Indigenous Australian Art Collection Namatjira Story
Irene Entata, Arrernte/Luritja people, Australia 1946–2014 / Albert and Rex painting 2003 / Synthetic polymer paint on linen / Purchased 2003. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery / © The artist / View full image
When
17 Jun 2017 – 22 Nov 2020
Where
Queensland Art Gallery, Gallery 1 & 2 & Gallery 2
About
Albert Namatjira (1902–59) was a Western Arrernte-speaking artist from the MacDonnell Ranges, west of Alice Springs in Central Australia. His Western-style landscapes, different from traditional Aboriginal art, made him a celebrated pioneer of contemporary Indigenous Australian art in the 1950s and the most famous Indigenous Australian of his generation.
A skilled artist and a proud Arrernte (Aranda) elder, Namatjira continues to inspire. A school of painting has formed around him, and many artists have been compelled to tell his story through their own works.
This display features early works by Namatjira , arguably Australia's best-known Aboriginal artist, alongside artworks by those he influenced, including artists from the Arrernte landscape painting tradition, the Hermannsburg Potters and his great-grandson, Vincent Namatjira.