Image: Willy Tjungurrayi, ‘Untitled’, 2001, synthetic polymer paint on linen, 152 × 183 cm. Courtesy D Lan Galleries, Melbourne
D’Lan Galleries is offering a large 2001 painting by Willy Tjungurrayi through its private-sales programme, presenting the work as an example from a pivotal period in the Indigenous Australian artist’s career. Painted at Kintore, ‘Untitled 2001’ measures 152 x 183 cm and is being offered by private treaty rather than as part of a dated public exhibition or auction.
The Melbourne-based gallery describes the work as having provenance from Papunya Tula Artists and Utopia Art Sydney, and says it has come to the market from a prominent estate. The gallery’s announcement calls it “a major-scale 2001 painting” and describes its pricing as exceptional for a work of its quality and rarity. No asking price is given in the published material.
D’Lan’s presentation focuses on the painting’s tightly controlled surface. Its description refers to “line after line of deep red-brown and white ochre”, identifying a visual language built through repeated marks and layered fields. The gallery says the work reflects Tjungurrayi’s mature practice in 2001, a period it connects to the artist’s growing institutional and commercial recognition.
Tjungurrayi painted on canvas from the early 1980s and continued working for four decades until his death in 2018, according to the gallery. D’Lan describes his paintings as carrying a lifetime’s knowledge of Country. The artist was associated with the Western Desert painting movement and is presented in the announcement within the context of Papunya Tula Artists, although the supplied material does not provide further details about his community affiliations or education.
The work’s exhibition history includes ‘Genesis and Genius’ at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 2000, where Tjungurrayi’s work was included in a survey that the gallery characterises as significant for placing Papunya Tula painting within a major state institution. In 2001, ‘Untitled 2001’ was included in ‘Museum’ at Utopia Art Sydney, alongside works by senior contemporaries including Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri and George Tjungurrayi.
D’Lan Galleries operates private sales alongside an annual international exhibition programme, offering works by leading Indigenous Australian artists through private treaty. Its website lists locations in Melbourne/Naarm, Sydney/Gadigal and New York/Lenapehoking. The gallery’s announcement invites prospective buyers to enquire about ‘Untitled 2001’ and separately notes that it is accepting consignments of Indigenous Australian artworks and collections. The painting is credited © Willy Tjungurrayi / Licensed by Aboriginal Artists Agency Limited.
