Jimmy Baker (Australian artist) facts for kids

Jimmy Baker (born as Pintjutjara; around 1915 – 20 April 2010) was an important Aboriginal artist from Australia. He became well-known for his unique paintings that shared stories from his culture.

Jimmy Baker's Early Life

Jimmy Baker was born around 1915. He was born at a place called Malumpa, which was an old camping spot. This area is near what is now Kaṉpi in north-western South Australia. His birth name was Pintjutjara. He had a brother, Toby Ginger Baker, and a sister, Tjuwilya.

Jimmy and his family lived a traditional, nomadic life in the desert. This means they moved from place to place, following food and water. They did not have any contact with European-Australian society for a long time. Their first meeting with non-Indigenous people happened in the early 1920s. This was with a group of Christian missionaries who were traveling between Ernabella and Warburton. The missionaries tried to convince Jimmy's family to come with them to Ernabella. However, Jimmy's father, Tjuwintjara, wanted to keep living in the bush.

When Jimmy was a teenager, his father met an explorer named Ted Strehlow. Strehlow gave Jimmy's father food in exchange for help as a guide. Strehlow also gave the family a special letter. This letter allowed them to get food at Ernabella. Because of this, the family decided to leave the desert. They settled at Ernabella a short time after 1930.

Jimmy's father stayed very traditional. He was known for his amazing survival skills and deep knowledge of the desert. In 1939, he helped Strehlow and Charles Duguid as a guide. They were on an expedition to the Petermann Ranges.

Life After Settling Down

When Jimmy moved to Ernabella, his first job was baking bread. Because of this job, he was given the surname "Baker." He chose the Christian name "Jimmy" for himself. Later, he worked building fences on nearby cattle stations. He worked first at Kenmore Park and then at Everard Park.

In the late 1930s, Jimmy married a woman named Nyinmungka. He met her while working at Everard Park. They moved back to Kenmore Park. They had one son and two daughters: Anton, Kay, and Marita. All of Jimmy's children later became artists. They were also founding members of the Tjunga Palya art center.

In his later years, Jimmy became an important ngangkaṟi. This is a traditional healer. He traveled widely across central Australia. He used his traditional knowledge and skills to help people. Jimmy and his wife lived in Kaltjiti. But Jimmy wanted to move closer to his family's homeland near Malumpa. In the early 1990s, he and two of his nephews, Ivan and Douglas Baker, started Kaṉpi. This was an outstation for their families to live on their traditional lands.

Jimmy Baker's Artwork

Jimmy Baker did not start painting until 2004. This was only six years before he passed away. For a long time, men's traditional art was considered very sacred by Pitjantjatjara people. It was not shown in public like women's art was.

Men from the Pintupi group in the north began painting in the 1970s at Papunya Tula. Some other Western Desert groups thought this was wrong because sacred knowledge is very powerful. However, the sacred images in the paintings were hidden or encrypted using dots and lines. As this art style became popular, more and more Pitjantjatjara men began to paint.

Baker started painting to help keep his stories and culture alive. Because he was a ngangkaṟi (traditional healer), he knew many sacred Dreaming stories about his country. His paintings show stories from the time of creation. These stories teach the sacred law (Tjukurpa) for Pitjantjatjara people.

Even though he started painting very late in life, his artworks quickly became famous. The first big exhibition to show his work was called "Desert Mob." This was an annual group exhibition in Alice Springs. His work was shown there for the first time in 2005, and then every year until 2009.

In 2007, Baker was one of thirty artists featured in the first National Indigenous Art Triennial exhibition, called Culture Warrior. This exhibition showed three of his paintings: Katatjita (2006), Wanampi Kutjara (2006), and Piltati (2007). He was even interviewed on South Australian television, speaking through a translator.

Since he only painted for six years, Baker created a small number of artworks. His paintings are rare and were considered valuable even when he was alive. Most of his works are acrylic paintings done on canvas. He used rich colors in the "dot" style, which is a classic style in Western Desert art.

Jimmy Baker passed away in 2010 because of a problem with his lungs. His work is now part of several major public and private art collections in Australia. These include the Art Gallery of South Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria, and the National Gallery of Australia. Besides his children, several of his grandchildren are also well-known artists who paint for Tjungu Palya.