Dorothy Napangardi

Dorothy Napangardi (c.1950–2013) was a prominent Warlpiri-speaking contemporary Indigenous Australian artist, born in the Tanami Desert and active in Alice Springs. Her artistic journey unfolded within the context of the emerging contemporary Indigenous Australian art movement, which took root in the western desert in 1971. This movement was ignited when Indigenous men in Papunya, under the guidance of elders like Kaapa Tjampitjinpa and teacher Geoffrey Bardon, began using acrylic paints to create designs representing traditional body painting and ground sculptures.

By the 1980s and 1990s, this artistic initiative had gained international recognition, marking the first instance of Indigenous Australian art being exhibited globally. Initially dominated by male artists, there was resistance to women participating in this movement. However, in the 1990s, women in communities such as Kintore, Yuendumu, Balgo, and the outstations expressed their desire to contribute, with Dorothy Napangardi being one of the trailblazers. In Alice Springs, she learned alongside artists like Polly Watson Napangardi, Margaret Lewis, and Eunice Napangardi.

In 2001, Dorothy Napangardi achieved significant recognition by winning first prize in the 18th National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award for her work "Salt on Mina Mina," following earlier accolades in the same festival in 1991 and 1999. Her artistic journey was marked by numerous exhibitions in Australia and overseas, contributing to the global appreciation of Indigenous Australian art.

The Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney hosted the exhibition "Dancing up country" in 2002, showcasing her distinctive artistic style. Internationally, Crown Point Press in the United States published a series of her prints and exhibited her paintings and prints in San Francisco. In 2005, the Hosfelt Gallery in San Francisco dedicated a solo exhibition to her work. Dorothy Napangardi was also featured in group shows, including the 2001 exhibition at the Sammlung Essl Museum in Vienna, Austria.

Her artistic legacy is preserved in museums worldwide, including the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, the National Gallery of Victoria, the Art Gallery of South Australia in Adelaide, the Queensland Museum in Brisbane, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, the Linden Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Discover contemporary artworks by Dorothy Napangardi, browse recent artworks and buy online. Categories: contemporary australian artists. Artistic domains: Painting. Artist represented by Australian Contemporary Art. Account type: Artist , member since 2020 (Country of origin Australia). Buy Dorothy Napangardi's latest works on Artmajeur: Discover great art by contemporary artist Dorothy Napangardi. Browse artworks, buy original art or high end prints.

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