Shorty Lungkata Tjungurrayi circa 1914-1987 UNTITLED

Painted at Papunya in 1972
Alex Bortignon, Kalamunda Gallery of Man, Western Australia
Mrs Margaret Carnegie, Melbourne
Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Melbourne
Private collection, Brisbane, 1989
Private collection

A Myriad of Dreaming, Twentieth Century Aboriginal Art, Lauraine Diggins Fine Art at Westpac Gallery, Victorian Arts Centre, Melbourne, 5-22 October 1989, cat. no.44
Annual Collectors Exhibition 2000, Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Melbourne, cat. no.86
Australian Modern: Arte Australiana Moderna e Contemporanea e Arte Aborigena, Fondazione Mudima, Milan, 23 April - 24 May, 2002

Lauraine Diggins et al, A Myriad of Dreaming, Twentieth Century Aboriginal Art, Melbourne: Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, 1989, cat. no. 44, p.47, illus. 

The painting appears in excellent and stable condition. It is apparent that there has been some professional conservation and restoration carried out on the painting. This is best indicated by comparing an image of the work as illustrated in the Myriad of Dreaming catalogue (see literature section in catalogue). It appears that a conservator has restored a diagonal scratch or indentation in the painting running from the centre to the left hand corner and replaced some of the white dots in the surface
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Cf. Hetti Perkins and Hannah Fink, Papunya Tula: Genesis and Genius, Sydney: Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2000, p.47, for a related example in the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria.

This unusual example of the artist's work is amongst the finest he produced in 1972, during the fledgling years of the Western Desert art movement, where he creates an atmospheric effect that is more prevalent in the work of some of his contemporaries. The thick white dots of varying size that overlay the surface of this painting produce a highly tactile patchwork where the sets of concentric circles are allowed to stand out against the background. The circles represent specific places and camps in the artist's country in the Gibson Desert.

Shorty Lungkata was one of the last artists to join the Papunya painting group in 1971-72. At this time he was regarded as one of the senior Pintupi ritual men at Papunya, a great dancer and hunter. In his early work, he experimented with a variety of styles from plain linear images to more complex atmospheric compositions that feature layers of dotting. He also used a wide range of the conventional desert iconography. He is renowned for having produced some of the most exceptional paintings at Papunya and at the Pintupi outstation of Yai Yai.

This painting has been requested for inclusion in the forthcoming exhibition Origins which is being mounted by the National Gallery of Victoria to celebrate their fiftieth anniversary. This exhibition is being curated by Judith Ryan of the National Gallery of Victoria, Dr Philip Batty of the Museum of Victoria in conjunction with Papunya Tula Artists, and will bring together the largest and finest collection of early Papunya paintings executed in the 1971-1972 period. It is intended that the exhibition will tour to one or more major international institutions after it finishes in Melbourne.