Margaret Ngwarraye Long, View of Country, Acrylic on Linen 91x76cm (available from Bay Gallery Home)
Next week we're off to the third Sotheby's Aboriginal art auction where they'll be offering artefacts and art from the 18th century to the present. Master artists from central desert communities on sale including abstract expressionist Emily Kame Kngwarreye, most famous for her record breaking 'Earth's Creation', Janangoo Butcher Cherel, Warlimpirringa Tjapaltjarri and the Prince of Wales (Midpul).
The auctions have had mixed results with some records being reached but works like those of Warlimpirringa Tjapaltjarri 'Tingari Cycle'[s] not meeting expectations. Whereas Michael Nelson Jagamara’s iconic Five Stories, 1984, sold for £401,000 far above its estimate in September 2016.
Naturally the prices for these works far exceed what you would find at Bay Gallery Home. It's our desire to bring beautiful, quality Aboriginal artworks to the UK with prices accessible to the many not the few.
The artists in the Communities we represent are known for their use of bold use of colour with expansive swathes of it journeying across their canvases. Some like Shorty Jangala Robertson became known as a world class colour field abstractionist were its pioneers Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman and Clyfford Style. Shorty would not have been aware of these artists nor their search for myth, meaning and the infinite expressed through abstraction. Instead he would have drawn on his skin name's Dreamtime stories taking colours from what he saw around him in Australia's Central Desert. With the establishment of art centres he and the other artists accessed many fabulous acrylic paints they utilised to great effect as evidence in the art we sell. The artists continue to experiment with colour and technique producing an exciting body of work. Amongst those is the incredibly talented Steven Jupurrula whose work you can see below.
A good Pantone green making itself onto Aboriginal canvases including those by emerging artist Steven Jupurrula
We recently sold this piece - new works by Steven Jupurrula will be in the Gallery soon.
Papunya Tula is the legendary site where the contemporary Aboriginal art movement bloomed becoming famous for its Western Desert dot art.
Amongst the different displaced Western Desert people's brought to Papunya Tula (Tula meaning small hill where a Honey ant dreaming sits) were Tommy Watson, Clifford Possum and Ningura Napurrula, each of whom went on to become wildly successful international artists.
The original company now operates from Alice Springs but we paid a visit to the existing art centre and found some of the sacred iconography depicted in the early works honoured while developing new interpretations of their ancient Dreamtime stories.
We had to keep a respectful distance while photographing the artists. Close up the paintings were breathtaking. Below is the landscape around the art centre.
Bay Gallery Home is celebrating the start of Desert Mob this week with a painting by one of our favourite emerging artists whose work is reflected in our beautiful Cotswold Chrysanthemums. The Dreamtime story depicted in the painting is a Wardapi Jukurrpa or Goanna Dreaming. At the site where this story sits you'll find yellow & white ochre which is used for love potions and ceremonial purposes.
Desert Mob falls immediately after Darwin Art Fair both of which are important cultural events in the Indigenous art calendar. Bay Gallery Home proudly supports members of Desert Mob through our Tetbury gallery in the heart of the Cotswolds so drop in or visit us online to learn more.
Wardapi Jukurrpa by Ruth Nungarrayi 46cmx30cm acrylic on linen
