FIRST NATIONS FINE ART AUCTION II | 2025
- hayley44920
- 3 days ago
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Important Works by First Nations Artists
Welcome to our June 17 First Nations Fine Art Auction, featuring a thoughtfully curated selection of 82 notable works by artists of exceptional cultural and artistic influence.
This auction takes place at a time of heightened global interest in First Nations art, spurred in part by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.’s announcement of their forthcoming landmark Indigenous exhibition, The Stars We Do Not See, opening this October. Featuring over 200 artworks on loan from the National Gallery of Victoria, this will be the largest international exhibition of Indigenous Art in the USA. The exhibition is set to tour from Washington, D.C. to Colorado, Oregon, Massachusetts and Ontario, Canada.
In response to this momentum, we have assembled a collection grounded in rigorous research and supported by documented provenance, in accordance with current Australian institutional acquisition standards. While there is an ongoing and important conversation about revisiting provenance policies and recognising artists as individual agents, this auction has been curated within the existing institutional framework, ensuring all works are eligible for acquisition under current guidelines.
The highlight of this sale is Lot 17: Ankara Merne - Intekwe (1990), a remarkable painting by Emily Kame Kngwarreye (Emily Kam Kngwarray) from her first solo exhibition held in 1990 at Utopia Art Sydney. This archetypal work, commissioned by Rodney Gooch for the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA), is accompanied by an essay from Christopher Hodges outlining the importance of this work and its historical significance. The plant depicted, Intekwe, was considered so innately linked to Emily’s being that no other Anmatyerre artist has been permitted to paint it since her passing. This rare and exceptional work carries an estimate of $450,000 – $550,000. Another outstanding painting by Kngwarreye is Summer Abundance V (Lot 18), from the prestigious Thomas Vroom Collection—an identifiable piece reflecting a pinnacle time in her career that carries a more modest estimate of $150,000 – $200,000.
The representation of artists from Utopia is expanded through significant early career works by Minnie Pwerle (Lot 20), Gloria Petyarre (Lot 79), Kathleen Petyarre (Lot 52), and Kathleen Ngal (Lot 21). This lineage is
followed to a more contemporary work by Angelina Ngal, whose luminous celestial diptych Wild Plum is offered as Lot 19, with an estimate of $40,000–$60,000.
A particularly exciting feature of this auction is the early 1970s Papunya collection assembled by the former Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Architecture at the University of Western Australia (UWA), Professor John Jory. Focused on the foundational years of the Western Desert painting movement, this collection offers rare insights into a pivotal moment in ‘Australian’ art history. Works from this formative period are becoming
increasingly scarce on the secondary market as they are acquired by institutions, making future opportunities to purchase them exceedingly rare. Among the highlights from Jory’s collection is Water Dreaming, 1971 (Lot 16) by Long Jack Phillipus Tjakamarra, an important early work from the fourth commercial consignment of Papunya paintings sent to the Stuart Art Centre under Pat Hogan’s pioneering initiative. Other exceptional pieces include two 1972 Old Walter Tjampitjinpa boards also from the Water Story series Lot 12 and Lot 15, both estimated at $50,000–$70,000, alongside rarely seen early paintings by John Kipara Tjakamarra, titledWalinngi, 1973 (Lot 11) and Anatjari No.III Tjakamarra, Origins of Soakages, 1973 (Lot 14).
The auction also includes two significant works by Rover Joolama Thomas. Small Creek Near Turkey Creek, 1990 (Lot 25), was painted during his collaboration with Perth-based dealer Mary Macha, a key supporter of the East Kimberley school and is estimated at $90,000–$100,000. Lot 10, created two years later for Waringarri Arts—the Miriwoong community’s art centre—is guided by the same deep connection to Country and is estimated at $30,000–$40,000. Joolama’s close friend and fellow artist Queenie McKenzie is represented by Lot 36, Limestone Hills, Texas (1995), while his mentor, Jack Britten, is featured with a striking suite of works collectively titled the Country Series, offered as Lot 54.
Beyond these major works, several pieces stand out for their unique artistic perspectives. Among them is Lot 24, Motionless Fish by Yorta Yorta artist Lin Onus—a subtle and evocative gouache that captures a meditative stillness and quiet complexity from his iconic water series. Lot 7 features Living Water at Pikarong by Lydia Balbal, reigning winner of the Telstra NATSIAA Painting Award, whose minimal aesthetic powerfully evokes Country. Also of note is Lot 22, an exquisitely beautiful work by contemporary Balgo Hills artist Patsy Mudgedell, offered with an estimate of $16,000–$22,000.
Concluding the highlights are works by various artists that stand out for their superior execution, including Betty Kuntiwa Pumani (Lot 51), Boxer Milner (Lot 6), Kunmanara (Ray) Ken (Lot 48), Eubena Nampitjin (Lot 47) and Dorothy Napangardi (Lot 28) to name just a few. With an estimated total value of between $1.42 and $1.85 million, this collection represents works that are both historically important and institutionally relevant.
We are honoured to present this outstanding selection and invite you to explore the depth and cultural significance of the works on offer. We look forward to welcoming you to the viewing at Art Leven housed on Gadigal Country.
Emma Lenyszyn
First Nations Fine Art Specialist
May, 2025
