The World’s Local Fine Art

Don Tjungurrayi c.1938-2022

An ancient Aboriginal culture gave the World its most exciting Contemporary Art

Tjungurrayi produced exceptionally powerful paintings. In 2008, Two Women Dreaming at Karrinyarra, (60x91 cm), Est: €2,400-2,600, sold for $7,125 (€4,367) in Paris ArtCurial, Art Aborigine Australien Collection Peter Los, Paris, 07/07/2008, Lot 44 Papunya Tula Artists PTY LTD DT820907.

Don Tjungurrayi (c.1938-2022)

Initiation Ceremony (2002)

Synthetic polymer paint on Belgian linen

Image: 122 x 92 cm

Framed: 162 x 132 cm

Where to See His Work in Europe:

While he does not have a permanent architectural installation like Ningura Napurrula, his paintings are featured in the Michael Reid Berlin permanent hub for Australian art in Europe, and (1997-2007) the Aboriginal Art Galerie Bähr in Germany, and also in the European art market.

European Auctions Market Highlights

Don Tjungurrayi has a well-established presence in the European art market, with his most significant sales occurring at major auction houses:

• Chiswick Auctions is a London auction house specializing in fine art, including major Aboriginal art sales.

• Millon & Associés is a premier independent, auction group founded in France in the late 19th century, now boasting a strong European footprint with major hubs in France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Spain.

• ArtCurial in Hôtel Marcel Dassault, is known for global reach and high-end sales, it features both public auctions and private sales, with significant expertise in urban art, often setting records for artists like Banksy and Kaws. A major international player with permanent locations in Brussels, Monte Carlo, Milan, Munich, and Marrakech.

In 2022 Snake Dreaming, Mt Wedge Millon & Associés sold for AU$7,023.51 (€4,910.14). In 2008 ArtCurial sold Two Women Dreaming at Karrinyarra for $7,125 (€4,367).
 

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Warumpi Arts:

Don Tjungurrayi worked through Warumpi Arts after the Papunya Community Council established the centre in 1994, as the main centre for paintings by Papunya artists, run by Aboriginal people of Papunya. This initiative was the first Aboriginal-owned and fully operated community art gallery in Alice Springs, designed to give Papunya artists greater control over the commercial sale of their work. Warumpi Arts centre-gallery was maintained until September 2004. The Papunya Community Council decided to close the gallery and open Papunya Tjupi Arts art centre in Papunya.

Key Details of Warumpi Arts and Don Tjungurrayi

• Operational Years: The Warumpi Arts gallery in Alice Springs was maintained for a decade, eventually closing in September 2004.

• Transition: Following the gallery's closure, the Papunya Community Council shifted focus to establish Papunya Tjupi Arts in 2007, a new artist-owned centre based directly in the Papunya community.

• Artist Legacy: Don Tjungurrayi was a key participant in this movement, and his works from the Warumpi Arts era, such as Initiation Ceremony (2002), are considered some of his most significant masterworks.

• Current Representation: While Warumpi Arts is now defunct, Tjungurrayi's legacy continues through Papunya Tjupi Arts, which supports the descendants of the original Papunya painters. 

Don Tjungurrayi  Biography

Don Tjungurrayi Biography page 406 Australian Aboriginal Artists dictionary of biographies

Photo 1989: Don Tjungurrayi with his painting - Collection National Archives of Australia Canberra
ABORIGINAL PEOPLE AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES ART
Image no. A6135, K3/11/89/16A, Barcode: 11689913,
Location: Canberra, Series accession number: A6135/1

Don Tjungurrayi passed away in 2022. Because he was a significant figure in the Western Desert art movement, his passing was deeply felt within the Papunya community.

Legacy and Continued Impact

• Artistic Influence: His work remains a cornerstone of the Pintupi/Luritja style, characterized by his intricate use of line and deep knowledge of ceremonial Law.

• Collections: His paintings continue to be exhibited and held in prestigious institutions, such as the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

• Family Connection: Many of his relatives continue the tradition of painting at Papunya Tjupi Arts, ensuring the stories he captured remain alive for future generations.

Where to See Don Tjungurrayi Work

While he is no longer living, you can still view his significant paintings in several permanent museum collections across Australia: 

• National Gallery of Australia (Canberra): Holds several of his major works.

• Art Gallery of New South Wales (Sydney): Features his paintings in their extensive Aboriginal art collection.

• National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne): Houses his works within their First Nations galleries.

• Art Gallery of Western Australia (Perth): Maintains a selection of his paintings. 

Continuing Legacy at Papunya Tjupi Arts

The Papunya Tjupi Arts centre, which grew from the movement Don was a part of, continues to represent his family and the next generation of Pintupi/Luritja artists. You can visit their gallery in Papunya (roughly 250km northwest of Alice Springs) or see their touring exhibitions in major cities like Melbourne. 

Biography Overview

• Birth & Background: Born "out bush" circa 1939 (some records suggest 1938) near the Yuendumu settlement, he was a member of the Luritja/Pintupi language group.

• Early Life: Before becoming an artist, he worked as a drover, stockman, and boundary rider on cattle stations across the Western Desert. He was a survivor of first contact with Europeans in 1957, having first seen a helicopter as a teenager.

• Passing: Don Tjungurrayi passed away in 2022. 

Artistic Career

• Movement: He was a senior figure in the Western Desert art movement, beginning his painting career in the late 1970s at Papunya under the guidance of his stepbrother, Paddy Carroll Tjungurrayi.

• Warumpi Arts: (1994 to 2004), he sold much of his work through Warumpi Arts, an Aboriginal-owned gallery in Alice Springs, the main centre for paintings by Papunya Tula Artists, established by the Papunya Community Council, was the first Aboriginal Community Art Gallery fully operated by Aboriginal artists and maintained in Alice Springs until September 2004.

• Themes & Style: His work often depicted Men's Dreaming, initiation ceremonies, and Ancestral stories such as the Crow and Bush Plum. He was known for his meticulous brushstrokes and ability to translate ancient ceremonies into contemporary abstract art.

• Awards: He won the prestigious Alice Springs Art Prize in 1986. 

Institutional Representation

His artworks are held in major national and international collections, including: 

• National Gallery of Australia (Canberra)

• Art Gallery of Western Australia (Perth)

• National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne)

• Art Gallery of South Australia (Adelaide)

• Kelton Foundation (USA)

Community & Activism

Beyond his art, Tjungurrayi was a key advocate for Indigenous health. He was a founding supporter of the Purple House (Western Desert Dialysis), helping raise over $1 million through art auctions to provide on-country dialysis for remote communities. 

Key Details of Warumpi Arts & Don Tjungurrayi

• Operational Years: The Warumpi Arts gallery in Alice Springs was maintained for a decade, eventually closing in September 2004.

• Transition: Following the gallery's closure, the Papunya Community Council shifted focus to establish Papunya Tjupi Arts in 2007, a new artist-owned centre based directly in the Papunya community.

• Artist Legacy: Don Tjungurrayi was a key participant in this movement, and his works from the Warumpi Arts era, such as Initiation Ceremony (2002), are considered some of his most significant masterworks.

Don Tjungurrayi (Tjungurrayi) painted Dreaming stories that are deeply rooted in the Pintupi and Luritja ceremonial traditions. His work is notable for its intricate linework and traditional dotting, representing ancestral travels across the Western Desert. His primary Dreaming stories include:

• Men’s Dreaming (Tjukurpa): Many of his works depict sacred male initiation ceremonies and the secret rituals associated with young men’s transitions to adulthood.

• The Tingari Cycle: As a senior Pintupi man, he shared the responsibility of depicting the Tingari Men, a group of ancestral beings who travelled across the desert during the Dreamtime, creating the landscape and establishing the Law.

• Bush Plum (Wakalpuka): This story recounts ancestral women gathering bush plums (desert raisins). In the Dreaming, these women were pursued by ancestral men and scattered the plums as they fled, creating the bushes found in the desert today.

• Budgerigar (Ngatitjirri) Dreaming: He often painted the travels of the Budgerigar Ancestors, particularly those related to the site of Tjunti. These works use concentric circles to represent the sites where the ancestors stopped and parallel lines for the paths they travelled.

• Snake Dreaming: His work frequently featured the journeys of ancestral snakes. One common narrative involves two snakes travelling through the area of Napperby Station (where he grew up), representing two women from the Dreamtime who were transformed into snakes as punishment.

• Crow (Warna) Dreaming: He also focused on the Crow ancestor, a significant figure in his ancestral country. 

1986 Don Tjungurrayi won the prestigious Alice Springs Art Prize with a very beautiful painting of the young male’s initiation ceremony. 

While many ceremonies are public, Male Initiation Ceremonies are secret and strangers, young women, non initiated boys and girls would be limited in attending the sacred ceremonies. The main categories of ceremonies are; education of their sacred laws and behavioral codes and to ensure continuation of totemic species to live in harmony with the land. Aboriginal men perform the ceremonies at different times of the year. Each ceremony has to be organized, supervised and managed and the performance of each ceremony dependents the person ownership, their knowledge as well as their status. A concentric circle represents a meeting place. Ceremonies involve songs, dances and body adornment.

Don Tjungurrayi was born at the Bungalow in Alice Springs Telegraph Station in Australia, the year that World War two broke out. Don Tjungurrayi attended the Yuendumu school and in his youth he worked as a drover and boundary rider.

Don was initiated near Haast’s Bluff and then began working as a stockman and fencing contractor on various stations, including Hamilton Downs. He married the widowed Entalura Nangala and moved to Papunya where he was working in the communal centre.

Don Tjungurrayi work is represented in many significant colections such as

Homes a Court Collection, Perth

Wollongong City Art Gallery NSW Australia

Kelton Foundation California

Kerry Stokes Collection

1982 Aboriginal Artists Agency Ltd., Sydney, Australia
1982 Georges Exhibition, Melbourne, Australia
1983 Mori Gallery, Sydney, Australia
1983 Roar Studios, Melbourne, Australia
1984 Mori Gallery, Sydney, Australia
1984 Papunya and Beyond, Araluen Centre for the Arts, Alice Springs, Australia
1984 Papunya Tula Artists Pty. Ltd., Alice Springs, Australia
1985 Aboriginal Artists Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
1986 Galerie Düsseldorf, Perth, Australia
1986 Queensland University, Brisbane, Australia
1987 4th National Aboriginal Art Award Exhibition, Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, Australia
1988 Chapman Gallery, Canberra, Australia
1991 The Painted Dream. Contemporary Aboriginal Paintings, Auckland City Art Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand
1992 Araluen Centre for the Arts, Alice Springs, Australia
1992 Dreamtime Gallery, Broadbeach, Australia
1993 Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
1993 Chapman Gallery, Canberra, Australia
1993 Tjukurrpa. Desert Dreamings - A Survey of Central Desert Art
1971-1993, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
1994 Araluen Centre for the Arts, Alice Springs, Australia
1994 Chapman Gallery, Canberra, Australia
1994 Dreamtime Gallery, Broadbeach, Australia
1995 Chapman Gallery, Canberra, Australia
1997 Geschichtenbilder, Aboriginal Art Galerie Bähr, Speyer, Germany
1998 Kunst der Kontinente. Werke der Aborigines, Kunstverein Alsdorf, Germany (in cooperation with the Aboriginal Art Gallery Bähr, Speyer)
1999 Zeichen des Seins. Malerei der australischen Aborigines, Städtische Galerie ADA, Meiningen, Germany (in cooperation with the Aboriginal Art Gallery Bähr, Speyer)
2000 BlickDicht - An- und Einblicke. Zeitgenössische Kunst australischer Aborigines, Adelhausermuseum, Freiburg, Germany (in cooperation with the Aboriginal Art Gallery Bähr, Speyer)
2000 Kunst der Aborigines, Leverkusen, Germany (in cooperation with the Aboriginal Art Galley Bähr, Speyer)
2000 Traumpfade Zeitgenössische Malerei australischer Aborigines, Städtische Galerie, Traunstein, Germany (in cooperation with the Aboriginal Art Gallery Bähr, Speyer)

Tjungurrayi's paintings have also been exhibited in China, Germany, Singapore, London and Brussels, and around Australia

Initiation Ceremony is an inspiring beautiful painting with a dramatic juxtaposition of colour that has the physical presence of the much contemporary work of art, arguably Don Tjungurrayi best masterwork.

Tjungurrayi use remarkable, meticulousness in-depth precision brush strokes to achieve in a commanding and poignant work of art.

Don Tjungurrayi painted 'Male Initiation Ceremony' (in 2002) with fascinating accuracy and intricate details of subtle shades of colour that moves with the viewer’s eyes and floats in air giving the multi-dimensional effect. 'Men Initiation Ceremony' painting is fitted out to hang vertical and horizontal orientation.

While many ceremonies are public, Male Initiation Ceremony are secret and strangers, young women, non initiated boys and girls would be limited in attending the sacred ceremonies. They main categories of ceremonies are; education of their sacred laws and behavioral codes and to ensure continuation of totemic species to live in harmony with the land. Aboriginal men perform the ceremonies at different times of the year. Each ceremony has to be organized, supervised and managed and the performance of each ceremony dependents the person ownership, their knowledge as well as their status. A concentric circle represents a meeting place. Ceremonies involve songs, dances and body adornment.

The Initiation Ceremony of men (in general sense) is a rite of passage ceremony marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society and also a formal admission to adulthood in a community. The initiation is normally regarded as a stage where a boy is to be taught manhood. Initiation is an event which may help young men to prepare themselves to be good husbands.

Australian Aboriginal tribes usually had long periods of time to help prepare adolescent boys, teaching them the Law before they were ready to attend large elaborate ceremonies at the time of initiation when they were finally recognized as full-fledged men in their society. In many tribes, initiation involves circumcision of males and scarification as a part of the male rituals, while many Central Australian tribes also practiced sub-incision.

Tribes initiations are considered necessary for the individual to be regarded as a full member of the tribe. Otherwise, the individual may not be allowed to participate in ceremonies or even in social ritual such as marriage. A man will not be allowed to marry or have any special relationship with a woman who didn't go to an initiation, because she is not considered as a woman. In an extended sense it can signify a transformation in which the initiate is 'reborn' into a new role. A person taking the initiation ceremony in traditional rites, is called an 'initiate'.

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