Gauchet Fine Art Abstract Paintings

Jean Sanglar was born in France in 1926. He draws with taste and talent from an early age, however, his family will only consider this a mere hobby. After studying law, he later took...

Alexandre Valette has a master degree in Art History and is a complete artist, influenced by the work of the great masters. He explores from a young age drawing through the human ana...

Alexandre Valette has a master degree in Art History and is a complete artist, influenced by the work of the great masters. He explores from a young age drawing through the human ana...

Alexandre Valette has a master degree in Art History and is a complete artist, influenced by the work of the great masters. He explores from a young age drawing through the human ana...

Alexandre Valette has a master degree in Art History and is a complete artist, influenced by the work of the great masters. He explores from a young age drawing through the human ana...

Born in the South of France in 1926 and raised by very strict parents, Jean Sanglar was prohibited from playing with same age mates. Truly talented, as a young boy he drew frequentl...

Born in the South of France in 1926 and raised by very strict parents, Jean Sanglar was prohibited from playing with same age mates. Truly talented, as a young boy he drew frequentl...

Alexandre Valette has a master degree in Art History and is a complete artist, influenced by the work of the great masters. He explores from a young age drawing through the human ana...

Alexandre Valette has a master degree in Art History and is a complete artist, influenced by the work of the great masters. He explores from a young age drawing through the human ana...

Gonçalo Ivo was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1958. He is the son of Brazilian writer and poet, Lêdo Ivo. His work has been the focus of over 40 solo exhibitions and can be found...

Gonçalo Ivo was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1958. He is the son of Brazilian writer and poet, Lêdo Ivo. His work has been the focus of over 40 solo exhibitions and can be found...

Couple is a painting made by Evelyne Ballestra, a French contemporary painter. This red and blue tons expressionist painting represents a couple from behind, the hand on each other s...

Gonçalo Ivo was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1958. He is the son of Brazilian writer and poet, Lêdo Ivo. His work has been the focus of over 40 solo exhibitions and can be found...

Gonçalo Ivo was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1958. He is the son of Brazilian writer and poet, Lêdo Ivo. His work has been the focus of over 40 solo exhibitions and can be found...

Evelyne Ballestra's work with signs, symbols and esoteric spirituality reflects her passion for the ancient past and represents a symbolic return to the ground from which we emerged....

Ellipsis is a painting made by Evelyne Ballestra, a French contemporary artist. This white tons expressionist painting is the artist's perception of the link between planets in our U...

Abie Loy is the eldest of five children, and was born on Utopia station, about 270km north east of Alice Springs in the Northern Terrirtory. Abie definitely has painting in her blood: being the daughter of Margaret Loy Pula (who won the Wynne Prize in 2012) and Ray Loy Pula. Her aunt is the celebrated artist, Gloria Petyarre and her Grandmother is the equally respected senior woman artist, Kathleen Petyarre. A very innovative mid-career artist, she began painting at the age of 19. She was mentored by her grandmother Kathleen Petyarre, who taught her the methodology of using details and tiny shimmering dotting to create complex optical effects. Over the years, Abie further developed her skills as an artist to become an extraordinarily talented colourist and designer, experimenting with elements of line, colour and form. Abie is a custodian of the Bush Hen Dreaming which she inherited from her Grandfather. At the simplest level, her Bush Hen Paintings...

Ronnie Tjampitjinpa is the last painter to witness the emergence of this pictorial movement. Although he is often considered one of Australia's most important abstract painters, his ...

Yannima Tommy Watson is a Pitjantjatjara artist born around the 1930s, in the bush some 44km west of the small isolated community of Irrunytju. Not yet very well known to the French public, despite his participation in the architectural project of the Musée du Quai Branly, Tommy Watson is nevertheless often considered the greatest living Aboriginal artist. Like many aborigines of his generation, he lived a traditional, nomadic or semi-nomadic life before his contact with Western civilization; then he will occupy the only jobs that the Aborigines find: herdsmen (until Yuendumu), laborers for the construction of infrastructures in the desert. Throughout this period he became familiar with his "country", a harsh region, and deepened his knowledge, both profane and sacred, relating to Dreams and Dreamtimes, to the connections between sacred sites and the Ancestors. He will even work in Papunya, where the artistic movement started. But the Pijantjarra are intransigent with tradition…no question at this time of revealing the motives and the secret stories. The North of South Australia, the region where he is from, was touched by the pictorial movement only at the very beginning of the 2000s. In 2001, Tommy began his career as an artist in Irrunytju (Wingellina). He is a young artist… He learns by observing other painters and draws on the experiences of a long life and on the exceptional knowledge he has stored up. But quickly he will find his way, a radically new style where color plays a major role. Very quickly, the iconography now well known by the artists of Yuendumu, or the Western Desert, Balgo or Lajamanu disappeared. The symbols are no longer there. As Rover Thomas...

Paddy Japaljarri Stewart came from Mungapunju in Australia, just south of Yuendumu in the Northern Territory. As a young man he worked on cattle properties at Mount Allen, Mount Denn...

Paddy Japaljarri Sims was born in about 1917 at Kunajarray (Mt Nicker), south-west of Yuendumu at a site where a number of Dreaming tracks interconnect. When he died in 2010 in Yuendumu. He left behind his wife Bessie Nakamarra, his seven children and many grandchildren and great grandchildren. Paddy sometimes worked in collaboration with his wife, who was an acclaimed artist in her own right. His wife lived in Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community 290 km north-west of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia. She died in 2012. Paddy lived in his country as a young, single man. Back then Warlpiri people wore hair string belts that they had made. When Japaljarri was young he worked sawing mulga trees for wood and for fuel for fires. Later Paddy became involved with gardening and farming in the Yuendumu district. This included growing watermelons, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes and other vegetables. The farming was at Four Mile Bore where they had chickens, pigs, ducks and other animals. All his life he hunted for goanna, kangaroo, emu and other animals each day for bush tucker and Paddy passed on his hunting knowledge to many young men in the community. This also led him to working at the Yuendumu school teaching Jukurrpa (Dreaming), painting, hunting, traditional dancing, bush tucker and helping out on excursions 'out bush' as well as to Alice Springs and Darwin. Paddy Painted with Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation, an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre, for a long time. In 1988 Paddy Sims was selected by The Power Gallery, Sydney University to travel to Paris with five other Warlpiri men from Yuendumu to create a ground painting installation at the exhibition 'Magiciens de la Terre' at the Centre Georges Pompidou. The trip took place in May 1989 and the painting was received with world-wide acclaim. Paddy was also one of the senior male artists who worked on the Yuendumu Doors. In 2000 Paddy Japaljarri Stewart undertook to produce 30 etchings of the original Yuendumu Doors in collaboration with Paddy Japaljarri Sims and under the guidance of Basil Hall, Northern Editions Printmaker (Northern Territory University). The first print of the etchings was all on one page and had its debut alongside the Yuendumu Doors when they were exhibited in Alice Springs. The etchings in a set were launched in 2001, to great acclaim with the set winning the Telstra, 16th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, for works on paper. Paddy has painted and exhibited regularly with Warlukurlangu Artists both nationally and internationally since 1985. Japaljarri's Jukurrpa stories or Dreamings include Yiwarra (Milky Way), Ngarlkirdi/Warna (witchety grub/snake), Warlu Kukurrpa (fire), and Yanjirlpirri (star). In his early work he often chose to work in tones of blue, pink and purple but later used traditional iconography and an unrestricted palette to develop a modern individualist style to depict his traditional Jukurrpa. His work has been included in numerous general exhibitions of Aboriginal art including Dreaming: The Art of Aboriginal Australia, The Asia Society Galleries, New York, 1988; The Continuing Tradition, Australian National Gallery, Canberra, 1989; Mythscapes: Aboriginal Art of the Desert...

Abie Loy is the eldest of five children, and was born on Utopia station, about 270km north east of Alice Springs in the Northern Terrirtory. Abie definitely has painting in her blood: being the daughter of Margaret Loy Pula (who won the Wynne Prize in 2012) and Ray Loy Pula. Her aunt is the celebrated artist, Gloria Petyarre and her Grandmother is the equally respected senior woman artist, Kathleen Petyarre. A very innovative mid-career artist, she began painting at the age of 19. She was mentored by her grandmother Kathleen Petyarre, who taught her the methodology of using details and tiny shimmering dotting to create complex optical effects. Over the years, Abie further developed her skills as an artist to become an extraordinarily talented colourist and designer, experimenting with elements of line, colour and form. Abie is a custodian of the Bush Hen Dreaming which she inherited from her Grandfather. At the simplest level, her Bush Hen Paintings...

French artist Evelyne Ballestra studied painting in the South of France before moving to Switzerland where she met her mentor, Rolf Dürig, a master of the e...

Michael Nelson Tjakamarra (also cited as: Michael Nelson Jagamarra, or Jakamara) is a Senior Warlpiri Tribesman and an Elder of the Papunya Community in central Australia. Born c. 19...

George Ward Tjungurrayi was born near Kiwirrkura. It was only in his teenage years that he first encountered Europeans, when a commonwealth wel...

Kathleen (or Kweyetwemp in her Eastern Anmatyerre tongue) Petyarre was born c. 1940 at Atnangkere on Utopia Station, 270km north east of Alice Springs. She first encountered white man in the late 1940s and starting her integration into western society when working on various pastoral leases as she grew up. In 1969 she was successful in applying for a job at Utopia school where she stayed for 20 years. During that time she worked on batik, and then started painting as part of CAAMA's Summer Project in 1988-89. In 1996 Kathleen won the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA) and her painting career blossomed from there. She has been exhibited overseas numerous times and in 2001 had a solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney. In general, her work is minimalistic and characterised by the fine dotting technique she uses to represent mental maps of her country. Her signature work is the Mountain or Thorny Devil Lizard Dreaming, which gives a unique representation of this small creature's travels across Kathleen's country during the Creation era. Another signature genre is Bush Seeds. Kathleen Petyarre is a blood sister of the respected artists Gloria, Violet and Ada Bird Petyarre, a great niece of the feted Emily Kame Kngwarreye and skin sister to Jeannie and Rosemary Petyarre. She is extensively exhibited in public and private galleries. Kathleen spent her time between Alice Springs and her home country, Utopia. Dr Christine Nicholls reported that Kathleen passed away on 24 November 2018 in Alice Springs, surrounded by family and loved ones, at about the age of 80. Awards and Recognition 2002 Top...

Judy Watson Napangardi was born around 1935 at Yarungkanji, Mt. Doreen Station, at the time when many Warlpiri and other Central and Western Desert Peoples were living a traditional ...

Mixed-media contemporary artist from Miami via Corsica, France who has lead national ‪digital art campaigns, most notably for Warner Bros 75 Years of DC Comics, and the development o...

Abie Loy is the eldest of five children, and was born on Utopia station, about 270km north east of Alice Springs in the Northern Terrirtory. Abie definitely has painting in her blood: being the daughter of Margaret Loy Pula (who won the Wynne Prize in 2012) and Ray Loy Pula. Her aunt is the celebrated artist, Gloria Petyarre and her Grandmother is the equally respected senior woman artist, Kathleen Petyarre. A very innovative mid-career artist, she began painting at the age of 19. She was mentored by her grandmother Kathleen Petyarre, who taught her the methodology of using details and tiny shimmering dotting to create complex optical effects. Over the years, Abie further developed her skills as an artist to become an extraordinarily talented colourist and designer, experimenting with elements of line, colour and form. Abie is a custodian of the Bush Hen Dreaming which she inherited from her Grandfather. At the simplest level, her Bush Hen Paintings...

Michael Nelson Tjakamarra (also cited as: Michael Nelson Jagamarra, or Jakamara) is a Senior Warlpiri Tribesman and an Elder of the Papunya Community in central Australia. Born c. 19...

Since he began painting in 1997, Walala Tjapaltjarri has gained worldwide recognition, participating in several national and international solo and group exhibitions. His paintings are represented in private and public collections in Australia, Europe and the U.S.A. Walala Tjapaltjarri was first introduced to painting by his brother Warlimpirrnga, also a painter of international acclaim. While Walala's first paintings were in a classical Tingari style usually reserved for body painting, ground painting and the decoration of traditional artifacts, within a couple of months of painting he evolved his own innovative style of work. He began abstracting the classical Pintupi designs, creating a highly graphic language to speak of his country and ceremonial sites. The rectangles so prominent in his paintings form both a physical and spiritual map establishing Walala as a discerning draughtsman for his ancient country. In was in late 1984, Walala and several other members of the Pintupi Tribe walked out of the remote wilderness of the Gibson Desert in Western Australia and made contact for the first time with European society. Described as 'The Lost Tribe', he and his family created international headlines. Until that day in 1984, Walala and his family lived the traditional and nomadic life of a hunter-gatherer society. Their intimate knowledge of the land, its flora and fauna and waterholes allowed them to survive, as their ancestors had for thousands of years. It is this sacred landscape with its significant sites that Walala so strikingly describes in his paintings. His style is strongly gestural and boldly graphic, one that is generally highlighted by a series of rectangles set against a monochrome background. He paints the Tingari Cycle (a series of sacred and secret mythological song cycles) which are associated with the artist's many dreaming sites - they are Wilkinkarra, Maruwa, Tarrku, Njami and Yarrawangu, to name a few. These Dreamings are the locations of significant rockholes, sandhills, sacred mountains and water soakages in the Gibson Desert. Walala Tjapaltjarri - Tingari Cycle; During the Tjukurrpa (Creation Era) Tingari ancestors beings gathered at a series of sites for Malliera (Initiation) Ceremonies. They traveled vast stretches of the country, performing rituals at specific sites that in turn created the diverse natural features of the environment. The Tingari men were accompanied by novices and usually followed by Tingari Women. The creation stories and rituals are venerated in the song cycles and ceremonies of today, forming part of the teachings of the post initiatory youths, whilst also providing explanations for contemporary customs. Walala Tjapaltjarri uses a highly personalised and minimal style to represent aspects of the sacred Tingari Cycle, an epic journey of Ancestors of the TJukurrpa (Creation Era). He paints aspects of the Tingari Cycle which are associated with the artist's many sacred sites - such as Wilkinkarra, Maruwa, Tarrku, Njami and Yarrawangu, to name a few. These are locations of significant rockholes, sandhills, sacred mountains and water soakages in the Gibson Desert. Selected Solo Exhibitions: 2019 Walala Tjapaltjarri Self-portrait, Fondation Opale, Lens, Switzerland 2001 Tingari Cycle - Walala Tjapaltjarri, FireWorks Gallery, Brisbane 1999 Tingari Cycle - Walala Tjapaltjarri, FireWorks Gallery, Brisbane 1998 Tingari - Men's Business, Coo-ee Gallery, Sydney 1998 Walala Tjapaltjarri Paintings, Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne 1998 Tingari Cycle - Walala Tjapaltjarri, Fire-Works Gallery, Brisbane Selected Group Exhibitions: 2021 50 Years of Papunya Tula Artists, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney 2020 Central Focus, Art Mob, Hobart 2019 An Exhibition on TJAPALTJARRI Brothers from the Indigenous Lost Tribe, Mandel Aboriginal Art Gallery, Melbourne 2019 Defining Tradition the colourists, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney 2019 Defining Tradition: the first wave & its disciples, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney 2019 Sculpture Projects, FireWorks Gallery, Brisbane 2019 Pintupi Artists of the Western Desert, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, WA 2018 Three Brothers, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney 2010 Lost Tribe, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney 2000-01 The Art of Place Exhibition, Australian Heritage Commission, National Tour 2000 Walala Tjapaltjarri and Dr George Tjapaltjarri, Cooee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney 2000 Songlines: Walala Tjapaltjarri & Dorothy Napangardi , Rebecca Hossack Gallery, London 2000 My Country - Journeys of our Ancestors, Ancient Earth Indigenous Art, Cairns 2000 Lines, FireWorks Gallery, Brisbane 2000 Landmarks Exhibition, Dar Festival, Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane 2000 Fifth National Indigenous Heritage Art Award, Australian Heritage Commission, Canberra 2000 Melbourne ArtFair 2000, Melbourne 1999 Tingari Cycle, FireWorks Gallery, Brisbane 1999 Spirit Country, The California Palace of the Legion of Honour, San Francisco, U.S.A. 1999 Recent Works by Walala Tjapaltjarri and Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri...

Gloria Petyarre, sometimes referred to as Gloria Pitjara, was one of Australia s most successful and significant female artists. Her depiction of the Kurrajong bush medicine leaves-with her layered, free-flowing, swirling brushstrokes that scatter across the canvas-became her iconic motif. Her career took off when she won the coveted 'Wynne Prize for Landscape' at the New South Wales Gallery in 1999. It was a triumph for Aboriginal art. Gloria became the first Indigenous Australian artist ever to win a major art prize at the Gallery of New South Wales. The painting was an extraordinary new artistic statement, quite unlike any other Aboriginal artwork at that time. A huge, gold and green abstract work, it was made up of swirling leaf shaped brush strokes positioned close together on a black background. It brilliantly captured the energy and flow of leaves being scattered by a fitful wind, seaweed swirling in a change of tide, or grass billowing in the wind. So much did this artwork fascinate the essentially nature-loving people of this country, that it was to become one of the most popular styles in Aboriginal art, bringing many a devotee to the genre because of its resonance with the viewer. Gloria continued to paint this style for the next 20 years until her retirement in 2019 due to health issues. During that time and subsequently, the style has been adopted and adapted by several generations of her family members. However, Gloria was and is credited with being the creator of this popular style and its most collectable proponent. Gloria's origins are in a region called Utopia, covering an area approximately 230 - 300km from Alice Springs, itself a remote town to many people. Many of Australia's foremost Indigenous artists spring from this area, including Gloria's renowned aunt, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, deceased since 1996, and the most famous and accomplished female Indigenous Artist Australia has produced. Gloria, her family members and her skin family, first became interested in art making by participating in the Utopia Women's Silk Batik Group introduced in 1977 and initiated by CAAMA (the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association). Both Gloria and Emily were founding members of the group. With up to 80 members at a time, the Batik and Tie-die project became the seeding inspiration for the artists, and its tremendous success both in Australia and overseas led to another successful project introduced in 1988, again by CAAMA. This time, the artists were to paint on primed, stretched canvas, and many of the women took to the new medium with ease and enthusiasm, finding it more exciting to work with than the silk and batik techniques they had hitherto used. The resulting works were exhibited at the S.H.Erwin Gallery in Sydney and several other notable galleries across Australia. It was the beginning of the Utopian Art Movement, and it was impressive enough to gain international attention. Gloria was one of the artists at the very centre of it. As demand for Utopian art grew, so did Gloria's career. She travelled with her art to many countries and exhibited in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, the USA and Japan, and of course in regional and commercial galleries throughout Australia. It would be easy to think that Gloria's works were limited to bush medicine leaves works, so popular were they. In fact she had quite a number of Dreamings in her portfolio. She painted the 'Thorny Mountain Devil Lizard Dreaming', a pattern of swirling coloured lines which imitate the tracks made in the sand by the lizard's tail. Yam Dreaming, popularly executed by her aunt Emily, was also one of her commonly painted stories. She also painted Grass Seed, Pencil Yam, Emu, Bean, Small Brown Grass and Body Paint Dreamings. This breadth of subject matter and style has made her an extremely versatile artist. Later in her career, Gloria began to paint massive 'Big Leaf' paintings, expressionistically rendered with giant brush...

Gloria Petyarre, sometimes referred to as Gloria Pitjara, was one of Australia s most successful and significant female artists. Her depiction of the Kurrajong bush medicine leaves-with her layered, free-flowing, swirling brushstrokes that scatter across the canvas-became her iconic motif. Her career took off when she won the coveted 'Wynne Prize for Landscape' at the New South Wales Gallery in 1999. It was a triumph for Aboriginal art. Gloria became the first Indigenous Australian artist ever to win a major art prize at the Gallery of New South Wales. The painting was an extraordinary new artistic statement, quite unlike any other Aboriginal artwork at that time. A huge, gold and green abstract work, it was made up of swirling leaf shaped brush strokes positioned close together on a black background. It brilliantly captured the energy and flow of leaves being scattered by a fitful wind, seaweed swirling in a change of tide, or grass billowing in the wind. So much did this artwork fascinate the essentially nature-loving people of this country, that it was to become one of the most popular styles in Aboriginal art, bringing many a devotee to the genre because of its resonance with the viewer. Gloria continued to paint this style for the next 20 years until her retirement in 2019 due to health issues. During that time and subsequently, the style has been adopted and adapted by several generations of her family members. However, Gloria was and is credited with being the creator of this popular style and its most collectable proponent. Gloria's origins are in a region called Utopia, covering an area approximately 230 - 300km from Alice Springs, itself a remote town to many people. Many of Australia's foremost Indigenous artists spring from this area, including Gloria's renowned aunt, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, deceased since 1996, and the most famous and accomplished female Indigenous Artist Australia has produced. Gloria, her family members and her skin family, first became interested in art making by participating in the Utopia Women's Silk Batik Group introduced in 1977 and initiated by CAAMA (the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association). Both Gloria and Emily were founding members of the group. With up to 80 members at a time, the Batik and Tie-die project became the seeding inspiration for the artists, and its tremendous success both in Australia and overseas led to another successful project introduced in 1988, again by CAAMA. This time, the artists were to paint on primed, stretched canvas, and many of the women took to the new medium with ease and enthusiasm, finding it more exciting to work with than the silk and batik techniques they had hitherto used. The resulting works were exhibited at the S.H.Erwin Gallery in Sydney and several other notable galleries across Australia. It was the beginning of the Utopian Art Movement, and it was impressive enough to gain international attention. Gloria was one of the artists at the very centre of it. As demand for Utopian art grew, so did Gloria's career. She travelled with her art to many countries and exhibited in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, the USA and Japan, and of course in regional and commercial galleries throughout Australia. It would be easy to think that Gloria's works were limited to bush medicine leaves works, so popular were they. In fact she had quite a number of Dreamings in her portfolio. She painted the 'Thorny Mountain Devil Lizard Dreaming', a pattern of swirling coloured lines which imitate the tracks made in the sand by the lizard's tail. Yam Dreaming, popularly executed by her aunt Emily, was also one of her commonly painted stories. She also painted Grass Seed, Pencil Yam, Emu, Bean, Small Brown Grass and Body Paint Dreamings. This breadth of subject matter and style has made her an extremely versatile artist. Later in her career, Gloria began to paint massive 'Big Leaf' paintings, expressionistically rendered with giant brush...

Gloria Petyarre, sometimes referred to as Gloria Pitjara, was one of Australia s most successful and significant female artists. Her depiction of the Kurrajong bush medicine leaves-with her layered, free-flowing, swirling brushstrokes that scatter across the canvas-became her iconic motif. Her career took off when she won the coveted 'Wynne Prize for Landscape' at the New South Wales Gallery in 1999. It was a triumph for Aboriginal art. Gloria became the first Indigenous Australian artist ever to win a major art prize at the Gallery of New South Wales. The painting was an extraordinary new artistic statement, quite unlike any other Aboriginal artwork at that time. A huge, gold and green abstract work, it was made up of swirling leaf shaped brush strokes positioned close together on a black background. It brilliantly captured the energy and flow of leaves being scattered by a fitful wind, seaweed swirling in a change of tide, or grass billowing in the wind. So much did this artwork fascinate the essentially nature-loving people of this country, that it was to become one of the most popular styles in Aboriginal art, bringing many a devotee to the genre because of its resonance with the viewer. Gloria continued to paint this style for the next 20 years until her retirement in 2019 due to health issues. During that time and subsequently, the style has been adopted and adapted by several generations of her family members. However, Gloria was and is credited with being the creator of this popular style and its most collectable proponent. Gloria's origins are in a region called Utopia, covering an area approximately 230 - 300km from Alice Springs, itself a remote town to many people. Many of Australia's foremost Indigenous artists spring from this area, including Gloria's renowned aunt, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, deceased since 1996, and the most famous and accomplished female Indigenous Artist Australia has produced. Gloria, her family members and her skin family, first became interested in art making by participating in the Utopia Women's Silk Batik Group introduced in 1977 and initiated by CAAMA (the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association). Both Gloria and Emily were founding members of the group. With up to 80 members at a time, the Batik and Tie-die project became the seeding inspiration for the artists, and its tremendous success both in Australia and overseas led to another successful project introduced in 1988, again by CAAMA. This time, the artists were to paint on primed, stretched canvas, and many of the women took to the new medium with ease and enthusiasm, finding it more exciting to work with than the silk and batik techniques they had hitherto used. The resulting works were exhibited at the S.H.Erwin Gallery in Sydney and several other notable galleries across Australia. It was the beginning of the Utopian Art Movement, and it was impressive enough to gain international attention. Gloria was one of the artists at the very centre of it. As demand for Utopian art grew, so did Gloria's career. She travelled with her art to many countries and exhibited in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, the USA and Japan, and of course in regional and commercial galleries throughout Australia. It would be easy to think that Gloria's works were limited to bush medicine leaves works, so popular were they. In fact she had quite a number of Dreamings in her portfolio. She painted the 'Thorny Mountain Devil Lizard Dreaming', a pattern of swirling coloured lines which imitate the tracks made in the sand by the lizard's tail. Yam Dreaming, popularly executed by her aunt Emily, was also one of her commonly painted stories. She also painted Grass Seed, Pencil Yam, Emu, Bean, Small Brown Grass and Body Paint Dreamings. This breadth of subject matter and style has made her an extremely versatile artist. Later in her career, Gloria began to paint massive 'Big Leaf' paintings, expressionistically rendered with giant brush...

Peace Bird is an abstract painting made by Evelyne Ballestra, a French contemporary painter. This light tons expressionist painting is the artist's idea of ...

Mathieu Rosianu, a painter with a humanist backbone, wanted to give Art the power of a fighting weapon and bring it to the people. Therefore, it is no coincidence that the years befo...

Mathieu Rosianu, a painter with a humanist backbone, wanted to give Art the power of a fighting weapon and bring it to the people. Therefore, it is no coincidence that the years befo...

Born 1952, Saint Simon, France Jean-Pierre Rives is an internationally renowned sculptor, and painter, as well as a Hall of Fame rugby player. After retiring from rugby in the early 1980s, he discovered the work of sculptor Albert Feraud. Discussions with the artist inspired him to pursue his own art practice, working scraps of abandoned steel into fluid, curvaceous forms. In his frequently monumental work, the softness of the curve is juxtaposed against the hardness of the material. Rives says about his practice, "I always seek to bring 'lightness' to the ‘heavy'; romanticism and poetry to the rigid; and sculpt an industrial masterpiece that harnesses innovation with energy. My sculptures are pieces of reality: their rust marks a measure of time, honouring the past while celebrating the future." Rives has exhibited his work in galleries, museums, and public spaces around the world including the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris (an honour previously held exclusively by Rodin), Sculpture by the Sea (a renowned international public sculpture exhibition in Sydney, Australia), and Dag Hammarskjold...

Michael Nelson Tjakamarra (also cited as: Michael Nelson Jagamarra, or Jakamara) is a Senior Warlpiri Tribesman and an Elder of the Papunya Community in central Australia. Born c. 1949 at Pikilyi, Vaughan Springs west of Yuendumu in the Northern Territory, he grew up ‘in the bush’. His father was an important tribal elder and medicine man at Yuendumu. It was therefore automatic that he would grow up with the traditional values and knowledge that now influences his paintings. Michael lived at Haasts Bluff until his parents took him to Yuendumu for European education at the mission school. He left school at thirteen, after initiation, and worked at buffalo shooting, driving trucks, droving cattle and in the army, before returning to Yuendumu and then to Papunya to settle in 1976. He worked for a time in the Government store and for the Council. Michael learned to paint at Papunya by observing the senior men such as Billy Stockman and Old Mick Tjakamarra. Although he was tutored by his uncle, Jack Tjupurrula, Michael developed his own style and began painting earnestly from 1983. Michael is known as master desert painter for his depiction of several Dreamings in one painting. For him the understanding of the Dreaming stories that go with his paintings is all important – without the stories his paintings would ‘mean nothing’ as far as he is concerned. His Dreamings include the Possum, Snake, Two Kangaroos, Rock Wallaby, Bush Banana, Honey Ant and Yam. In 1984 Michael won the National Aboriginal Art Award with his painting ‘Three Dreamings’. His reputation as a painter rose rapidly after this. He exhibited his work in the 1986 Biennale of Sydney and featured in ‘The State of the Art’, a British art documentary. In 1987 Michael had been asked to paint a major work (27’long) to decorate the foyer of Sydney’s Opera House and he chose to paint his ‘Possum Dreaming’ story. A great highlight in Michael’s career was in 1988 when he was commissioned to design a 196 sq-metre mosaic in the main forecourt of Australia’s new Parliament House in Canberra. The work was based on his ‘Kangaroo and Emu’ dreaming. Michael was presented to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth 11...

Bessie Nakamarra Sims was born in the 1930s and passed away in 2012. She lived for many years before coming into contact with white people at Mt. Doreen Station, west of Yuendumu in Central Australia, a remote Aboriginal community located 290 kms north-west of Alice Springs. Later in life, in the early 80's, she started to paint for the art centre...

Bessie Nakamarra Sims was born in the 1930s and passed away in 2012. She lived for many years before coming into contact with white people at Mt. Doreen Station, west of Yuendumu in Central Australia, a remote Aboriginal community located 290 kms north-west of Alice Springs. Later in life, in the early 80's, she started to paint for the art centre...

Ningura Napurrula was born at Watulka, south of Kiwirrkurra, Western Australia c.1938. She is the widow of Yala Yala Gibbs Tjungurrayi, a highly respected Pintupi elder who held sign...

Ningura Napurrula was born at Watulka, south of Kiwirrkurra, Western Australia c.1938. She is the widow of Yala Yala Gibbs Tjungurrayi, a highly respected Pintupi elder who held sign...

George Ward Tjungurrayi was born near Kiwirrkura. It was only in his teenage years that he first encountered Europeans, when a commonwealth welfare patrol came upon his family group camped by a desert waterhole. After travelling to the government settlement at Papunya, first home of the desert painting movement, George Ward worked briefly as a fencer and a butcher in the community kitchen. He began painting for the Papunya Tula Artists in about 1976. His country covers the sites around Wala Wala, Kiwirrkura, Lake Mackay, Kulkuta, Karku, Ngaluwinyamana and Kilpinya to the north-west of Kintore across the West Australian border.George paints the Tingari stories for this region. In 2004 George Ward Tjungurrayi won the 2004 Wynne Art Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales for his topographical depiction of the Western Desert...

Michael Nelson Tjakamarra (also cited as: Michael Nelson Jagamarra, or Jakamara) is a Senior Warlpiri Tribesman and an Elder of the Papunya Community in central Australia. Born c. 1949 at Pikilyi, Vaughan Springs west of Yuendumu in the Northern Territory, he grew up ‘in the bush’. His father was an important tribal elder and medicine man at Yuendumu. It was therefore automatic that he would grow up with the traditional values and knowledge that now influences his paintings. Michael lived at Haasts Bluff until his parents took him to Yuendumu for European education at the mission school. He left school at thirteen, after initiation, and worked at buffalo shooting, driving trucks, droving cattle and in the army, before returning to Yuendumu and then to Papunya to settle in 1976. He worked for a time in the Government store and for the Council. Michael learned to paint at Papunya by observing the senior men such as Billy Stockman and Old Mick Tjakamarra. Although he was tutored by his uncle, Jack Tjupurrula, Michael developed his own style and began painting earnestly from 1983. Michael is known as master desert painter for his depiction of several Dreamings in one painting. For him the understanding of the Dreaming stories that go with his paintings is all important – without the stories his paintings would ‘mean nothing’ as far as he is concerned. His Dreamings include the Possum, Snake, Two Kangaroos, Rock Wallaby, Bush Banana, Honey Ant and Yam. In 1984 Michael won the National Aboriginal Art Award with his painting ‘Three Dreamings’. His reputation as a painter rose rapidly after this. He exhibited his work in the 1986 Biennale of Sydney and featured in ‘The State of the Art’, a British art documentary. In 1987 Michael had been asked to paint a major work (27’long) to decorate the foyer of Sydney’s Opera House and he chose to paint his ‘Possum Dreaming’ story. A great highlight in Michael’s career was in 1988 when he was commissioned to design a 196 sq-metre mosaic in the main forecourt of Australia’s new Parliament House in Canberra. The work was based on his ‘Kangaroo and Emu’ dreaming. Michael was presented to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth 11...

Born 1952, Saint Simon, France Jean-Pierre Rives is an internationally renowned sculptor, and painter, as well as a Hall of Fame rugby player. After retiring from rugby in the early 1980s, he discovered the work of sculptor Albert Feraud. Discussions with the artist inspired him to pursue his own art practice, working scraps of abandoned steel into fluid, curvaceous forms. In his frequently monumental work, the softness of the curve is juxtaposed against the hardness of the material. Rives says about his practice, "I always seek to bring 'lightness' to the ‘heavy'; romanticism and poetry to the rigid; and sculpt an industrial masterpiece that harnesses innovation with energy. My sculptures are pieces of reality: their rust marks a measure of time, honouring the past while celebrating the future." Rives has exhibited his work in galleries, museums, and public spaces around the world including the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris (an honour previously held exclusively by Rodin), Sculpture by the Sea (a renowned international public sculpture...

Born 1952, Saint Simon, France Jean-Pierre Rives is an internationally renowned sculptor, and painter, as well as a Hall of Fame rugby player. After retiring from rugby in the early 1980s, he discovered the work of sculptor Albert Feraud. Discussions with the artist inspired him to pursue his own art practice, working scraps of abandoned steel into fluid, curvaceous forms. In his frequently monumental work, the softness of the curve is juxtaposed against the hardness of the material. Rives says about his practice, "I always seek to bring 'lightness' to the ‘heavy'; romanticism and poetry to the rigid; and sculpt an industrial masterpiece that harnesses innovation with energy. My sculptures are pieces of reality: their rust marks a measure of time, honouring the past while celebrating the future." Rives has exhibited his work in galleries, museums, and public spaces around the world including the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris (an honour previously held exclusively by Rodin), Sculpture by the Sea (a renowned international public sculpture exhibition in Sydney, Australia), and Dag Hammarskjold...

Comme deux oiseaux d'or (As two golden birds) is a colorful abstract decoration made by Evelyne Ballestra, a French contemporary artist. This orange, red and green tons expressionist...

Born in the South of France in 1926 and raised by very strict parents, Jean Sanglar was prohibited from playing with same age mates. Truly talented, as a young boy he drew frequentl...

Alexandre Valette holds a master's degree in Art History and is an artist with multiple artistic practices. He has been exploring drawing since his y...

Alexandre Valette holds a master's degree in Art History and is an artist with multiple artistic practices. He has been exploring drawing since his y...

Alexandre Valette holds a master's degree in Art History and is an artist with multiple artistic practices. He has been exploring drawing since his youth, first focusing on human ana...

Alexandre Valette holds a master's degree in Art History and is an artist with multiple artistic practices. He has been exploring drawing since his y...

Alexandre Valette holds a master's degree in Art History and is an artist with multiple artistic practices. He has been exploring drawing since his youth, first focusing on human ana...

Nocturne Outremer is a Contemporary Abstract Oil Painting by Alexandre Valette who has a master degree in Art History and is a complete artist, influenced by the work of the great ma...

Born in the South of France in 1926 and raised by very strict parents, Jean Sanglar was prohibited from playing with same age mates. Truly talented, as a young boy he drew frequentl...

Taotie is a painting made by Evelyne Ballestra, a French contemporary artist. This red tons expressionist painting is inspired from the Taotie which is a motif commonly found on Chin...

Born in the South of France in 1926 and raised by very strict parents, Jean Sanglar was prohibited from playing with same age mates. Truly talented, as a young boy he drew frequentl...

Born in the South of France in 1926 and raised by very strict parents, Jean Sanglar was prohibited from playing with same age mates. Truly talented, as a young boy he drew frequentl...

Born in the South of France in 1926 and raised by very strict parents, Jean Sanglar was prohibited from playing with same age mates. Truly talented, as a young boy he drew frequentl...