Eileen Napaltjarri facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eileen Napaltjarri
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| Born | 1956 Haasts Bluff, Northern Territory, Australia
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| Nationality | Australian |
| Known for | Painting |
Eileen Napaltjarri (born 1956) is a talented Aboriginal Australian artist. She belongs to the Pintupi people, who live in Australia's Western Desert. Eileen is also known as Anyima Napaltjarri. She started painting for the Papunya Tula artists' group in 1996. In 2008, Australian Art Collector magazine named her one of the 50 Most Collectible artists. Her amazing artworks are displayed in important places like the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
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About Eileen Napaltjarri
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Eileen Napaltjarri was born in 1956 at Haasts Bluff, Northern Territory. Her father, Charlie Tarawa Tjungurrayi, was one of the first artists to start the Papunya Tula Artists group. Her mother was Tatali Nangala.
Eileen was one of seven children. She was the only one who decided to follow her parents' advice and become a painter.
Her Art Journey
The Start of Western Desert Art
Modern Aboriginal art from the Western Desert began in 1971. Indigenous men in a place called Papunya started painting on canvases. A teacher named Geoffrey Bardon helped them. They used acrylic paints to create designs. These designs often looked like traditional body paintings or ground sculptures.
This new art style quickly became popular across central Australia. A government art program started in 1983, helping it spread even more. By the 1980s and 1990s, these artworks were shown all over the world.
At first, only men were the main artists, especially the founders of the Papunya Tula company. Some Pintupi men in central Australia were not sure about women painting. But many women really wanted to join in. In the 1990s, lots of women began creating their own paintings. In communities like Kintore, Yuendumu, and Balgo, artists started making works specifically to sell and show in galleries.
Eileen's Painting Career
Eileen Napaltjarri began her painting career in 1996 when she was 40 years old. She started working with Papunya Tula, the same group her father helped create in the 1970s. Some sources say she started painting regularly for them in 1999, while others say 2002.
By 2010, Eileen had already held two solo art shows. Her second show was at Utopia Art Sydney.
In 2005, Eileen won the "emerging artist" award at the Redlands Westpac Art Prize. A journalist named Nicolas Rothwell said in 2006 that she was becoming as important as other famous Papunya Tula women artists. These included Makinti Napanangka, Wintjiya Napaltjarri, and Tjunkiya Napaltjarri.
In 2008, Australian Art Collector magazine included Eileen Napaltjarri in its list of the 50 Most Collectable Artists. Her paintings are now part of major art collections. You can see her work at the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the National Gallery of Australia.
Eileen paints places that are important to her family. She paints sites from her mother's country, which is around Kintore, Northern Territory. She also paints places from her father's country, called Tjitururrnga, located west of Kintore.
Where Her Art Is Kept
Eileen Napaltjarri's artworks are held in important public collections:
