Thursday 29 September 2011

Ronnie Tjampitjinpa

Born circa 1940 at Tjiturrunya, west of Muyinga over the Western Australian border, Pintupi
artist Ronnie Tjampitjinpa's family moved around the country and the area around Wilkinkarra
in the Northern Territory. Ronnie was initiated at Winparrku in the Northern Territory. His
family walked to Haasts Bluff in December 1956 from the Dovers Hills/Yumari area due to the
severe drought affecting the region. Here Ronnie began working as a stockman before the
family moved to the newly established settlement at Papunya, where he worked at fencing
cattle yards.

One of the youngest artists, Ronnie began painting in 1971 with the founding group of
Papunya painters, and became an important influence on the outstation movement. Ronnie
moved to Walungurru with his family after it was established in 1981. In the early 1980's,
Ronnie painted intermittently for Papunya Tula Artists; however, by the late 1980's and early
1990's, his distinctive graphic style attracted considerable attention. In these later works, his
delicate, dotted Tingari designs have been transformed into bands of colour to dazzling
optical effect. He has exhibited widely both within Australia and overseas. Ronnie won the
Alice Prize in September 1988 with the painting Tingari Story at Nwirmiminya, 1988. He has
held several solo exhibitions, beginning with an exhibition at Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi in 1989.
Exhibitions include Australian Perspecta 1993, 'Dreamings of the Desert' (1996) and 'Twentyfive Years and Beyond' (1999).

Source: Papunya Tula: Genesis and Genius, Art Gallery of NSW, 2000 


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