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MINNIE PWERLE 1910-2006

An ancient culture of 60 thousand years gave the World its most exciting Contemporary Art

Minnie Pwerle (1910-2006) is one of Australia’s most significant contemporary artists. Also known as Minnie Purla or Minnie Motorcar Apwerl, Minnie Pwerle, created dynamic, ground-breaking, significant artworks of contemporary Indigenous Australian art, recognised as the World modern abstract artist. Hank Ebes described Minnie Pwerle as Genius and Professor Vivien Johnson said that Minnie Pwerle style is stunningly contemporary.

Art Awards 2001,2002,2003,2005 NATSIAA Award, 2004 most collectible Australian artist, Awelye Atnwengerrp MP0635 masterwork coup the Australian National Curriculum by Department of Education Queensland Government in 2015 . Represented in some of the most prestigious Australian and International collections.

Minnie same as Emily Kame Kngwarreye, is one of the country's greatest Australian artists, emanated to Western-style the state-of-the-art Contemporary work, took Aboriginal art to a international audience, both are successful in the World Art Market. Minnie work is sought-after by investors Awelye 2004 sold for $72,000; Awelye Atnwengerrp 2002 $78,000.

MINNIE PWERLE 1910-2006

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MINNIE PWERLE biography

MINNIE PWERLE (1910-2006) Biography page 331 Australian Aboriginal Artists dictionary of biographies.

MINNIE PWERLE and  Emily Kame Kngwarreye (1910-1996) sister-in-law, are both the most highly praised Contemporary Australian artists.

Both emanated to Western-style the most contemporary, state-of-the-art work.

MINNIE PWERLE work is dynamic, and ground-breaking. She was recognised as one of the world’s best modern abstract artists and most successful in the World Art Market

MINNIE PWERLE (1910-2006) is one the most highly praised Australian artists, recognised by art experts as dynamic, original, ground-breaking and one of the world’s best modern abstract artists.

Professor Vivien Johnson, a Desert art specialist said that MINNIE PWERLE style was 'radically different' from other ‘painting communities’ in the Western Desert art movement, stunningly contemporary and most successful in the World Art Market.

Hank Ebes described MINNIE PWERLE as "a genius".

Michael Eather (Contemporary Australian artist who helped cross-cultural artistic collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists) paralleled MINNIE PWERLE work to Emily Kngwarreye, and also Tony Tuckson paintings. John Anthony Tuckson, was an Australian Abstract Expressionist artist exhibited in National Gallery of Australia.

Indigenous art expert Jenny Green (who worked with the Anmatyerre and Alyawarre people, recording and noting their language) believes Minnie's work continues the tradition of "gestural abstractionism" established by Emily Kngwarreye, in the works of Western Desert artists.

An Australian-born art critic, writer and editor, Benjamin Genocchio, illustrated MINNIE PWERLE work on the cover of his book 'Dollar Dreaming'. VIDEO: Dollar Dreaming: Ben Genocchio on the world of Aboriginal art.

Minnie paintings have distinctive linear fluidity and rare energy which is infectious to the viewer. Minnie work is immensely joyful, she experimented with bold, brilliant colours, painting with a rich array of tones.

MINNIE PWERLE's style was characterized by one reviewer as "broad, luminescent flowing lines and circles". Minnie's creative style comprises two key themes.

The first, embodies the body painting (designs used in women's ceremonies, or Awelye). These are free-flowing parallel lines in a pendulous outline.

The second, circular forms portrays bush tomato (Solanum chippendalei), bush melon, and northern wild orange (Capparis umbonata), among a number of forms of bushfood represented in her works.

MINNIE PWERLE style, both: circular design and the patterned lines are presented in bold and reminiscent of Emily Kame Kngwarreye work.

MINNIE PWERLE (1910-2006) same as her sister-in-law Emily Kame Kngwarreye (1910-1996) are the most highly praised Australian artists who dubbed by art experts as one of the world’s best modern and abstract artists. Both artists are ground-breaking and dynamic emanated to Western-style original and the most contemporary, state-of-the-art work.

Emily Kame Kngwarreye (1910-1996) painting 'Earth's Creation' sold for $1,056,000. The success of female artists snowballed CAAMA’s ‘Summer Project 1988/9’ handling over $1 million in sales for Utopia artists.

MINNIE PWERLE (1910-2006) museum-quality original paintings are highly sought after and have the physical presence of the much contemporary work of art. Skilfully painted with accuracy and attentions details, unrestrained shades of colours that seems to float in the air and moves with the viewer’s eyes, capturing the three dimensional appearance.

Papunya Tula Artist,  MINNIE PWERLE work contains a compelling visual and spiritual power, clearly evident in all her paintings, conveys her deep connection with the land. Minnie used linear brush-work based on the body painting used for important women’s ceremonies in her native country of Atnwengerrp. T

Minnie paintings are held in lots of overseas institutional and private collections as well as the major art galleries in Australia. Minnie’s work has been highly sought after by art international and Australian collectors.

Many of the works in the National Museum's Papunya collection had been rarely seen in Australia, until Papunya Painting exhibition in 2007 in Canberra.

AWARDS

2002 first selected to exhibit in the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award

COLLECTIONS

Homes a Court Gallery and gallery Collection

Kelton Foundation USA

Kreglinger Collection

Fred Torres Collection

Thomas Vroom Collection Holland

John McBride Collection

Fred Torres Collection

Exhibitions

2009 Indigenous Australian painting at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art

2006 Solo Exhibition, Gallery Savah, Brisbane

2005 Utopia Revealed Japingka Gallery, Fremantle

2001 Out of Utopia, Canberra

2000 MINNIE PWERLE Pwerle Sydney, Melbourne & Alice Springs

2000 MINNIE PWERLE Pwerle Sydney, Melbourne & Alice Springs

2000 Gallery Savah, Sydney

MINNIE PWERLE was born around 1910 at Utopia Station in the Australian central desert on the banks of the Sandover River, 350 kilometres northeast of Alice Springs. Her country was Atnwengerrp, (pronounced a-NOONG-a-pa), and her languages Anmatyerre and Alyawarr, languages from an area of Central Australia 250 km northeast of Alice Springs. Minnie was one of six children and went on to become the mother of seven children including International artist Barbara Weir. She was married to Jim Motorcar 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. 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.  She adopted the traditional body painting designs that convey Minnie's intuitive connection with her country.

All the stories she painted conveyed her deep connection with the land, and knowledge of the foods that it provides. Besides Women's Dreaming, MINNIE PWERLE painted other Dreamings involving the bush melon, and bush melon seed, types of bush tucker traditionally used by her people, once very common, and becoming increasingly rarer.

MINNIE PWERLE 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.

MINNIE PWERLE’s work shared many features with that of other contemporary artists of the central and western deserts: the portrayal of stories or features for which she had responsibility within her family or clan; the strong influence of traditional designs in the art; vigorous use of colour; and the enthusiastic embrace of new techniques, such as acrylic paint on canvas.

In 1999, after many years of ceremonial body painting and in her late eighties, Minnie started to paint on canvas. Minnie soon attracted a large following, holding her first solo exhibition in Melbourne in 2000. Minnie work rapidly drew the attention of both local and international collectors. MINNIE PWERLE painted the Awelye Atnwengerrp Dreamings (Women's Dreaming}.

MINNIE PWERLE work contains a compelling visual and spiritual power, convening her deep connection with the land, clearly evident in all her paintings. MINNIE PWERLE used linear brush-work based on the body painting used for important women’s ceremonies in her native country of Atnwengerrp.

The circular design of the Bush Melon and the patterned lines of the Women's body paint are presented in bold and reminiscent of Emily Kame Kngwarreye work. Minnie paintings have distinctive linear fluidity and rare energy which is infectious to the viewer. Minnie work is immensely joyful, as she experimented with bold, brilliant colours, often painting with a rich array of tones.  

MINNIE PWERLE is regarded as one of Australia's most important indigenous talents and is compared with her late friend and contemporary, Emily Kame Kngwarreye. They both became prolific and highly praised artists who came to Western-style art late in life.

Minnie paintings are held in lots of overseas institutional and private collections as well as the major art galleries in Australia. Minnie’s work has been highly sought after by art international and Australian collectors.

MINNIE PWERLE continued to paint up until her death in March 2006.

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Bush Melon, Melon Seeds and Body Paint 

MINNIE PWERLE 1910-2006

Awelye Atnwengerrp MP0635 - masterwork

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In 2015 MINNIE PWERLE Awelye Atnwengerrp MP0635 masterwork was selected by the Department of Education, Queensland Government for the Australian National Curriculum, with the acknowledgments to the artist Pwerle Estate’s representative, the AAA © Estate of the artist licensed by Aboriginal Artists Agency Limited and credits to Galeria Aniela art gallery
 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

MINNIE PWERLE 1910-2006

Awelye-Atnwengerrp (11145)

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