The Great Hunter Gurrumirringu, c.1980

98 x 62 cm

Est. $4,000 – $6,000

Hammer $3,000

Provenance: Framed Darwin, Anne Phelan (Director), Cat No. 3696EAB Private Collection, Albany NY
Artwork story: This painting depicts the Manarrngu mortuary rites, in which the deceased becomes an ancestral spirit of the clan. The central figure represents the hunter Gurrumirringu, surrounded by mourners and ceremonial implements. Awarded an honorary doctorate after his death in 1999, Dr. David Malangi, is regarded as one of the great bark painters of the twentieth century. His imagery of Gurrumirringu, the great hunter, was famously appropriated without permission for the Australian one dollar note in 1966, an act that later led to one of the first official acknowledgments of Aboriginal intellectual property rights. Malangi’s works are held in major collections including the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and international museums. This example, painted on stringybark with striking compositional clarity, embodies the authority of one of Arnhem Land’s most influential artists.

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Sale 2 · Lot 48

c.1927 – 1999

98 x 62 cm

Est. $4,000 – $6,000

Hammer $3,000

Provenance: Framed Darwin, Anne Phelan (Director), Cat No. 3696EAB Private Collection, Albany NY
Artwork story: This painting depicts the Manarrngu mortuary rites, in which the deceased becomes an ancestral spirit of the clan. The central figure represents the hunter Gurrumirringu, surrounded by mourners and ceremonial implements. Awarded an honorary doctorate after his death in 1999, Dr. David Malangi, is regarded as one of the great bark painters of the twentieth century. His imagery of Gurrumirringu, the great hunter, was famously appropriated without permission for the Australian one dollar note in 1966, an act that later led to one of the first official acknowledgments of Aboriginal intellectual property rights. Malangi’s works are held in major collections including the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and international museums. This example, painted on stringybark with striking compositional clarity, embodies the authority of one of Arnhem Land’s most influential artists.