Aboriginal Fine Art

Tribe: Pintupi

Area: Kiwirrkura, Western Australia

Born: circa 1958

Biography:

Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri was born east of Kiwirrkura, Western Australia. He is the brother of artists Walala and Thomas Tjapaltjarri. In late 1984, Warlimpirrnga and eight other relatives walked out of the desert in Western Australia and made contact for the first time with European society. Prior to this point, Warlimpirrnga and his family lived the traditional and nomadic life of their people. Described as ‘The Lost Tribe’, he and his family created international headlines.  Their intimate knowledge of the land, its flora and fauna and waterholes, allowed them to survive as their ancestors had for thousands of years. It is this sacred landscape with its significant sites that Warlimpirrnga so strikingly describes in his paintings.
In 1987, Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri completed his first painting for Papunya Tula Artists and in 1988 the first eleven paintings were exhibited in Melbourne. This entire collection was purchased and donated to the National Gallery of Victoria.

Collections:

National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Kelton Foundation Collection, California, U.S.A.
Macquarie Bank Collection, Sydney
Musee des Arts Africians et Oceaniens, Paris