In memoriam

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are respectfully advised that this story contains the name of someone who has recently passed away.

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By Geoffrey Williams, Founder and Publishing Curator, The Indigenous Art Book

Throughout the epic Australian Aboriginal Art Movement, one of the most incredible achievements is to reach the point in the sacred, cultural and creative journey where your paintings are instantly recognisable around the world.

Such was the achievement of Thomas Tjapaltjarri, who passed away in Alice Springs on 15 September 2024.

‘Tingari Cycle' by Thomas Tjapaltjarri. Painted in 2017. Acrylic on canvas. 201cm x 138cm. Image courtesy of The Welles Collection and The Indigenous Art Book. © 2024. All rights reserved. Reproduction is strictly forbidden in all national and international jurisdictions.

As a young member of The Pintupi Nine, who were catapulted to international attention when their first contact with non-Indigenous people was reported in 1984, Thomas would eventually become one of the most celebrated artists of the Movement.

Roy Allan, the Gallery Director of Melbourne's Aboriginal and Modern Art Gallery of Australia (AMAGOA), fondly recalls the first time he met Thomas. ‘I was visiting a friend on their property near Alice Springs. Thomas was quite small in stature, and the first time I saw him, draped over his shoulder was a huge kangaroo that was much, much bigger than him! He made a fire, and encased the embers in netting, and proceeded to cook the kangaroo for us all to share. Thomas often went bush to return to the nomadic life he obviously enjoyed more than living in town. He was much more comfortable being in the bush. I have sold his paintings all over the world, including to expats who were living in London, who fell in love with his paintings because they felt that they were truly representative of the great Western Desert where Thomas had lived his entire life. His connection to his Country was incredibly important to him – not only in his daily life, but also in his paintings.'

As our friends at Sydney’s Kate Owen Gallery write, ‘His artwork, which preserved and celebrated the rich cultural heritage of the Pintupi people, will continue to be valued for its authenticity and the depth of traditional knowledge it conveys. The Pintupi Nine's unique story of first contact and artistic success has left an indelible mark on the appreciation of Indigenous Australian art globally, underscoring their resilience and the enduring power of their cultural traditions.’

For me, Thomas's work remains among the most hypnotic of the Movement. With his creations in particular, you can look at them on an almost daily basis, and still be captivated by the life and movement that, incredibly, never appears to remain as motionless as paint on canvas should.

We are grateful that Thomas's creations are held in galleries, museums and collections around the world, just as we are grateful that he contributed, beyond measure, to one of the most important art movements the world will ever know.

Geoffrey Williams is the Founder and Publishing Curator of The Indigenous Art Book. He is based in Darwin, Australia. The Traditional Owners of Darwin and the surrounding region are the Larrakia (Saltwater) people. Larrakia country runs far beyond the municipal boundaries of Darwin, covering the area from the Cox Peninsula in the west to the Adelaide River in the east.

What is ‘provenance’ and why is it important?

By Geoffrey Williams, Founder and Publishing Curator, The Indigenous Art Book

Provenance (from the French provenir meaning ‘to come from/forth’) is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object (The Oxford English Dictionary).

Establishing provenance is a crucial aspect of my publishing curatorial role at The Indigenous Art Book. It is, in equal measure, a challenging and fascinating process, and one I undertake fastidiously on each individual piece in our private collections before they are presented for sale. If I doubt a particular piece’s provenance, or it requires further investigation, it doesn’t appear in the collection, and while this has only occurred on a few occasions, it brings me and the potential new owner of the piece, valuable peace-of-mind.

Establishing provenance is critical for a number of reasons. The most important of these is to establish the work’s authenticity. This involves verifying that the work is genuine and created by the artist to whom it is credited. Having worked in the Aboriginal Art world for over 17 years, I am fortunate to often be able to recognise who certain pieces are created by. While this would be impossible in the non-Indigenous Art world (with arguably some European exceptions), the stories shared throughout the Aboriginal Art Movement are ‘signature pieces’, and the permission to paint often quite specific stories rests, forever, with particular artists and their families. The late, great Gloria Petyarre, for example, was the first artist to paint the ‘Bush Medicine Leaves’ women’s ceremony, for which she would become the first Indigenous Artist to win the prestigious Wynne Landscape Prize in 1999. Throughout the evolution of the Aboriginal Art Movement after Gloria, it was, and is, only ever the female members of Gloria’s biological and extended family by association who are able to paint the details of this ceremony. The provenance, then, when examining a painting about the leaves used in this ceremony, involves tracing the origins of the piece back to Gloria.

‘Bush Medicine Leaves' by Gloria Petyarre. Painted in 2013. Acrylic on canvas. 152cm x 110cm. Image courtesy of The Harper Collection and The Indigenous Art Book. © 2024. All rights reserved. Reproduction is strictly forbidden in all national and international jurisdictions.

The cultural significance of a painting is also vital when establishing provenance. Defining a piece’s cultural significance within the Movement or the artist’s career, provides us with context about the artwork’s cultural background, historical significance, and the artist’s intent, which enhances our appreciation and understanding of its place in the Movement. Defining a piece’s cultural significance is a fascinating process. Sometimes it can be as straightforward as recognising the subject of the painting as sharing details of a significant Dreamtime story, or how the artist had permission to paint a particular story. On other precious occasions, it can be about the artist sharing with me the choice of their colour palette, which is often associated with the colours of their Dreaming. Defining a work’s cultural significance often extends beyond the cursory first glance and becomes about the place of the work within the trajectory of the artist’s career, where the piece was painted, and why. When Caroline Numina, for example, returns to Darwin from her regular visits to her home (the Utopian Aboriginal Lands of the Eastern Desert), her paintings, by her own admission, take on a profound and deep connection to her Country. This is not to say that these paintings are any more important or valuable, but they represent a stronger connection to Country and to the ancestral subjects that inform and speak to us through Caroline’s work.

'Lizard Skin' by Caroline Numina. Painted in 2014. Acrylic on linen. 214cm x 122cm. Image courtesy of the The Harper Collection and The Indigenous Art Book. © 2024. All rights reserved. Reproduction is strictly forbidden in all national and international jurisdictions.

The ethics relating to acquisition and ownership of a particular piece is the cornerstone of the establishment of provenance. In the case of the Aboriginal Art Movement, ethical concerns about acquisition, representation, ownership, and cultural appropriation are critical to securing a piece’s rightful place in museums, galleries and private collections in Australia and around the world. Examining the ethics of acquisition begins with the moment the painting is brought to the point of initial sale/exchange. This can have occurred through a number of means, including, but not limited to, art galleries, artist’s studios (including their homes and/or established studios in towns and regional centres, established Aboriginal Community Art Centres on Country, and/or auction houses).

At the point of first exchange, the buyer must determine who the painting is by, the title, the story that is represented in the work, when it was painted, what medium, what material, and the measurements. The convention, then, is attempt to ascertain as much information about the subject of the painting as is possible and permissible, and to clearly document these details on a ‘Certificate of Authenticity’ or ‘Certificate of Authentication’. These details can include the artist’s date of birth, their Country, and their language group. It is also at this point that the work will be given a dedicated catalogue number – a unique identifier for that particular painting as it begins its journey to market. A ‘Holding shot’ of the Artist displaying their painting for the camera is then taken (if the Artist agrees), and this photograph is then included on the Certificate of Authenticity. It is this Certificate of Authenticity that will, for the life of the painting, accompany it for prosperity and documented proof of the work’s authenticity.

If you are interested in reading more about the ethics of provenance, we recommend you visit the Aboriginal Art Association of Australia’s website https://www.aboriginalart.org.au/code-of-ethics-business-practice

Geoffrey Williams is the Founder and Publishing Curator of The Indigenous Art Book. He is based in Darwin, Australia. The Traditional Owners of Darwin and the surrounding region are the Larrakia (Saltwater) people. Larrakia country runs far beyond the municipal boundaries of Darwin, covering the area from the Cox Peninsula in the west to the Adelaide River in the east.