SYDNEY CONTEMPORARY | QUEENIE MCKENZIE From 07 September to 11 September 2022 Viewing Room SYDNEY CONTEMPORARY | QUEENIE MCKENZIE From 07 September to 11 September 2022

Artist Profile for Nym Bunduk < Back Nym Bunduk Nym Bunduk ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST CV MARKET ANALYSIS READ FULL ARTIST PROFILE top Anchor 1 PROFILE Nym Bunduk ARTIST CV Market Analysis MARKET ANALYSIS Disclaimer: At Cooee Art Leven, we strive to maintain accurate and respectful artist profiles. Despite our efforts, there may be occasional inaccuracies. We welcome any corrections or suggested amendments. Please contact us with your feedback .

Artist Profile for Abie Jumbyinmba Tjangala Also know as: Jangala, Dudanba, Walpajirri, Jumbyinmba < Back Abie Jumbyinmba Tjangala Also know as: Jangala, Dudanba, Walpajirri, Jumbyinmba Abie Jumbyinmba Tjangala 1919 - 2002 Also know as: Jangala, Dudanba, Walpajirri, Jumbyinmba ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST CV MARKET ANALYSIS Born at Thompson’s Rockhole in the Tanami Desert, Abie Jangala was initiated in to Warlpiri Law and inherited his father’s responsibility for the essential Rainmaking and Water Dreamings of this vast and arid desert area. The Warlpiri were still nomadic hunter-gatherers when forced by drought to gather around the encroaching European settlements in the Tanami and Western Deserts. READ FULL ARTIST PROFILE ABIE JUMBYINMBA TJANGALA - WATER DREAMING (STATE I) Sold AU$0.00 ABIE JUMBYINMBA TJANGALA - WATER DREAMING - NGAPA Sold AU$0.00 ABIE JUMBYINMBA TJANGALA - NGAPA JUKURRPA - WIRNPA (LIGHTENING) AT WANIMBILGI Sold AU$0.00 ABIE JUMBYINMBA TJANGALA - WOMENS WATER DREAMING Sold AU$0.00 ABIE JUMBYINMBA TJANGALA - RAINBOW Sold AU$0.00 top Anchor 1 PROFILE Abie Jumbyinmba Tjangala 1919 - 2002 Born at Thompson’s Rockhole in the Tanami Desert, Abie Jangala was initiated in to Warlpiri Law and inherited his father’s responsibility for the essential Rainmaking and Water Dreamings of this vast and arid desert area. The Warlpiri were still nomadic hunter-gatherers when forced by drought to gather around the encroaching European settlements in the Tanami and Western Deserts. Abie began working at the Granites copper mines, where he first learnt English and became familiar with European ways. Despite the necessity of regular visits to his sacred sites for ceremonial purposes and for further instruction from his father, Abie was trucked off to Alice Springs to build army barracks, roads and an airstrip when the war broke out at the beginning of the 1940's. By the time he returned several years later, his family had been settled at Yuendumu, an overcrowded and somewhat chaotic government settlement on the edge of the Tanami Desert. Eighteen months later in 1948, Abie was trucked off once more; this time, to build a new settlement at Hooker Creek on Gurinji land, hundreds of miles from his own country. While many of his people, unhappy with being so distant from their Dreaming sites, walked back to familiar territory, Abie stayed on and the small community of Lajamanu slowly grew. New children were being born and in this new 'country' they become responsible for new Dreamings, which required observance. However Abie was regularly called back to his own country. His father died and ceremonial seniority was passed to him. Thus he became the ceremonial boss of the Water, Rain, Cloud and Thunder Dreamings, the most senior 'rain man' in the northern Tanami region. On hearing of the growing popularity of painting amongst the Pintupi and other groups in the Western Desert, the Warlpiri men of Lajamanu and Yuendumu were initially highly suspicious. A number of community elders considered painting to be a shameful exposure of secret and sacred Warlpiri knowledge. It was during this time that Abie was included in a group of twelve Warlpiri men who traveled to Paris in 1983 to create a traditional sand-painting and perform corroboree at the Musee d’Art Moderne. Their traditional designs had only ever been painted on skin and etched in sand and the group were still strongly opposed to committing them to any permanent medium. 'The permanence of these designs is in our minds,' they stated publicly, 'we are forever renewing and recreating these traditions in our ceremonies' (Jangala 1977: 103). The group’s visit to London, the Unites States and the capital cities of Australia was their introduction to the contemporary art world and generated a huge level of interest and awareness. Three years later the Warlpiri position had changed and an adult education course run by John Quinn introduced western art materials and methods at the local school. Abie Jangala played a key role in negotiating a middle path through the conflicting points of view amongst elders reluctant to engage in painting. However, as artistic activity strengthened, a much-needed source of income was established for the community. The establishment of Warlukurlangu Artists at Yuendumu had already shown how permanent records of traditional designs provided a means of preserving and maintaining the culture, while the stunning success of artists who initially lived at Papunya and had used money earned from painting to re-establish their links to country closer to Lake MacKay, gave promise of financial rewards. The women of Lajamanu in particular were anxious to see their children provided with some source of spiritual grounding in the face of so many modern influences and distractions. However, Lajamanu's isolation, due to its great distance from the urban art centres and the difficulty of communication with the outside world, slowed the public emergence of Lajamanu art significantly. As late as 1989, there were still no telephones to connect the inhabitants of the community with the outside world. However, the arrival of a satellite dish from Yuendumu resulted in a teleconference link up with the director of Coo-ee Gallery in Sydney, his curator Christine Watson and Allan Warrie of the Aboriginal Arts Board, during which Abie and other Lajamanu artists presented their work and an exhibition was arranged for the following year. In that same year, Perth gallery director Sharon Monty flew into the small community and, impressed by Abie Jangala's 'awesome and imposing presence,' his wonderful sense of humour, his patience, and his willingness to explain the content of his paintings, she began to represent him in Western Australia. Thus he became the first artist from Lajamanu to have solo exhibitions and a painting career that led the way for other artists from there. By 1991 Judith Ryan had published a book 'Paint Up Big' on the new Warlpiri art movement for the National Gallery of Victoria and the following year Gallerie Boudin Lebon in Paris exhibited their work curated by the anthropologist Barbara Glowszewski. In the early 1990's, due to poor administration, Lajamanu lost the funding that would have enabled it to maintain a fully functioning art centre. Lava Watts assisted the artists voluntarily and with the closure of Sharon Monty's gallery in Perth, she helped to forge a representative relationship for Abie Jangala with Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery in Sydney. This relationship lasted until Abie's death, including the short periods during which the art centre was resurrected. Through this relationship Abie was provided with art materials and also produced a large body of works in the print medium. From the outset Abie Jangala's paintings were unique recreations of the iconography that pertained to rain making ceremonies and the reverence in which Dreamings associated with the Rainbow Men are held amongst Warlpiri people. His early works were created on a deep thalo green or black ground with the stark symbols specifically representing rainbows, lightning, clouds, waterholes and frogs, composed in much the same way as they are etched in relief on the body of rainmakers when covered in kapok or feather down for ceremony. Abie typically painted these powerful symbols, which are also recreated in ceremonial ground constructions, in solid black or red, outlined in single alternate bands of bright yellow, green and red dots, thereby emboldening the icons to evoke the shimmering and alluring effect of the Rainbow Men and their dramatic manifestation as natural climatic phenomena. This allure is imitated by the glint from pieces of broken mirror or shiny belt buckles worn and carried by men in ceremony; and the glistening skin of women covered in animal fat and red ochre. Typically these paintings are in-filled with compact white dots representing rain or fields of hailstones. At the height of his artistic powers Abie could apply these uniform white dots in such a way as to evoke the same meditative quality as that of the raked grounds of Zen meditation gardens. Abie once explained that he painted, 'the proper paintings... they are from my father. He comes to me in dreams and tells me what to paint, and how paint it'. As the composition of his paintings turned to more symbolic ways of depicting ancestral stories, the choice of colour emphasised their kuruwarri, to make them ‘really strong’ (Kleinert 2000: 611). While his early paintings were created in traditional earth colours that vibrated with contrast and intensity, he quickly moved toward high contrast by employing green and red in the textured ground and, towards the end of his life, paler shades of blue and mauve thereby creating more subtle gradations of light and dark. By this late stage in his painting the in-fill had lost its precise execution and resultant meditative quality, giving way to a blizzard of small interconnected, overlapping and melting white dots. At the time of his death, despite his inability to paint, he worked on etching plates, a number of which were editioned posthumously. One of these, in which the white dotted field was embossed, was part of the landmark Yilpinji-Love Magic portfolio including prints by fifteen of the important senior Warlpiri and Kukatja artists in Lajamanu, Yuendumu and Balgo Hills. Although Abie Jangala’s life spanned a period of momentous change and re-invention for the Warlpiri people of Australia’s remote Tanami Desert, his quiet determination to work constructively within imposed and often challenging constraints, saw him win acclaim during his lifetime as the greatest living Walpiri painter. ARTIST CV Market Analysis MARKET ANALYSIS Abie Jangala was not a prolific artist due to the slow and deliberate way in which he worked, and painting was difficult in Lajamanu during his lifetime. His best paintings are in several important collections and those that remain in private hands are likely to appear only on very rare occasions. Robert Holmes a Court and the National Gallery of Victoria started collecting his works in 1989, and by the time he passed away in 2002, he had held three solo exhibitions at Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney. The first of these was in 1993, the year his work first appeared on the secondary market. By 2001, only six works had been offered, of which five were sold. In 2002, all three works offered failed to sell. However, in 2004, all nine works offered were successful for a total value of $45,000. None of his finest works have been offered for sale to date. The involvement of Coo-ee Gallery in Abie's career was the reason that so many good works appeared. Apart from his record-holding work, the best of those offered have suffered mixed fortunes. His highest price was for "Ngapa Tjukurrpa 1993", which achieved $13,800 when offered with a presale estimate of $8,000-12,000 at Sotheby's in June 2000 (Lot 38). His second-highest record was for a painting misnamed "Frog, Rain and Billabong 1994", which sold for $12,000 at Sotheby's in October 2006 (Lot 107). It carried an estimate of $10,000-15,000, having failed to sell when estimated at $30,000-40,000 at Sotheby's 18 months earlier. Many of Jangala's works find buyers only when making a second appearance at auction. For instance, "Brock Brock-Frog Dreaming" offered at Shapiro Auctioneers in May 2002 (Lot 256) and "Rainbow 1994" offered at Sotheby's in November 2005 (Lot 112) both failed the first time around, yet when they reappeared at Lawson Menzies in November 2004 and November 2006, respectively, they became what are now the artist's eighth and seventh highest records at $7,200 and $9,600. A small work, "Women-Karnta 1997" failed the first time around at Sotheby's in November 2005 (Lot 113) but later reached $2,160 at Lawson~Menzies in November 2006 (Lot 280). This demonstrates the fickleness of the secondary market toward major artists from more obscure regions such as Lajamanu. Abie Jangala is an important artist whose best works have yet to surface at sale. When they do, it is expected that they will more than double his current record. They are rare, highly distinctive, and suit a contemporary aesthetic. His late career works, though less accomplished, have a spare simplicity evocative of the artist's age and stature, as he was about to pass his ceremonial responsibilities on to the next generation of keepers of the great Warlpiri Rain Dreamings. Disclaimer: At Cooee Art Leven, we strive to maintain accurate and respectful artist profiles. Despite our efforts, there may be occasional inaccuracies. We welcome any corrections or suggested amendments. Please contact us with your feedback .

MANAGING DIRECTOR & OWNER < Back Mirri Leven MANAGING DIRECTOR & OWNER Leven holds a double degree in International Development and Fine Arts, as well as a Master’s degree in art administration from the UNSW College of Fine Art. She joined, then Cooee Art, in 2007 and over the past 16 years has developed its gallery program, including exhibitions all over Australia and abroad. In 2016, she spearheaded the opening of Cooee’s Paddington gallery and in 2021 the flagship gallery in Redfern. In 2017 she became part-owner of the gallery with Adrian and Anne Newstead and that same year, launched the Auction wing, Cooee Art Auctions. Now, in 2023 Leven is the sole owner of Art Leven (formerly Cooee Art) mirri@artleven.com +61 (02) 9300 9233

Artist Profile for Jeanie Napangardi Lewis < Back Jeanie Napangardi Lewis Jeanie Napangardi Lewis ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST CV MARKET ANALYSIS READ FULL ARTIST PROFILE JEANIE NAPANGARDI LEWIS - MINA MINA JUKURRPA (MINA MINA DREAMING) Sold AU$0.00 JEANIE NAPANGARDI LEWIS - MINA MINA JUKURRPA (MINA MINA DREAMING) Sold AU$0.00 top Anchor 1 PROFILE Jeanie Napangardi Lewis ARTIST CV Market Analysis MARKET ANALYSIS Disclaimer: At Cooee Art Leven, we strive to maintain accurate and respectful artist profiles. Despite our efforts, there may be occasional inaccuracies. We welcome any corrections or suggested amendments. Please contact us with your feedback .

FEATURED BARK ARTISTS FROM YIRRKALA From 15 July to 31 August 2021 Viewing Room FEATURED BARK ARTISTS FROM YIRRKALA From 15 July to 31 August 2021

Artist Profile for Galya Pwerle < Back Galya Pwerle Galya Pwerle ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST CV MARKET ANALYSIS READ FULL ARTIST PROFILE top Anchor 1 PROFILE Galya Pwerle ARTIST CV Market Analysis MARKET ANALYSIS Disclaimer: At Cooee Art Leven, we strive to maintain accurate and respectful artist profiles. Despite our efforts, there may be occasional inaccuracies. We welcome any corrections or suggested amendments. Please contact us with your feedback .

Artist Profile for Peggy Patrick < Back Peggy Patrick Peggy Patrick ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST CV MARKET ANALYSIS READ FULL ARTIST PROFILE top Anchor 1 PROFILE Peggy Patrick ARTIST CV Market Analysis MARKET ANALYSIS Disclaimer: At Cooee Art Leven, we strive to maintain accurate and respectful artist profiles. Despite our efforts, there may be occasional inaccuracies. We welcome any corrections or suggested amendments. Please contact us with your feedback .

Artist Profile for Michelle Possum Nungurrayi < Back Michelle Possum Nungurrayi Michelle Possum Nungurrayi ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST CV MARKET ANALYSIS READ FULL ARTIST PROFILE top Anchor 1 PROFILE Michelle Possum Nungurrayi ARTIST CV Market Analysis MARKET ANALYSIS Disclaimer: At Cooee Art Leven, we strive to maintain accurate and respectful artist profiles. Despite our efforts, there may be occasional inaccuracies. We welcome any corrections or suggested amendments. Please contact us with your feedback .

Artist Profile for Albert Namatjira < Back Albert Namatjira Albert Namatjira 1902 - 1959 Region: Central Desert Community: Hermannsburg Language: Arrernte ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST CV MARKET ANALYSIS Albert Namatjira holds the distinction of being the first Australian Indigenous artist to gain international recognition. His romantic depictions of the Continent’s desert have left an indelible mark on the nation’s art, becoming iconic representations of the outback. READ FULL ARTIST PROFILE ALBERT NAMATJIRA - ARANDA LANDSCAPE Sold AU$0.00 top Anchor 1 PROFILE Albert Namatjira 1902 - 1959 Region: Central Desert Community: Hermannsburg Language: Arrernte Albert Namatjira holds the distinction of being the first Australian Indigenous artist to gain international recognition. His romantic depictions of the Continent’s desert have left an indelible mark on the nation’s art, becoming iconic representations of the outback. Namatjira’s journey into the art world began after a 1934 exhibition by European artists, led by Rex Battarbee, in the Hermannsburg community. Intrigued by what he saw, Namatjira approached the mission superintendent for paint and paper, which were set aside until Battarbee’s return in 1936. Eager to learn, Namatjira joined Battarbee’s painting expedition as a camel man, quickly displaying a natural talent for watercolour painting. Battarbee, impressed by Namatjira’s rapid mastery of colour, remarked, "I felt he had done so well that he had no more to learn from me about colour" (Morphy, 1998: 268). Namatjira’s ability to capture the vibrant hues of the desert landscape, the gorges, and the valleys of his homeland interwoven with his Dreaming, brought him swift success. His first exhibition in Melbourne in 1938 saw all 41 of his watercolours sell within days. Initially signing his works as 'Albert,' he began adding his father’s tribal name after this exhibition, further cementing his identity as an artist. His subsequent exhibition in Adelaide was equally successful, with 20 paintings sold within the first half-hour, and the Art Gallery of South Australia acquiring a major work—his first to enter a public gallery in Australia. By this time, Namatjira had become one of Australia’s most celebrated artists. As Alison French, curator of his 2002 National Gallery of Australia retrospective, noted, in 1951, a letter addressed simply to "Albert Namatjira, Famous Aboriginal Artist, Australia" reached him in Alice Springs, having been sent from India by an autograph seeker. Namatjira painted predominantly during the winter months, focusing almost exclusively on landscapes. However, he occasionally included groups of figures in his work. During World War II, he began selling his paintings directly to collectors, quickly amassing so many orders that an Advisory Council was established to oversee the quality and pricing of his work. Despite being advised to limit himself to 50 paintings per year, his next exhibition in Melbourne saw works selling for up to 35 guineas each. In 1945, a successful exhibition earned him 1,000 guineas, allowing him to build a home near Hermannsburg. He began taking other Aranda artists, including his sons Enos and Oscar, and the Pareroultja brothers, on his painting expeditions, leading to the emergence of the Hermannsburg School. Namatjira’s success was not without its complications. While his paintings were admired for their aesthetic appeal, they were also seen as evidence that the First Nations people could be "civilized," a notion rooted in the era’s policy of cultural assimilation. His ability to paint in a European style was perceived as proof that Aboriginals could merge into white society, a perspective that overshadowed his artistic achievements. Namatjira was granted Australian citizenship, a status that awkwardly symbolized his acceptance of European traditions. Ironically, he became the first Indigenous person listed in “Who’s Who in Australia”. In later years, Namatjira’s work was critiqued as a symbol of subordination, especially after the 1970s cultural revolution led by the First Nations artists from Papunya, who demonstrated that “Aboriginal culture could engage with the modern world without losing its own artistic traditions” (Beier, 1986: 34). However, a reassessment of Namatjira’s work has since recognized it as a unique expression of his traditional connection to the land, offering an Indigenous perspective on the Central Australian landscape, albeit through a European medium. Namatjira’s style is distinctly his own. He often painted the desert from a slightly elevated viewpoint, capturing the changing colours of the landscape from the soft tones of summer to the rich hues of early morning and late evening. His compositions, which lacked a central focal point, achieved balance through a visual emphasis on the edges, avoiding a hierarchy of forms. Despite his artistic achievements, Namatjira’s life ended in tragedy. In 1959, he passed away after being jailed for bringing alcohol into his community—a cruel irony, given that his citizenship allowed him to buy alcohol but not to share it with others. Namatjira’s legacy, often framed as “a tragic figure trapped between two worlds and two art traditions” (Bardon, 1989: 18), endures through his paintings of the Western MacDonnell Ranges, Mount Sonder, and the surrounding desert. His work has redefined how we see the Australian outback, transforming it from a barren wasteland into a place of profound beauty and cultural significance. ARTIST CV Selected Collections: Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide. Christensen Collection, held Museum of Victoria, Melbourne. Flinders University Art Museum, Adelaide. Hermannsburg Art Gallery; Museum of Victoria, Melbourne. National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. National Museum of Australia, Canberra. Parliament House Art Collection, Canberra. Powerhouse Museum, Sydney. Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane. South Australian Museum, Adelaide. Selected Solo Exhibition: 2003 - Seeing the Centre: The art of Albert Namitjira, Ian Potter Centre:NGV Australia, Melbourne, Victoria. 1952 - Rex Battarbee's house, in Alice Springs. 1950 - Anthony Hordern Gallery of Fine Art, Sydney. 1948 - Atheneum Gallery, Melbourne. 1947 - Griffith House, Alice Springs; 1947, first solo exhibition in Brisbane. 1946 - Royal South Australian Society of Arts, Adelaide. 1945 - first solo exhibition in Sydney. 1944 - Mural Hall, Myer Emporium, Melbourne. 1939 - Royal Art Society's Gallery, Adelaide. Selected Group Exhibitions: 2016 - Cooee Art at Australian Galleries, featuring Albert Namatjira, Alma Webou, Bill Whisky Tjapaltjarri, Daniel Walbidi, Djirrirra Wunungmurra, Dorothy Napangardi, Elizabeth Nyumi, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Emily Kngwarreye, Freddie Timms, George Hairbrush Tjungurrayi, Gloria Petyarre, Jan Billycan, John Mawurndjul , Johnny Warangkula, Kathleen Petyarre, Makinti Napanangka, Milliga Napaltjarri, Minnie Pwerle, Naata Nungurrayi, Nyurapayia Nampitjinpa (Mrs Bennett), Owen Yalandja, Prince of Wales , Queenie Nakarra McKenzie , Rover Thomas, Sally Gabori , Suzie Bootja Bootja, Timothy Cook , Tjapartji Bates, Tommy Watson, Trevor Nickolls , Yirawala, at Australian Galleries, Sydney. 2015 - Indigenous Art: Moving Backwards into the Future, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. 2014 - The hills behond Hermannsburg, from the Gallery's Indigenous Collection, featuring the work of Arnulf Ebatarinja, Conley Ebatarinja, Benjamin Landara, Tristam Malbunka, Albert Namatjira, Keith Namatjira, Lenie Namatjira, Maurice Namatjira, Oscar Namatjira, Claude Pannka, Gloria Pannka, Nelson Pannka, Ivy Pareroultja, Otto Pareroultja, Billy Benn Perrurle, Norman Ratara, Vanessa Splinter, Roland Uburtja, Alison Walbungara, Richard Moketarinja at the AGNSW, Sydney. 2013 - Australia, Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK. 1995 - Namatjira Ilakakeye, kinship, creativity and the continuing traditions of the Hermannsburg artists, Tandanya, Adelaide. 1994 - Power of the Land, Masterpieces of Aboriginal Art, National Gallery of Victoria; Yiribana, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney. 1992 -1993 - The Heritage of Namatjira, touring exhibition, through Flinders University Art Museum. 1991 - The Heritage of Namatjira at Flinders, Flinders University Art Museum, Bedford Park, South Australia. 1989 - A Myriad of Dreaming: Twentieth Century Aboriginal Art, Westpac Gallery, Melbourne; Design Warehouse Sydney [through Lauraine Diggins Fine Art]; Aboriginal Art: The Continuing Tradition, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. 1988 - The Inspired Dream, Life as art in Aboriginal Australia, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory and touring internationally. 1974 - 1976 - Art of Aboriginal Australia, touring Canada, Rothmans of Pall Mall Canada Ltd. 1957 - Canadian Trade Fair, Vancouver, Canada. 1952 - Exhibition by the Aranda Group: seven aboriginal watercolour artists, Anthony Horderns' Fine Art Gallery, Sydney. Market Analysis MARKET ANALYSIS Recent auction results for Albert Namatjira's works highlight the strong demand and enduring appreciation for his artistry and the declining number of works on the market. With almost 100% clearence rate, in 2022, Namatjira achieved total market sales of A$1,791,605. This strong performance indicates a robust interest in his art and the high value collectors place on his pieces. In 2023, total sales totaled A$1,323,301, with 29 artworks sold. The trend continued into 2024, where total market sales volume dropped to 22 works sold for A$ 978,698. Although the total volume of offered artworks has signigicantely diminished, the sustained interest in Namatjira's art is evident through the consistent occurrence of high-value sales. The continued presence of significant transactions indicates that collector interest and the intrinsic value of his art persist, underscoring his importance within the broader narrative of Australian art. Among some notable recent results are the sales at Cooee Art's Indigenous Fine Art Auction on March 5, 2024, Glen Helen Gorge (1942) achieved a sale price of A$73,636, showcasing Namatjira's ability to resonate with collectors, particularly those seeking historical and culturally significant pieces. In the latest auction at Menzies on March 27, 2024, Ellery Creek Big Hole (c. 1955) achieved a remarkable sale price of A$92,045, significantly exceeding its estimated value of A$30,000-40,000. Just a day before, Ghost Gums, North Macdonnell Ranges, sold for A$73,636 at Deutscher and Hackett's auction on March 26, 2024. Overall, these results illustrate a healthy market for Namatjira's works, with collectors actively pursuing pieces that not only reflect his unique artistic vision but also contribute to the broader narrative of Indigenous Australian art. The consistent performance across various auctions reaffirms Namatjira’s importance and the growing recognition of his legacy in the contemporary art scene. Historically, Albert Namatjira has been one of Australia’s most enduring artists and was the first Indigenous painter to be recognised internationally. He began painting in the early 1930s, and while the average price paid for his works rose steadily subsequent to his death in 1959 the record price for one of his paintings was still just $5,500 at the beginning of the 1980s. In 1986 however, Christies sold Large Ghost Gum, estimated at $5000-7000, for what was at that time, a staggering $15,000. During the next two years,1987/1988, all works offered at auction were sold and Sotheby’s set an auction record of $37,400 with White Gums, Central Australia. This lasted just four months before being pipped by a painting titled Central Australian Ranges, which sold for $38,000. By 1986 Namatjira’s average had already leaped to around $15,000 and increased by a further 22% just two years later in 1988 when the average price paid at auction for the 15 works sold was $20,567. While results were similar in 1989, from that point onward interest in his work went into a steep decline. This was due, in part, to the overall collapse in the Australian art market. Few of his paintings appeared at auction during the following seven years and by 1998 the average price of the ten paintings sold that year was just under $18,000. Nevertheless, at the dawn of the secondary market for Aboriginal art in 1994, the year Sotheby’s held their first specialist sale, works by Albert Namatjira held 43 of the highest 50 results ever achieved for Aboriginal paintings. They occupied all of the highest ten results other than the record setting work credited to Tommy McRae. By the following year his highest priced work had dropped to seventh on the all time list and only 22 remained amongst the top 50. A year later only six remained. By 2002, the year of the important exhibition Seeing the Centre: The Art of Albert Namatjira 1902-1959, curated by Alison French for the National Gallery of Australia, not a single work by Namatjira remained amongst the highest 50 prices achieved for Aboriginal artworks. However this exhibition provoked a re-evaluation of his work and re-invigorated interest in his paintings. Between 2003 and 2006 prices steadily increased from the nadir in the late 1990s, to an average price close to $25,500. In November 2005 Christies achieved a record of $50,190 for Neey-Too-gulpa, (Lot 26). Measuring 35.5 x 46.5 cm, it had been estimated at $35,000-45,000. In Deutscher-Menzies final sale of that year, another work of similar size sold for $48,000 (Lot 25). In fact, all of the artist’s top ten results have been achieved since 2003 with over 50 sales recorded as having exceeded $30,000. It is difficult to trace all of the works offered in order to detect which works failed to sell, and were subsequently successful at auction. The duplication of titles, the lack of dates on most of his works, and inconsistencies in measurements, is far too confusing. However investors should note, that of the top 50 results achieved for this artist, the vast majority have sold for between 5% and 20% above their high estimates. Even when looking at works in the lower price range, valuations by auction houses have continually underestimated the level of interest, and the amount collectors were prepared to pay. The prejudice against Namatjira amongst some appraisers during the first decade of the 21st century was ‘out of kilter’ with the public's enchantment with his works. This prejudice did not continue post 2005. In 2006 when Sotheby’s sold Ghost Gum, 36 x 24.5 cm for $58,800 (Lot 35), and Mt Heuglin, 35 x 35 cm for $52,800 (Lot 16). Both sold well above their high estimates. Then, in October, at their Aboriginal fine art sale which featured important works from the Wallent Collection, Sotheby’s achieved a new high water mark for the artist. A rare depiction of the early Hermannsburg mission, Hermannsburg Mission with Mt Hermannsburg in Background 1936 or 1937 , estimated at $40,000-60,000 sold for $96,000 smashing the previous record by more than $30,000 (Lot 23). In 2008, despite the gloomy art market overall, another undated but beautiful image called simply Ghost Gum sold for the artist's second highest record (prior to 2016) of $66,000 at the Sotheby’s October sale (Lot 168). Again in 2009 an impressive result for Ghost Gums, Central Australia saw the vendor realize $61,200, the artist's current sixth record. Since the beginning of 2010 Namatjira's success rate at auction has been higher than that of any other individual artist. It has consistently oscillated between 70 and 93%. The artist's highest price ever was set in 2016 when an iconic image of the early Hermannsburg mission sold for $122,000. Another very lovely image of Ormiston Gorge sold in the same auction for $85,400. Albert Namatjira was the 3rd most successful artist of the year in 2009 and 2nd most successful in every year subsequently other than 2014 when he finished on top of the list. In 2018, 25 of 27 works found buyers with one painting entering its top 10 results having sold for $63,250. In 2019, 24 sold of 28 offered and a work sold for $73,200, displacing others to become his 5th highest result. These results, and the affection in which Albert Namatjira is held in the national psyche, should ensure that prices for his most successful works will continue to steadily increase over time despite any changes in taste and fashion. Disclaimer: At Cooee Art Leven, we strive to maintain accurate and respectful artist profiles. Despite our efforts, there may be occasional inaccuracies. We welcome any corrections or suggested amendments. Please contact us with your feedback .

Artist Profile for Mary Dalpanany < Back Mary Dalpanany Mary Dalpanany ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST CV MARKET ANALYSIS READ FULL ARTIST PROFILE MARY DALPANANY - PANDANUS MAT SOLD AU$1,800.00 MARY DHAPALANY - PANDANAS MAT Sold AU$0.00 top Anchor 1 PROFILE Mary Dalpanany ARTIST CV Market Analysis MARKET ANALYSIS Disclaimer: At Cooee Art Leven, we strive to maintain accurate and respectful artist profiles. Despite our efforts, there may be occasional inaccuracies. We welcome any corrections or suggested amendments. Please contact us with your feedback .

Artist Profile for Eileen Yaritja Stevens < Back Eileen Yaritja Stevens Eileen Yaritja Stevens ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST CV MARKET ANALYSIS READ FULL ARTIST PROFILE EILEEN YARITJA STEVENS - PILATI OR NYAPARI SOLD AU$5,000.00 top Anchor 1 PROFILE Eileen Yaritja Stevens ARTIST CV Market Analysis MARKET ANALYSIS Disclaimer: At Cooee Art Leven, we strive to maintain accurate and respectful artist profiles. Despite our efforts, there may be occasional inaccuracies. We welcome any corrections or suggested amendments. Please contact us with your feedback .