Description

TOMMY WATSON YANNIMA
“Untitlted”
Acrylic on linen.
Provenance: Private Collection, Alice Springs.
Comes with Certificate of Authenticity & 11 Progressive working photos.
Artwork is stretched and ready to hang.
160cm x 153cm

ARTIST BIO

Tommy Watson Yannima was born around 1935 in Anamarapiti and is a Pitjantjatjara elder from the Western Desert of Australia, bordering the Northern Territory and South Australia.

Tommy Watson is one of the founding members of the Irrunytju Arts Centre, where Tommy learnt how to convey his Dreaming onto the canvas.

Tommy Watson along with Ningura Napurrula and Judy Watson Napangardi, was commissioned to produce a permanently installed artwork in the Musee de Quai Branly- Jacques Chirac in Paris, France.

Since his artistic beginnings, Tommy has gone on to be regarded as one of the most internationally collectable Indigenous artists, arising out of the Contemporary Indigenous Art Movement.

Tommy’s depictions of his Dreaming directly represent the spirituality of his country and the traditional ceremonies and ancestral spirits that make his Country unique.

Tommy utilises a bold colour palette, incorporating deep and vibrant tones, perfectly balanced with his use of complementing whites.

The dot painting style used by Tommy, enhances his works by adding both texture and detail.

Tommy has received the following awards:

2008 25thNational Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award

2003 20th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award

2002 19th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award

2002 Wati Tjilpiku Tjukurpa, Sydney

2002 Desert Mob. Araluen. Alice Springs. National Gallery of Victoria. Australian National Gallery.

Tommy’s works have been featured in the following collections:

Musee de Quai Branly- Jacques Chirac, Paris, France.

Art Gallery of New South Wales

National Gallery of Vitoria

National Gallery of Australia

Western Australian Art Gallery

South Australian Art Gallery