Mick Namarari Tjapaltjarri facts for kids

Mick Namarari Tjapaltjarri (born around 1926 near Kintore in the Northern Territory, Australia – died 1998) was a very important artist. He was one of the first and best painters from the Western Desert region.

He belonged to the Pintupi language group. Mick Namarari was one of the first artists to start a new art movement in a place called Papunya Tula. A school teacher named Geoffrey Bardon thought he was one of eight key artists who helped begin this movement. The other artists were Old Walter Tjampitjinpa, Kaapa Tjampitjinpa, Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, Tim Leura Tjapaltjarri, Tim Payungka Tjapangati, Charlie Tarawa Tjungurrayi, and Johnny Warrangkula Tjupurrula.

Mick Namarari's art changed over time. At first, he painted pictures that looked like real things. Later, he started making large, repeating patterns and shapes. These designs became a common style for Papunya Tula art in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In the 1990s, his paintings became more simple. He would show things like the mark a kangaroo leaves in the sand. He also painted tiny seeds that a marsupial mouse eats, or the look of the desert after a hailstorm.

He passed away in Alice Springs in 1998.

Where to See His Art

Mick Namarari Tjapaltjarri's paintings are kept in important art collections. These places help share his amazing artwork with many people.

• National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
• National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
• Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin
• Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, University of Virginia, Charlottesville

Awards and Recognition

Red Ochre Award

The Australia Council for the Arts is a group that helps fund and advise on art in Australia. Since 1993, they have given out the Red Ochre Award. This award celebrates an amazing Indigenous Australian artist for their lifetime achievements in art.