George Tjungurrayi

Painted for Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, in 1977 (catalogue number GJ77535)

Aboriginal Arts and Crafts, Sydney

The Collectors Gallery of Aboriginal Art, Sydney

Private Collection, Sydney, acquired from the above in 1978

Deutscher and Hackett, Melbourne, Australian Art, May 21, 2019, lot 5

Acquired from the above by the present owner with the assistance of Tim Klingender Fine Art, Sydney, on May 27, 2019

The Collectors Gallery of Aboriginal Art, Sydney, Pintubi Paintings, April 20 – May 15, 1978, with the title Tingari Men

Tingari Men is a very early work by George Tjungurrayi, who commenced painting for Papunya Tula Artists in 1976.¹ Under the tutelage of Mick Namarari Tjapaltjarri, Yala Yala Gibbs Tjungurrayi, and Uta Uta Tjangala, he became a leading figure in the artists cooperative as his style evolved into the optically mesmerizing, linear compositions that became the hallmark of much Pintupi painting around the turn of the century.

Painted at Waruwiya west of Papunya, Tingari Men depicts a group of ancestors participating in a ceremony at Numpurnga, a hill that stands in a large salt lake; the hill appears as the large roundel in the upper register of the painting. The other large roundels below are caves where the participants are seated (the adjoining C-shapes).

This painting is accompanied by the exhibition notes and catalogue list of works from Aboriginal Arts and Crafts, together with a certificate of authenticity from Papunya Tula Artists.

¹ Johnson, V., Lives of the Papunya Tula Artists, IAD Press, Alice Springs, 2008, p. 14