RONNIE TJAMPITJINPA

Ronnie Tjampitjinpa began to paint early in life and outlived most of his older contemporaries. He enjoyed a long and fruitful career as a painter during which he produced works in a variety of different styles. Apart from a small number of early boards from the early 1970s, and generic Tingari paintings typical of the late 1970s and early 1980s, his distinctive trademark is bold geometric design. At their best, these works produced in the second half of his career, have a strength and power that commands attention while his lesser works seem rather stilted and repetitious by comparison.

While Ronnie painted only occasionally for Papunya Tula through the mid to late 1990s, it has been works with this ‘art centre’ provenance that have dominated his highest secondary market results. His top twenty sales have been dominated by works painted for Papunya Tula, and these will continue to reinforce his status, while the large works he painted during from the 1990s onward would seem to be vastly undervalued.

In 2017, Ronnie’s previous record was shattered when Wilkinkarra (Lake Mackay), 1993, fetched $151,280. Sotheby's had last sold the work in 2000 for $63,000, which was the record at the time. In 2017, after having enjoyed the work for over 15 years, the collector released the work to auction, making an extremely healthy profit. Then, in 2019, Ronnie's record was once again obliterated when Tingari Ceremonies at the Site of Pintjun 1989 sold for a whopping A$353,169 including BP at Sotheby's New York Aboriginal art auction. This result more than doubled 2017’s top record-setting price. Like most of his highest prices, this work was created at Papunya Tula for a major dealer in Gabrielle Pizzi.

In 2022, Sotheby’s New York, again achieved an outstanding result: Nagarru 2008, a large-scale work measuring 183 x 244 cm, realized US$151,200 (A$213054). In the same auction, Moon Dreaming at Maanytja, 1996 brought in US 12,600 (A$17,755) and Water Dreaming at Malparingya 2006, brought in US12,600 (A$17,755). The Australian market was also particularly active that year with Ronnie’s average soaring to$ 60,488. These solid results affirm the consistent, if periodic, demand across his mature painting period. Following these exceptional results, the market normalized once again, with average prices settling into a more sustainable range.

Ronnie’s offerings at auction have been voluminous with around 617 works offered for sale since they first appeared in 1995. The market has shown a clear hierarchy; exceptional, large scale works with impeccable provenance continue to set records and attract interest while the vast middle tier of his production created for private dealers, maintains steady, but more modest values. His low clearance rate (49%) is due principally to his independence as an artist in a market where art centre provenance is considered so important.

Ronnie Tjampitjinpa’s output was prodigious until 2012-2013 when his health began to deteriorate. Yet there are many paintings created for private dealers that are still available in the primary market. Works like these that appear at auction are likely to languish for quite some time, either not selling at all or achieving low prices.

Following his peak sales in 2022 and then his passing in 2023, a general slowing of sales has been evident with 2 works in his top ten results taking a price tumble from their 2015 high: Kumpurralgna 1996 from $79,773 to $22,380 in 2022, and Tingari Cycle 1997 from $61,364 dropping down to 44,182 in 2024. Currently, his peak sales are approximately $50,000, with a notable decrease when values fall below $25,000. This continues to follow the familiar scale, style and provenance model.


Ronnie, however, is a most important figure in the history of Western Desert painting. His best works will continue to demand record prices well into the foreseeable future. The enduring strength of his museum quality pieces from his peak creative period (1990 – 2000) sustain the high international regard in which he is held.

© Adrian Newstead & Sophie Pearce