Narritjin Maymuru | National Museum of Australia

Maŋgalili clan, Yirritja moiety

Colour photograph of a man sitting on the ground painting. - click to view larger image — Narritjin Maymuru

About 1914–1982

‘Artistfella’ is how Narritjin described himself. Not only an artist, he was also a performer, advocate, politician, clan head, ceremonial leader, philosopher and entrepreneur. Narritjin believed in the power of art to transcend cultures. In 1962, he was the instigator and one of the main painters of the Yirrkala Church Panels, and he painted the Aboriginal Bark Petitions in 1963. In 1978, he and his son Banapana were the first Aboriginal artists to be awarded a creative arts fellowship, at the Australian National University.

Before the establishment of an art centre at Yirrkala, Narritjin acted as agent to sell his own and other Maŋalili art at Djarrakpi. Narritjin’s work is in all the major public collections in Australia as well as in Paris and Basel, and at the University of Virginia. His exhibition history dates back to 1949, with Arnhem Land Art at the David Jones Art Gallery in Sydney.

His work has been selected for any major exhibitions, including: Art of Aboriginal Australia, which toured North America in 1974–76; Dreamings, New York, in 1988; The Continuing Tradition at the National Gallery of Australia in 1989; Crossroads: Towards a New Reality, Japan, in 1992; Aratjara, which toured Europe in 1993–94; and Three Creative Fellows: Sidney Nolan, Arthur Boyd, Narritjin Maymuru at the Australian National University in 2007.

Paintings in the exhibition

A bark painting worked with ochres. It depicts a red kangaroo on the left and a black emu to the right of two central elongated black shapes. Above these there are the upper halves of two human figures. In the lower section there is a map with 'Australia' written across it on a yellow snake motif. The map has a kangaroo, snake, emu and lizard inside it. Below the map there is a crab with a fish on either side of it. - click to view larger image — *Coat of Arms*

A bark painting worked with ochres on bark. The painting is divided into a number of panels with a divided central column containing human figures, a fish, a crocodile and stars, and a black bird at the top. Arranged on either side are scenes depicting various sea and land creatures and human figures. The background is decorated with wavy bands of rarrk cross-hatching on coloured dashes. - click to view larger image — *Creation Stories of the Maŋgalili Clan*

A bark painting worked in ochres and on wooden restrainers. It depicts a central yellow freshwater snake. On either side of this there are two vertical columns of black, brown and yellow rats. There is a horizontal band of yellow and white stripes with yellow circles across the centre of the painting. The painting has yellow borders at either end. - click to view larger image — *Djarrakpi: The Lightning Snake Passes Through*

A bark painting worked with ochres on bark. The central panel depicts a double anvil shape between which are images of human figures and fish. The top panel depicts two birds in the centre with on each side. The lower panel features two human figures, a canoe, trees and tools. - click to view larger image — *Djirrididi ga Damala*

A bark painting worked with ochres on bark. It depicts three main rows of animals. At the top there is a row of turtles with fish painted between them. Below this there is a row of four stingrays. Below this again there is a crocodile and a goanna and at the foot of the painting a bird and a crab among plants.The painting has a background of fine white crosshatching on red. - click to view larger image — *Fight between Crocodile-Man and Stingray-Man*

A bark painting worked with ochres on bark. It depicts two sand crabs positioned above and below a central circular shape. Adjacent to each crab is a black bird. The background of the painting consists of wavy crosshatched columns intersected with three wavy horizontal sections. - click to view larger image — *Gunyan White Sand Crab*

A bark painting worked with ochres on bark. It depicts a tall tree down the centre of the painting at the top of which is a bird surrounded by flying insects. The tree features extended branches of dashed wavy lines which in turn form horizontal panel sections across the painting. There are three possums climbing on each side of the tree trunk. At the base of the tree there are two quartered square sections with the one on the left containing four smaller possums.The painting has a black and red background. - click to view larger image — *Guwak ga Marrŋu (Night-Bird and Possum)*

A bark painting worked with ochres on bark. It depicts a large diamond shape in the centre of which are two fish. On either side of the this shape there are four groups of black dancing human figures. Two of the corners contain depictions of dishes and the other two, figures and trees. The painting has a background of crosshatched panels. There is a yellow band at either end. - click to view larger image — *Sacred Ceremonial Ground at Gunuŋuwuy*

A bark painting worked with ochres on bark. It depicts two possums climbing a tree at the top of which is a bird. The possums have crosshatched bodies with black heads, feet and tails. The bird and the and background are decorated in crosshatched striped patterns. - click to view larger image — *The MarrawilIi Tree*

A bark painting worked with ochres on bark. It depicts a central digging stick with a female ancestral figure on either side of this. At either end of the painting there are semi-circular yellow forms and the background consists of lines of purple, white and yellow crosshatching. - click to view larger image — *The Two Wurrathithi with Ceremonial Digging Stick*

A bark painting worked with ochres on bark.The background is divided into three main sections with the central one depicting a large oblique striped cross on either side of a black digging stick. The upper and lower sections consist have white crosshatching with vertical crosshatched bands in red and yellow. - click to view larger image — *Wurrathithi Digging Stick*

A bark painting worked with ochres on bark and with a wooden restrainer at one end. The painting depicts a central, yellow elliptical form containing a design incorporating a crab, six fish and two bird. There is a smaller elliptical form in each corner containing similar designs. The painting has a crosshatched background. - click to view larger image — *Yiŋapuŋapu*

A bark painting worked with ochres on bark and with a wooden restrainer at one end. At the top of painting there are three black birds. At the foot of the painting there are four crosshatched panels which depict from left to right, two women with dilly bags and digging sticks, a canoe, a man with a spear, a man weaving and another canoe. In the centre there are three pointed shapes in which there are depicted cooking fires and fish, with the centre one including three human figures. There are also two larger shapes, the left one contains two birds and a fish and two human figures, one in a canoe. The shape on the right contains two birds, a fish, a crab and its tracks and three humans figures, one of whom is a child. - click to view larger image — *Yiŋapuŋapu at Djarrakpi*

George Milpurrurru

Valerie Munininy

Mutitjpuy Munuŋgurr

Dick Nguleingulei Murrumurru

Bardayal Nadjamerrek

Papunya Painting: Out of the Australian Desert

Sydney Warrane

Aboriginal breastplates

Stories Explorer

Publications

All these bark paintings are part of the National Museum of Australia’s collection. © the artist or the artist’s estate, licensed by Aboriginal Artists Agency 2013, unless otherwise specified. These images must not be reproduced in any form without permission.

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