
Maggie Watson Napangardi
1921 - 2004
Also know as: Maggie Napangardi Ross
Region: Tanami Desert
Community: Yuendumu
Language: Warlpiri
Art Centre: Warlukurlangu
Maggie Watson Napangardi’s journey into painting began late in life, at the age of 60, but by the time of her death in 2004, she had firmly established herself as the leading female artist of Yuendumu, a remote Warlpiri settlement 300 kilometres northwest of Alice Springs. Yuendumu, located at the southern edge of Warlpiri land, became the heart of this desert community after the forced resettlement of its people in the 1950s. It was here that emerged as a formidable figure, challenging the longstanding male dominance of the Central Desert painting movement.
PROFILE
Maggie Watson Napangardi
1921 - 2004
Region: Tanami Desert
Community: Yuendumu
Language: Warlpiri
Art Centre: Warlukurlangu
Maggie Watson Napangardi’s journey into painting began late in life, at the age of 60, but by the time of her death in 2004, she had firmly established herself as the leading female artist of Yuendumu, a remote Warlpiri settlement 300 kilometres northwest of Alice Springs. Yuendumu, located at the southern edge of Warlpiri land, became the heart of this desert community after the forced resettlement of its people in the 1950s. It was here that emerged as a formidable figure, challenging the longstanding male dominance of the Central Desert painting movement.
From the mid-1980s, Maggie Watson was a central figure in a group of women artists whose work not only rivalled but reshaped the cultural and artistic landscape. Their emergence in Yuendumu, and simultaneously in Utopia, where the Anmatyerr and Alyawarre peoples were forging their own path, marked a pivotal shift. The notion that men alone were the custodians of the visual traditions of these communities was decisively overturned. These women, including Maggie, moved from painting ritual objects to producing works on canvas, aided by the introduction of acrylic paints. This transition was not just a stylistic shift but one that allowed their art to reach broader audiences beyond the desert.
Maggie Watson quickly became a leader within the Warlukurlangu Artists cooperative, which was established in the mid-1980s. Her work was part of Yuendumu’s first public exhibition at the Araluen Arts Centre in Alice Springs in 1985, with her first commercial show following two years later at Sydney’s Hogarth Galleries. Her reputation grew with the 1988 exhibition Yuendumu: Paintings of the Desert at the South Australian Museum, a show that toured nationally and internationally.
At the heart of Maggie Watson’s oeuvre lies the Warlpiri women’s Dreaming of the Karntakurlangu, a rich, ancient narrative that follows the travels of ancestral women across the desert. This Dreaming, shared by fellow artists like Dorothy Napangardi Robertson, tells of women equipped with digging sticks that magically emerged from the earth to aid their journey, gathering food and creating sacred sites along the way. As they danced across the desert, these women, their movements and chants, left an indelible mark on the landscape, which remains central to Warlpiri ceremony.
Watson Napangardi’s paintings are instantly recognisable for their rhythmic, linear precision, achieved through intricate dotting. Bands of alternating colour give her works a hypnotic quality, mimicking the movements of Warlpiri women as they dance in ceremony. Her embrace of acrylic paints, with their glossy finish, reflected the Warlpiri’s cultural reverence for shimmering surfaces, seen as symbols of ancestral beauty. Maggie’s confident use of colour—vivid yet never garish—became a defining feature of her work. She favoured soft pastels, with yellows, turquoise, and a clear sky blue adding to the allure of her carefully rendered compositions.
Most of her major works were produced in collaboration with her son-in-law Peter van Groessen, with whom she worked in studios in Adelaide and Alice Springs in the 1990s. These works, often large in scale, were primarily sold through Kimberley Art in Melbourne and a gallery in Chicago, contributing to her growing recognition. Today, she is regarded as one of Australia’s most important female Aboriginal artists.
Watson’s impact extended beyond her individual works. She played a key role in the creation of a 7 x 3 metre canvas commissioned in 1991 for the Aratjara: Australian Aboriginal Art exhibition, which toured Europe in 1993. Her contribution to the Australian National Gallery’s Warlpiri collection in 1992 further solidified her legacy.
Despite Maggie Watson’s passing in 2004, her influence continued to resonate through numerous posthumous exhibitions. In 2012, her vibrant works were featured in The Bright The Bold & The Beautiful at Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery in Sydney, alongside prominent figures like Sally Gabori and Minnie Pwerle, highlighting her lasting impact on the Aboriginal art movement.
In 2008, Watson’s pieces were displayed in Paintings from Remote Communities: Indigenous Australian Art from the Laverty Collection at Newcastle Regional Gallery, affirming her position in the canon of Indigenous art. Her inclusion in Colour Power – Aboriginal Art Post 1984 at the National Gallery of Victoria in 2004 celebrated her contributions to the broader narrative of contemporary Aboriginal art, demonstrating how her work continued to captivate audiences well after her passing.
Internationally. These exhibitions, held after her death, reflect the enduring fascination with her art and its relevance across different cultural contexts. Even in her absence, Maggie Watson’s work maintained its power, connecting deeply with both national and global audiences.
ARTIST CV
Selected Collections:
Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth.
Flinders University, Adelaide.
Musee National des Arts Africains et Oceaniens, Paris, France.
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.
Private Collections.
South Australian Museum, Adelaide.
The Kelton Foundation, Santa Monica, U.S.A.
Selected Group Exhibitions:
2012 - The Bright The Bold & The Beautiful Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney, featuring the work of Sally Gabori, Rosella Namok, Emily Kngwarreye, Gloria Petyarre, Eubena Nampitjin, Lorna Fencer Naparrula, Maggie Napangardi Watson, Christine Yukenbarri and Minnie Pwerle.
2008 - Paintings from remote communities: Indigenous Australian art from the Laverty collection, Newcastle Regional Gallery, Newcastle, NSW.
2004 - Colour Power - Aboriginal Art Post 1984, National Gallery of Victoria Federation Square, Melbourne.
1995 - Cleveland Centre for Contemporary Art, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.; Sutton Gallery, Melbourne; SOFA (Sculpture,Objects and Functional Art), Miami, U.S.A.; SOFA, Chicago, USA; National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin;Mina Mina, Hogarth Galleries, Sydney..
1994 - Power of the Land, Masterpieces of Aboriginal Art, National Gallery of Victoria; Armstrong Gallery, Florida; The Assembly Hall of the Territorial Parliament, Tahiti, French Polynesia; Palm Beach Community College Art Gallery, West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.A.; Adelaide Town Hall, Adelaide (in conjunction with The Adelaide Festival); Interamerican Art Gallery, Miami, Florida, U.S.A.; Looking towards the Future: Contemporary Aboriginal Art, Flinders University Art Gallery, Adelaide; Sutton Gallery, Melbourne; Chicago Art Fair, Chicago,U.S.A.; Echoes of the Dreamtime, Osaka, Japan; The Asia Pacific Museum, California, U.S.A. (Kelton Collection); S.O.F.A. (Sculpture, Objects and Functional Art), Chicago, U.S.A.;
1994 - 11th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, finalists exhibition
1993 - Awake To The Dreamtime, Kelton Foundation Collection, The San Diego Museum of Man U.S.A.; Adelaide Town Hall, Adelaide (Pacific Arts Symposium); Aratjara - Art of the First Australians, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein Westfalen, Dusseldorf, West Germany; Musee National des Arts d'African et d'Oceanie, Paris; Chicago Art Fair, Chicago, USA; Artajara, Haywood Gallery, London, UK; Central Australian Aboriginal Art and Craft Exhibition, Araluen Centre, Alice Springs; Bellas Gallery, Brisbane; Sutton Gallery, Melbourne; Tjukurrpa, Desert Dreamings - a survey of central desert art 1971 – 1993, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth; Alice Prize Exhibition, Araleun, Alice Springs; CINAFE (Chicago International New Art Forms Exposition), Chicago,U.S.A; Hogarth Gallery of Dreams, Sydney; La Peinture des Aborigenes d'Australie, Musee - des Arts d'Afrique et d'Oceanie, Paris.
1992 - The Haven Gallery, Melbourne; Les Maitres du Reve', Palais Rontaunay, St Denis, Carrefour des Cultures de l'Ocean Indien, Paris, France; The Long Gallery, Hobart; Dreamtime gallery, Gold Coast; Araluen Gallery, Alice Springs; Manyuku, Melbourne; Alliance Francais, Canberra; Hogarth Gallery, Sydney.
1991 - Dreamscapes, Mendelson Gallery, Pittsburgh, Pa, USA; Auckland City Art Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand; Araluen Arts Centre Alice Springs; The Painted Dream: Contemporary Aboriginal Paintings from the Tim and Vivien Johnson Collection, Auckland City Art Gallery and Te Whare Taonga o Aoteroa National Art Gallery, New Zealand; Central Australian Aboriginal Art and Craft Exhibition, Araluen Centre, Alice Springs; Aboriginal Women's Exhibition, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; Darwin Performing Arts Centre, Darwin; Albert Hall, Canberra; Hogarth Gallery of Dreams, Sydney; The Womens Gallery, Melbourne.
1990 - South Australian Museum Shop Adelaide Festival; Dreamscapes, Rosequist Galleries, Tucson, Arizona, USA.; Darwin Performing Arts Centre Darwin; Dreamtime Gallery Gold Coast Qld.; F.O.E. Community Art Space Melbourne; Hogarth Gallery of Dreams Sydney.; I.U.N.C. (showing at Hilton Hotel) Perth; Women's Exhibition. The Women's Gallery, Melbourne..
1989 - F.O.E. Community Art Space Melbourne; Chesser Gallery Adelaide; F.O.E. Community Art Space Melbourne; Hogarth Gallery of Dreams Sydney.
1988 - Yuendumu: paintings out of the desert. S.A. Museum; The Inspired Dream, Life as art in Aboriginal Australia, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory and touring internationally; Bellas Gallery Brisbane; Hilton Hotel (Naidoc Week) Adelaide.
1987 - Blaxland Gallery Sydney; Chapman Gallery Canberra; Karnta Exhibition Hogarth Gallery Sydney.
1986 - Editions Gallery Perth; Araluen Arts Centre Alice Springs.
1985 - Araluen Alice Springs.
Bibliography:
Dussart, F., 1993, La Peinture des Aborigines D'Australie, Editions Parentheses, Marseille, France.
Johnson, V., 1994, The Dictionary of Western Desert Artists, Craftsman House, East Roseville, New South Wales. (C) ;
Johnstone, C (Dir) The Painted Dream: Contemporary Aboriginal Paintings From Tim And Vivien Johnson Collection, Auckland City Art Gallery, Auckland New Zealand 1990
Morphy, H. and Boles, M.S. (eds.) Art from the land, University of Virginia Press, Virginia, U.S.A., 1999.
Perkins, H. (ed.) Aboriginal Women's Exhibition, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney 1991.
Ryan, Judith (editor), Colour Power - Aboriginal Art Post 1984, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 2004 (C).
Sutton, P. (ed.) Dreamings: The Art of Aboriginal Australia, Viking, New York 1988.
West, M. (ed.) The Inspired Dream, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane 1988
West, M. Les Maitres du Reve, Palais Rontaunay - St Denis, Carrefour des Cultures de l'Ocean Indien, Paris France 1992
MARKET ANALYSIS
Maggie Watson Napanagardi has exhibited a varied performance in the auction market over the past decade, characterised by fluctuations in both sales volume and total value. Nevertheless, until 2023, when Sally Gabori overcome her in secondary market sale values, she remained second only to Emily Kngwarreye among female Indigenous artists—a remarkable feat considering the plethora of female artists that have emerged since the early 1990s. This distinction alone warrants attention from potential investors.
Among the recent results, an important work, Hair String Dreaming (1997), was sold at Menzies on June 28, 2023, for A$27,000. Her famous Mina Mina Dreaming (1995) was auctioned at Cooee Art Leven on March 5, 2024, achieving a sale price of A$110,455, indicating strong collector interest and reinforcing Watson's position in the contemporary art market.
In addition, Digging Stick Dreaming (1995-1996), a large work measuring 201 x 351 cm, was auctioned at Cooee Art Leven on November 8, 2023 and sold for A$122,727. This sale further emphasises Watson's market presence, showcasing a healthy price point and increasing demand for her larger works. The achievement above the estimate suggests growing recognition of her talent and importance within the contemporary Indigenous art scene.
Maggie Napanagardi Watson’s work first emerged at auction in 1996, marking the beginning of a journey that would see her become one of the most significant female artists within the Australian Indigenous art market. The staggering A$348,000 for her record-breaking work, Mina Mina Dreaming (1995) set a new benchmark for her career in 2008 amid an overall market downturn. Despite her rising stature as an artist of considerable interest, Maggie Watson's sales results have been somewhat impacted by the frequent reappearance of Digging Stick Dreaming, often lauded as her magnum opus. Initially sold at Lawson~Menzies in November 2005 for A$216,000, including buyer's premium, this piece marked her highest recorded price at the time. Two years later, it sold again, this time for A$336,000, and it has been resold multiple times since, accounting for her second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth highest recorded auction prices.
Watson's reputation as one of the foremost female artists from the Central Desert has largely been built on works that are not directly linked to art centres, instead gaining prominence through the galleries that first sold them and through inclusion in various thematic exhibitions. The valuation of her paintings has surged dramatically since 2000, when larger canvases created in the mid-1990s—centered around her Bush Mushroom stories—commanded prices around A$20,000. A notable instance occurred in March 2014, when a significant rendition of Mushroom Dreaming (1995), with art centre provenance, sold for A$66,000 at Deutscher and Hackett's auction of the Ainsworth Collection. While this was noted as her 14th highest result, it stood as the top price for a work associated with Warlurkurlangu Artists, her community art centre. Despite an excellent success rate of 68% without experiencing a decline in auction appreciation, Watson’s fortunes took a downturn in 2012, with four works offered but none selling. The following year, only two of four works found buyers.
In 2014, Watson only had one work offered, which sold for A$66,000. This initial success established a positive foundation for her future sales. The following year, 2015, marked a significant upswing as five works were offered, all selling for a remarkable total of A$434,527. This surge indicated a strong demand for her art and an expanding collector base.
However, 2016 saw a downturn, indicating a challenging period for her market, suggesting potential fluctuations in buyer interest. The market began to recover in 2017, with two works sold for A$195,071, despite three remaining unsold. This demonstrated renewed engagement from collectors and highlighted the desirability of her pieces.
In 2018, the total value dropped significantly to A$15,720 from two works offered, with three remaining unsold. This dip may reflect varying collector interest or pricing strategies that did not meet market expectations. The year 2019 continued the trend of limited activity, with only one work sold for A$6,000, underscoring ongoing volatility and potentially lower buyer engagement. The year of 2020 was a turning point, as four works were offered and sold for a robust total of A$174,032. This revival illustrated a renewed confidence in Watson’s work among collectors.
One of her notable pieces, Digging Stick Story (1995), was auctioned at Sotheby's New York on December 4, 2020, and sold for USD 88,200 (A$118,708), demonstrating significant market confidence and falling within the upper range of its estimate. This strong performance reflects the increasing desirability of Watson's works, particularly those from her early career. In 2021, only one piece was sold for A$22,091, indicating a drop in volume.
The following year, 2022, saw two works offered, either of which sold, resulting in a total of A$20,010. Maggie Watson's works have shown considerable promise in the auction market, with recent sales highlighting both the strength and volatility of her portfolio. 2023 marked a resurgence with three works sold, generating a total of A$166,947. This significant uptick indicates a strong recovery in market interest and collector engagement. In 2024, two works were offered, with one sold for A$112,909. This shows that while overall market activity may have contracted, select pieces still commanded strong prices.
Overall, Maggie Watson's recent auction results reflect a robust market for her works, particularly notable pieces from the mid-1990s that continue to capture collector interest. As her recognition within the art community continues to grow, the potential for further appreciation in her artworks may increase, suggesting a promising outlook for her market position in the coming years. Despite the ups and downs, her work has demonstrated an ability to achieve high sale prices, particularly in years of increased engagement.
Maggie Watson’s major works are poised to continue commanding premium prices, outpacing those of her contemporaries in the female artist category from the same region and era. Given their rarity, these works could consistently set auction records with each subsequent offering. Furthermore, her medium-sized pieces are likely undervalued in the current market landscape. Their relative scarcity presents a compelling opportunity for collectors looking to build an important collection. Adding Watson’s works would significantly enhance the representation of female desert artists and provide a counterbalance to the abundance of works by more prolific Eastern Anmatjerre and Alyawerre artists, as well as the emerging talents from Pintupi and Pitjantjatjara women’s art in the Western Desert and beyond.
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