'Desert Painters of Australia' at Gagosian
Posted on May 03 2019
Desert Painters of Australia: Works from the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia and the Collection of Steve Martin and Anne Stringfield
May 3-July 3, 2019
Gagosian, 976 Madison Avenue, New York, USA
This month, 'Desert Painters of Australia' opened at Gagosian on Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side. The exhibition brings together eleven exceptional paintings of ten artists from central Australia. The vast majority of the artworks are by Pintupi artists, and reside in the collection of Steve Martin and his wife Anne Stringfield. One painting, an early work by Emily Kame Kngwarreye titled Hungry Emus, was leant for the exhibition by the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal art collection of the University of Virginia, the only museum outside Australia dedicated to Indigenous Australian art. Along with the other stunning work by Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Kame Yam Awelye (pictured), both were commissioned by Delmore Gallery.
Artists
Emily Kame Kngwarreye
Makinti Napanangka
Yukultji Napangati
Naata Nungurrayi
Ronnie Tjampitjinpa
Bill Whiskey Tjapaltjarri
Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri
Tjumpo Tjapanangka
George Tjungurrayi
Willy Tjungurrayi
Press:
'Can We Start Appreciating Indigenous Art on Its Own Terms?', by Jason Farago, The New York Times, 17 May 2019.
'Aboriginal Artists find a surprising new champion: Steve Martin', by Sebastian Smee, The Washington Post, 16 May 2019.
'Actor Steve Martin Amassed a Stellar Collection of Australian Aboriginal Art at Warp Speed—and Now You Can See It at Gagosian', by Sarah Cascone, 3 May 2019.
Image: Emily Kame Kngwarreye, 'Kame Yam Awelye', 1996, synthetic polymer on Belgian linen, 90x151cm