Minnie Pwerle same as Emily Kngwarreye, is regarded as one of Australia's most important indigenous contemporary talents - Minnie Pwerle biography

Minnie Pwerle same as Emily Kngwarreye, is regarded as one of Australia's most important indigenous contemporary talents.

AWARDS
2001 Minnie Pwerle won the prestigious The 18^th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Telstra Award selected for the Telstra Award, it was an enormous recognition for Minnie Pwerle work.

Represented:
Hank Ebes Collection, Melbourne;
AMP Collection Melbourne;
National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne,
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory Darwin;
Australian Heritage Commission, Canberra;
Queensland Art Gallery Brisbane,
Art Gallery of South Australia Adelide,
Art Gallery NSW in Sydney,
National Gallery of Australia (Canberra);
Art Bank (Sydney)
Kelton Foundation,
Thomas Vroom Collection
Perth, Holmes a'Court Collection as well as many corporate and private collections throughout the world.

Awelye Cat. 11745

Artist:    Minnie Pwerle (1910-2006) 
Title:     Bush Melon, Seeds and Body Paint circa 2004 - Awelye Cat. 11745
Medium: Acrylic on linen
Image Size: 150 x 92 cm
Sold with a certificate in Alice Springs, Australian North Territory

"Awelye -Bush Melon with Seeds and Body Paint" is a top-quality, original exquisite work of art with good balance. It has a contemporary physical presence with multi dimensional effect scarce in Minnie’s work and many intricate details in flaming red, subtle warm washes and sparkle of cool blue and white.

Awelye Cat. no. 11799

Artist:    Minnie Pwerle (1910-2006)
Title:     Bush Melon, Seeds and Body Paint circa 2004  - Awelye Cat. no. 11799
Medium: Acrylic on linen
Image Size: 120 x 88 cm
Sold with a certificate

NOTES:
This is a contemporary and powerful painting boasts good balance and many intricate details. It has fine and subtle colour and multi dimensional physical presence which is rare and unique in Minnie Pwerle work.

Awelye circa 1998

Artist:    Minnie Pwerle (1910-2006)
Title:     BUSH Melon and BODY PAINT circa 2005 Cat. no. 12043
Medium: Acrylic on linen
Image Size: 150 x 90 cm
Signed    On reverse
Price (stretched): SOLD
Provenance: Galeria Aniela purchased from the Aboriginal Desert Art Gallery collection Alice Springs, Australian North Territory, includes a Certificate of Authenticity.
 
NOTES:
This is a contemporary and powerful painting boasts good balance and many intricate details. It has fine and subtle colour and multi dimensional physical presence which is rare and unique in Minnie Pwerle work.

Artist:    Minnie Pwerle (1910-2006)
Title:     BUSH Melon Seeds & BODY PAINT 2005
Medium: Acrylic on Belgian linen
Image Size: 150 x 95 cm
Signed    On reverse
Price (stretched): SOLD - includes the original VIDEOCASSETTE taken by Richard Bednarowicz of Minnie Pwerle signing this painting.
Provenance: Galeria Aniela purchased from Richard Bednarowicz private collection Alice Springs, Australian North Territory.
 
NOTES:
This powerful contemporary work of art with many intricate details and subtle colour wash has good balance, fine shades and tone of colour and boasts multi dimensional physical presence which is rare in Minnie Pwerle work.  Richard Bednarowicz is an art collector, art historian, an author, and a curator on Australian indigenous art.

Minnie Pwerle biography:

Minnie Pwerle (1910-2006)
Minnie Pwerle much loved artist died on Friday, 17th March 2006. We would like our condolences to go to family and loved ones.  Minnie’s work has been highly sought after by art international and Australian collectors. Minnie Pwerle was born around 1910 near Utopia in the Australian central desert.  View Minnie Pwerle Curriculum Vitae page 331 Australian Encyclopaedia Aboriginal Artists dictionary of biographies. View Minnie Pwerle Curriculum Vitae page 331 Australian Encyclopaedia Aboriginal Artists dictionary of biographies.

AWARDS
2001 Minnie Pwerle won the prestigious The 18^th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Telstra Award selected for the Telstra Award, it was an enormous recognition for Minnie Pwerle work.

COLLECTIONS:
Hank Ebes Collection, Melbourne;
AMP Collection Melbourne;
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory Darwin;
Australian Heritage Commission, Canberra;
Art Gallery of Western Australia Perth;
National Gallery of Victoria Melbourne;
National Gallery of Australia Canberra;
 Art Gallery of South Australia Adelaide;
Artbank Sydney;
Perth, Holmes a'Court Collection as well as many corporate and private collections throughout the world.

Minnie Pwerle was born on the banks of the Sandover River, 350 kilometres northeast of Alice Springs. Her country is Atnwengerrp and her language is Anmatyerre and Alyawarr. Minnie was one of six children and went on to become the mother of seven children including International artist Barbara Weir. Minnie commenced painting on canvas in 1999 - and was immediately noticed by Galleries and Collectors worldwide - after a lifetime of ceremonial body painting. Body paint designs are worn to represent Dreamings and various symbols are specific to particular rituals. Minnie then started painting batiks in the 1980's completing works for the Robert Holmes a Court Collection. Minnie's paintings reflect her country, the bush tucker so important to her desert heritage and the women's ceremonial body paint inherent in her culture.The circular design of the Bush Melon and the patterned lines of the Women's body paint are presented in bold and striking colours reminiscent of the late Emily Knwarreye's later works, and those of the Batik designs in which Minnie was involved.

Minnie work rapidly drew the attention of both local and international collectors. Minnie is now regarded as one of Australia's most important indigenous talents and is compared with her late friend and contemporary, Emily Kngwarreye. Minnie paints with distinctive linear fluidity as she depicts her country, Awelye Atnwengerrp. She experiments with bold and brilliant colours and adopts traditional body painting designs conveying her intuitive connection with her country. Minnie’s work is immensely joyful. Her paintings convey a rare energy and meaning which is infectious to the viewer. She paints with a rich array of colour and her work contains a compelling visual and spiritual power. The stories that she paints convey her deep connection with the land, and knowledge of the foods that it provides.Minnie is now regarded as one of Australia's most important indigenous talents and is compared with her late friend and contemporary, Emily Kngwarreye. Minnie paints with distinctive linear fluidity as she depicts her country, Awelye Atnwengerrp. She experiments with bold and brilliant colours and adopts traditional body painting designs conveying her intuitive connection with her country. Minnie’s work is immensely joyful. Her paintings convey a rare energy and meaning which is infectious to the viewer. She paints with a rich array of colour and her work contains a compelling visual and spiritual power. The stories that she paints convey her deep connection with the land, and knowledge of the foods that it provides.

It was not until 1999 that she painted her first canvas and rapidly drew the attention of both local and international collectors. Minnie is now regarded as one of Australia's most important indigenous talents and is compared with her late friend and contemporary, Emily Kngwarreye. Minnie paints with distinctive linear fluidity as she depicts her country, Awelye Atnwengerrp. She experiments with bold and brilliant colours and adopts traditional body painting designs and bush melon seeds, conveying her intuitive connection with her country. Minnie’s work is immensely joyful. Her paintings convey a rare energy and meaning which is infectious to the viewer. Minnie Pwerle is the mother of the internationally renowned artist Barbara Weir. She has exhibited extensively throughout Australia and the USA.

One of Minnie’s pieces was entered into the 18^th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Telstra Award in 2001. To be selected for the Telstra Award is an enormous recognition of her work. The Dreamings which Minnie paints are Body Painting (Awelyewe - Atnwengerrp), Bush Melon, and the Bush Melon Seed. Once very abundant and fruiting in the summer season, the bush melon is now very hard to find. Minnie and the other women used to collect this fruit (that was green in colour and then ripened to a brown colour) and scrape out the small black seeds.  They would then eat the fruit straight away or cut it into pieces and skewer them onto a piece of wood and dry them to be eaten in the coming months when bush tucker was scarce. Her distinctive style uses linear brush-work based on the Body Painting used for important women’s ceremonies in her native country of Atnwengerrp.  She paints with a rich array of colours and her work contains a compelling visual and spiritual power. All the stories that she paints convey her deep connection with the land, and knowledge of the foods that it provides.

Exhibitions
2000 AMP Building, Sydney; 2001 Mbantua Gallery, Alice Springs; 2001, 2002 Chapman Gallery, Canberra; 2001 San Anselmo, Marin Country, California, U.S.A.; 2001, 2002 Japingka Gallery, Perth; 2001 Tandanya Adelaide; 2001 Dreamtime Gallery, Santa Fe, U.S.A.; 2001 Gallery 2021, Auckland, New Zealand; 2002 Gallery New York City, U.S.A.; 2002 Knut Grothe Gallery, Charlottlenlund, Copenhagen, Denmark; 2002 Dacou Gallery, Adelaide; 2002 Fireworks Gallery, Brisbane; 2002 Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne; 2002 Heart and Soul Gallery, Nashville, U.S.A.; 2002 Urban Wineworks Gallery, Portland, USA; 2002 Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs; 2003 Walkabout Gallery, Sydney, 2003 Glen Eira City Council Gallery, Melbourne.

Source & FURTHER REFERENCES:
  "Aboriginal Artists of the Western Desert - A Biographical Dictionary" by Vivien Johnson, published by Craftsman House 1994,
  "The Oxford Companion to Aboriginal Art and Culture" edited by Sylvia Kleinert and Margo Neale published by OUP 2000,
  “Australian Aboriginal Artist Encyclopedia” – dictionary of biographies” Kreczmanski, Janusz B & Birnberg, Margo (eds.): Aboriginal Artists: Dictionary of Biographies: Central Desert, Western Desert & Kimberley Region (JB Publishing Australia, Marleston, 2004).
 Brody, A. 1989 Utopia women’s Paintings: the First Works on Canvas, A summer Project, 1988-89 exhib. Cat. Heytesbury Holdings, Perth Brody, A. 1990 Utopia, a picture Story, 88 Silk Batiks from the Robert Homes a Court Gallery and gallery Collection, Heytesbury Holdings LTD Perth NATSIVAD database;  Latz, P. 1995, Bushfires & Bushtucker, IAD Press, Alice Springs.

Minnie, one of eight children and mother of acclaimed artist Barbara Weir, was born in the Utopia Station Region of the Northern Territory, 250 kms northeast of Alice Springs. She was married to Motorcar Jim and together they had six children. Like many other highly respected Utopia women artists, Minnie participated in the batik project which was introduced to the community in 1977. Painting on canvas in the community started in the late 1980s. In 1999, after many years of ceremonial body painting and in her late eighties, Minnie started to paint on canvas. Painting traditional body paint designs ofAwelye and her inherited Bush Melon Dreaming, Minnie soon attracted a large following, holding her first solo exhibition in Melbourne in 2000. Her knowledge of and her spiritual connection to the land is clearly evident in all her paintings. Minnie continued to paint until she died in March 2006. Her paintings are held in many overseas institutional and private collections as well as the major art galleries in Australia.