Property from the Estate of James and Elaine Wolfensohn, New York
George Tjungurrayi
Mamultjulkina, 1996
Auction Closed
May 25, 09:41 PM GMT
Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Property from the Estate of James Wolfensohn, New York
George Tjungurrayi
Circa 1943
Mamultjulkina, 1996
Synthetic polymer paint on linen
Bears artist's name and Papunya Tula catalogue number GT9606137 on the reverse
71 11/16 in by 60 in (182 by 152.4 cm)
Utopia Arts Sydney
James Wolfensohn, New York, acquired from the above
Cf., Tingari Dreaming, 1996 in the collection the National Gallery of Victoria in H. Perkins and H. Fink, Papunya Tula: Genesis and Genius, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 2000 p. 121, for a closely related painting using a similar palette.
The original Papunya Tula Artists documentation read, 'this painting depicts the large swampy area at Mamultjulkina, north west of Lake Mackay. Edible grow in profusion in this area. Amongst them Mungilpa, a small black seed, and Lukarrara, a grass seed. These seeds are ground and formed into a type of damper.'
George Tjungurrayi developed the extraordinary, graphically minimal renditions of country associated with the Tingari Ancestors around 1996. This painting is one of the first in this breakaway style that the artist continues to explore. The field of narrow parallel lines, which 'warp' towards the edges of the lower-left register relates to designs engraved on shields in the Western Desert, as well as to a conceptualisation of the physical appearance of the country around Wilkinkara (Lake Mackay) with its parallel ridges of sand dunes.
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