Kaapa Tjampitjinpa facts for kids

Kaapa Mbitjana Tjampitjinpa (c. 1920 – 1989) was an important contemporary Indigenous Australian artist. He belonged to the Anmatyerre, Warlpiri, and Arrernte peoples. Kaapa was one of the first and most important artists at Papunya in Australia's Northern Territory in the early 1970s. He helped start the Papunya Tula artists company and was its first chairman. He played a key role in creating modern Indigenous Australian painting.

About Kaapa's Life

Kaapa was born around 1920, west of Napperby Station. His father was Kwalapa Tjangala, an important Aboriginal elder. Kaapa grew up on Napperby Station. He worked as a stockman, looking after cattle, at a nearby place called Mount Riddock Station.

Kaapa later worked at a station in Haasts Bluff. He moved to Papunya in the 1960s. He was also there when the town was being built in the late 1950s. Art teacher Geoffrey Bardon worked with Kaapa in the early 1970s. Bardon remembered Kaapa as a very clever and quick-thinking person. He was also very down-to-earth and managed to do many things well.

Kaapa was married to artist Eunice Napangati. He was also the brother of artist Dinny Nolan Tjampitjinpa. Kaapa Mbitjana Tjampitjinpa passed away in 1989.

Kaapa's Art Journey

Before the 1970s, Kaapa had already been making art to sell. He used traditional designs in his wooden carvings and watercolour paintings. In 1971, a local official named Jack Cooke took six of Kaapa's paintings from Papunya to Alice Springs. He entered one of them in a local art competition called the Caltex Art Award.

On August 27, 1971, Kaapa's painting, Gulgardi, won first prize. It shared the award with another artist's work. This was a very important moment. It was the first time an Indigenous Australian artist won a major contemporary art award. It was also the first time a Papunya painting was publicly recognized.

The Start of a New Art Movement

Kaapa's paintings were likely the very first ones to come from Papunya. His work helped start the famous art movement there. The National Gallery of Victoria described Gulgardi as a painting that showed men taking part in a ceremony. It also created a feeling of depth, like a 3D image.

Kaapa was one of the senior men who showed art teacher Geoffrey Bardon a design. They wanted to paint this design as a large mural on the town's school building. Kaapa was one of five artists who painted this mural. Kaapa's award win and the creation of the honey ant dreaming mural led to a huge burst of painting activity. Many men in the community started painting. These included Kaapa, Billy Stockman Tjapaltjarri, Mick Namarari Tjapaltjarri, Johnny Warrangkula Tjupurrula, Tim Leura Tjapaltjarri, and his brother Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri.

Their first big group artwork on the school building was later painted over in 1974. However, a strong art movement had begun, with Kaapa at its heart. In 1972, the artists of Papunya decided to create a company to sell their artworks. Kaapa was chosen as its first chairman. He also helped spread this art movement to another community called Yuendumu.

Most of the early artworks by individual artists were small. But Kaapa was different. He often chose to use larger wooden panels for his paintings.

Kaapa's Lasting Impact

Kaapa is widely seen as a founder of modern Indigenous Australian art. Some even call him the most important figure in its beginning. His paintings are displayed in many major art galleries in Australia. These include the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of South Australia, and the National Gallery of Victoria. The National Museum of Australia also has many of his works.

Internationally, his art can be found in places like the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection at the University of Virginia. It is also in the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History.

One of Kaapa's paintings, The Winparrku Serpents, was made into a tapestry. This tapestry was created for the Arts Centre Melbourne. It was the first tapestry made for the Centre. Three of Kaapa's paintings are on Australia's Movable Cultural Heritage Prohibited Exports Register. This means these artworks are very important to Australia's culture. A special permit is needed to sell them outside Australia. In 2000, two of his works, Budgerigar Dreaming and Water Dreaming (both painted in 1972), were the first to be refused these permits. This shows how highly valued his art is.