Provenance
The Artist, painted at Papunya, Northern Territory
Stuart Art Centre, Alice Springs, painting number consignment 14, painting 8
Private Collection
Important Aboriginal Art, Sotheby's, Melbourne, 30 June, 1997, lot 211
Private Collection, Sydney, acquired from the above
Aboriginal Art, Sotheby's Melbourne, 31 July, 2007, lot 78
The Luczo Family Collection, acquired from the above by private sale
Stuart Art Centre, Alice Springs, painting number consignment 14, painting 8
Private Collection
Important Aboriginal Art, Sotheby's, Melbourne, 30 June, 1997, lot 211
Private Collection, Sydney, acquired from the above
Aboriginal Art, Sotheby's Melbourne, 31 July, 2007, lot 78
The Luczo Family Collection, acquired from the above by private sale
Literature
Bardon, G. and J. Bardon, Papunya, A Place Made After the Story: The Beginnings of the Western Desert Painting Movement, The Miegunyah Press, Melbourne, 2004, for an illustration of the original field notes and diagram by Geoffrey Bardon; illus. p. 367, painting number 317 (ibid. ). Cf. For other paintings by the artist see Untitled, 1971, in Perkins, H. and H. Fink (eds. ), Papunya Tula: Genesis and Genius, Art Gallery of New South Wales in association with Papunya Tula Artists, Sydney, 2000, illus. p. 12; and Crocker, A. (ed), Mr Sandman bring me a dream, Aboriginal Artists Agency and Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, 1981, pp. 42-43.
Description
Tommy Lowry lived at Docker River and was not a regular painter for Papunya Tula Artists. Geoffrey Bardon describes him as a 'colourful and raw ' personality' (Bardon and Bardon, 2004, p. 367), attributes which according to Crocker (1981, p. 42) lend 'his work a na‹ve quality and a certain freshness.' The painting depicts a large ceremonial scene undertaken by women who are depicted as the U-shapes beside their oval-shaped dancing boards. The central roundel is a waterhole from which emanate five streams of water running to sets of ceremonial camps. The red concentric circles indicate camp fires The artist was also known as Tommy Tichiwan Tjapaltjarri No. IV