection Sotheby's, Important Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 29 June 1998, lot 48
Smith & Singer
Oct. 20, 2008
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA , CIRCA 1930-1992 RAT KANGAROO DREAMING Synthetic polymer paint on composition board
Est: $60,000 - $80,000
Inscribed 'sold Fannin phot' and numbered in chalk '19332A' on the reverse Synthetic polymer paint on composition board
Sotheby's
Jul. 21, 2008
TJAKAMA A ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA Papunya NT (1930/38
Est: $10,000 - $15,000
TJAKAMA A ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA Papunya NT (1930/38 - 1992) Corrobboree for Doctor Men Jambajimba and Jabaljari 1972 acrylic on board 45 x 15. 5 cm Provenance: Stuart Art Centre NT 1972 painting 14 consignment 15. Private collection. Sotheby's Melbourne 10th Anniversary Auction July 2006 lot 83. Tineriba Fine Arts SA.
Leonard Joel
Nov. 25, 2007
c - ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA , CIRCA 1930-1992 MALA (ROCK WALLABY) AT WINGANJIRINYA Synthetic polymer paint on canvas board
Est: $8,000 - $12,000
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas board
Sotheby's
Jul. 24, 2007
c - ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA , UNTITLED (WALLABY STORY) 1972
Est: $15,000 - $20,000
Bears Stuart Art Centre consignment number 18040 on the reverse Synthetic polymer paint on composition board
Sotheby's
Jul. 24, 2007
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA , TINGARI MEN'S TRAVELS FROM KULKUTA TOWARD LAKE MACDONALD 1990
Est: $100,000 - $150,000
Bears Papunya Tula Artists catalogue number AT900918 on the reverse Synthetic polymer paint on linen
Sotheby's
Jul. 24, 2007
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA , LIZARD STORY 1972
Est: $8,000 - $12,000
Bears Stuart Centre label with artist's name 'Anatara No.3(sic),' and consignment number 17038 on reverse of frame Synthetic polymer paint on composition board
Sotheby's
Jul. 24, 2007
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA , THE TINGARI AT YAWALYURRU 1990
Est: $50,000 - $70,000
Bears artist's name, 'Docker River', and 'Commissioned by Duncan Kentish' on the reverse of the painting, and 'East to West' exhibition name, catalogue number (96), location (Tandanya 1990), title and date of work on the reverse of the stretcher Synthetic polymer paint on linen
Sotheby's
Jul. 24, 2007
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA , THE TINGARI AT YAWALYURRU 1987
Est: $50,000 - $70,000
Bears 'East to West' exhibition name, catalogue number (95), location (Tandanya 1990) and title on the reverse of the stretcher, and Papunya Tula Artists catalogue number AT870668 Synthetic polymer paint on canvas
Sotheby's
Oct. 31, 2006
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA
Est: $2,000 - $4,000
CIRCA 1930-1992 THE ROCKHOLE SITE OF WAKULLA 1987 THE ROCKHOLE SITE OF WAKULLA 1987 79 by 40.5 cm Synthetic polymer paint on linen PROVENANCE Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs Sotheby's, Fine Aboriginal and Contemporary Art, Melbourne, 17 June 1996, lot 3 Private collection, Melbourne NOTE This painting is sold with an accompanying Papunya Tula Artists certificate
Sotheby's
Jul. 31, 2006
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA CIRCA 1930-1992
Est: $30,000 - $40,000
TINGARI MEN TRAVELING TO LAKE MACDONALD 1989 MEASUREMENTS 183 by 152 cm Bears artist's name, size and Papunya Tula Artists catalogue number AT890610 on the reverse PROVENANCE Painted at Kiwirrkura in June 1989 Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs Private collection, Canberra John Weber Gallery, New York Private collection, London Cf. For a related painting see 'Artist's country near Kurlkurta', 1988, in Morphy, H. and M. Smith Boles (eds.), Art from the Land: Dialogues with the Kluge-Ruhe collection of Australian Aboriginal art, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA, 1999, p.242, plate 8.30, illus.; and for an extensive discussion of the artist's early paintings see Bardon, G. and J. Bardon, Papunya, A Place Made After the Story: The Beginnings of the Western Desert Painting Movement, The Miegunyah Press, Melbourne, 2004; and Myers, F.R., Painting Culture: The Making of an Aboriginal High Art, Duke University Press, Durham and London, 2002 (Myers refers to the artist as Yanyatjarri Tjakamarra). See also: Perkins, H. and H. Fink (eds.), Papunya Tula: Genesis and Genius, Art Gallery of New South Wales in association with Papunya Tula Artists, Sydney, 2000; and Ryan, J., Mythscapes: Aboriginal Art of the Desert from the National Gallery of Victoria, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 1989 An excellent example of the highly formal and geometric Pintupi style in paintings related to the Tingari ancestors and perfected by artists such as Anatjari Tjakamarra. The regular and symmetrical composition reflects the ordered nature of the creation of the landscape replete with freshwater sources and sites of ancestral significance. This work refers to the travels of a group of Tingari Men from Kulkuta east to Kaakuratintja (Lake MacDonald) This painting is sold with an accompanying certificate from Papunya Tula Artists
Sotheby's
Jul. 31, 2006
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA CIRCA 1930-1992
Est: $50,000 - $70,000
KUNINGKA STORY 1973 MEASUREMENTS 61 by 79 cm Bears Papunya Tula Artists catalogue number A731078, titled (Porcupine Danger Men Only) and a large annotated diagram in Peter Fannin's hand on the reverse Synthetic polymer paint on composition board PROVENANCE Most probably painted at the Pintupi outstation of Yai-Yai, in October 1973 Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs Private collection, Sydney Sotheby's Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 9 July 2001, lot 113 Private collection, Victoria Cf. For another painting executed by the artist during October 1973, that was featured on the cover of the catalogue and is representative of the Kuningka (native cat or quoll) Ancestor, see Sotheby's Important Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 29 June 1998, lot 101 The diagram on the reverse indicates that the two larger circular motifs represent caves, where the animal, as indicated by its footprints, travelled from a cave in the Kintore Range towards the east. The various concentric circular designs surrounding are representative of different body paint designs for the ceremony According to anthropologist, Professor Fred Myers, who carried out extensive field work with the artist, this story may be part of the Tarkurrnga Story which involves an Echidna near Angus Hills and then goes eastward It is most probable that the word 'Kuningka' was incorrectly heard by Fannin as 'echidna' and that this painting is a further aspect of the artist's Kuningka Dreaming story. According to Myers, the Kuningka is not generally in the Kintore range area, however, the native cat (Kuningka) goes to Tikatika (south east of Kintore) where he finds that someone has speared and cooked an emu, which makes him angry before he goes west
Sotheby's
Jul. 25, 2005
ATTRIBUTED TO EITHER FREDDY WEST TJAKAMARRA CIRCA 1930-1995 OR ANATJARI TJAMPITJINPA CIRCA
Est: $3,000 - $5,000
ATTRIBUTED TO EITHER FREDDY WEST TJAKAMARRA CIRCA 1930-1995 OR ANATJARI TJAMPITJINPA CIRCA 1927-1999 UNTITLEDE CARRYING DISH C.1977 Synthetic polymer paint on carved wood
Sotheby's
Jul. 25, 2005
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA CIRCA 1930-1992 UNTITLED 1972
Est: $30,000 - $50,000
Synthetic polymer powder paint on composition board Provenance
Sotheby's
Oct. 12, 2004
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA (CIRCA 1930-1992)
Est: £50,000 - £70,000
Untitled With Stuart Art Centre Artists Number 19089 (on th reverse) synthetic polymer paint on board 57 x 46.5 cm This board is consignment 19 to the Stuart Art Centre in Alice Springs. There were 19 consignments in total, although undted, all fall between July 1971 and August 1972
Christie's
Jul. 26, 2004
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA, CIRCA 1930-1992 YARRANYANGA 1989 152 by 122 cm Synthetic polymer paint on linen Bears artist's name, size and Papunya Tula Artists catalogue number AT890465 on the reverse Provenance: Painted in 1989 at Kiwirrkura for Papunya
Est: $100,000 - $150,000
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA, CIRCA 1930-1992 YARRANYANGA 1989 152 by 122 cm Synthetic polymer paint on linen Bears artist's name, size and Papunya Tula Artists catalogue number AT890465 on the reverse Provenance: Painted in 1989 at Kiwirrkura for Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne Private collection, Melbourne Cf. Women's Dreaming at Wakulangna, 1991, illustrated in Crossroads, Toward a New Reality: from Australia, The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, 1992, p.92, pl.64 This painting is sold with an accompanying certificate from Papunya Tula Artists that reads: 'The site of Yarranyanga, a claypan with a number of small rockholes in sandhill country to the south of Kintore, near Tjukula is depicted in this work. In ancestral times a group of Tingari Men travelled through this area before continuing east. Because of the secret nature of events associated with the Tingari Cycle, no further detail was given. Generally, the Tingari are a group of ancestors who travelled over vast stretches of the country, performing rituals and creating and shaping particular sites. The Tingari men were usually followed by Tingari women and accompanied by novices and their travels and adventures are enshrined in a number of song cycles. These mythologies form part of the teachings of the post-initiate youths today as well as providing explanations for contemporary events'. A fine example of the artist's esoteric Tingari cycle images It is closely related to many of the works included in his solo exhibition of 1989 at the John Webber Gallery, New York, from which the Metropolitan Museum of Art acquired Tingari Cycle Dreaming, the first contemporary work of to enter the Museum's collection.
Sotheby's
Jul. 26, 2004
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA CIRCA 1930-1992 ORIGINS OF SOAKAGES 1973 92 by 22.5 cm Synthetic polymer paint on composition board Bears Papunya Tula Artist's catalogue number A730808 on the reverse Provenance: Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs Private
Est: $8,000 - $12,000
ANATJARI TJAKAMARRA CIRCA 1930-1992 ORIGINS OF SOAKAGES 1973 92 by 22.5 cm Synthetic polymer paint on composition board Bears Papunya Tula Artist's catalogue number A730808 on the reverse Provenance: Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs Private collection, Victoria Sotheby's Fine Australian, Aboriginal and International Paintings, Melbourne, 22-23 November 1999, Lot 478 Private collection, Melbourne This painting is sold with an accompanying Papunya Tula Artists card with a hand drawn annotated diagram that reads as follows: 'The sand hills are shown small, the soak large. This reflects their importance to the Pintupi econom (sic). The story tells of how the soaks came about. It is a man's story. The bullroarers warn women away.'
Sotheby's