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Curly Bardkadubbu Large Australian Aboriginal Art Original Bark Snake Painting
About the Item
A very special, extremely rare large Australian Aboriginal art bark painting by renowned Kunwinjku (Gunwinggu) artist Curly Bardkadubbu (sometimes referred to as Curly Bargudubu/Bargudubbu or Curly Bardulugubu). Curly was born in the Kamarrang subsection of the Naborn (Namokardabu, Western Arnhem Land) clan of the Marrkolidjban. He was known for his colorful paintings on eucalyptus bark.
This work is an ocher painting on bark (likely eucalyptus). The size is quite exceptional and rare. It is titled "Naworan Mythical Python" and depicts a rainbow serpent/ snake (Borlung or Jingana) who is a most revered totemic ancestor of Western Arnhemland Aborigine peoples. She is believed to be the mother creator (represented by the eggs that she curls around to protect), controlling human fertility, seasonal change, and the regeneration of nature. Borlung's spirit lives in water holes on Earth. Aboriginal people avoid camping at such sites so they will not pollute the water in which the Rainbow Serpent rests. Borlung can manifest in the spectrum hues of a drop of water or the great rainbows arched across the sky. Her great forked tongue can cause lightning and her angry voice thunder.
Not much is known of Bardkadubbu's early life, one reason being the lack of official record keeping (some have his birth in 1931 while others have speculated 1924). Bardkadubbu did not start painting until comparatively late in life.
He rose to prominence in the 1970s when he was in his mid-to-late forties. He passed away in 1987.
Bardkadubbu’s work was selected for several major exhibitions in Australia and abroad, including The Art of Aboriginal Australia, which toured North America from 1974 to 1976; and Aboriginal Art: The Continuing Tradition at the National Gallery of Australia in 1989. Bardkadubbu entered the first National Aboriginal Art Award, established by the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory in 1984. In 2013, Bardkadubbu's painting Namanjwarre the Estuarine Crocodile was included in the exhibition Old Masters: Australia's Great Bark Artists, organized by the National Museum of Australia.
His work can be found in many prominent collections and museums including:
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Art Gallery of South Australia
Museum of Contemporary Art Australia
National Gallery of Australia
National Museum of Australia
This work is from the famed Kelton Foundation Collection of important Australian Indigenous Works of Art (it was acquired by Richard Kelton in 1983) and was previously exhibited at The Modern Museum of Art and Cal State Northridge, Los Angeles exhibition of Aboriginal Art. It was also featured on the back cover of the April 1987 publication of Reader's Digest.
There really is no work that we have seen that compares to this piece. This is truly a special one-of-a-kind work. Would be a great addition to any Aboriginal art collection or make for an eye-catching stand-alone accent artwork in about any setting.
Additional records and paperwork on the history of the piece will be provided to the buyer if desired.
The painting is set in a large, heavy, open custom acrylic frame.
Frame dimensions: 35" high, 56.5" wide, 4" deep
- Dimensions:Height: 35 in (88.9 cm)Width: 56.5 in (143.51 cm)Depth: 4 in (10.16 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1975
- Condition:Painting is in very good vintage condition with one natural organic crack from the far right (appears to be part of the original painting as it is pictured this way in 1987). The frame has wear consistent with age/use (see photos). Beautiful overall.
- Seller Location:Studio City, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2254341167002
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