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William Sandy Biography
 William Sandy
is an
important Australian indigenous artist.
William Sandy
was the first artist
involved in
Aboriginal Art Movement
since the 70's,
worked for
Papunya Tula
in 1975 initially named
Warumpi Arts.
William Sandy work is
represented in the worldwide
Collections
He
began painting for
Papunya Tula
Artists.
Papunya Tula
Artists
cooperative
was
formed in 1972 owned and operated by
Aboriginal
people from the
Western Desert
of
Australia.
Biography:
Aboriginal Artists dictionary of biographies
page 337.
Warumpi Arts
Early in 1994 the Papunya Community Council
established its own art
centre-gallery in Alice Springs, called Warumpi Arts as the main centre for
paintings by Papunya artists, run by Aboriginal people of Papunya,
to give the Aboriginal people of Papunya an increased involvement in the
commercial aspects of Aboriginal art.
This centre, called Warumpi Arts,
maintained a gallery in Alice Springs until September 2004 and was the main
centre for paintings by Papunya artists.
The Papunya Community Council then decided
to close the gallery with the aim of later opening an art centre in Papunya.
The Warumpi gallery operated in a way
determined by the Community elders, who ensured that profits from the sale of
paintings and crafts go to all the Aboriginal people of the community.
The artists who painted for Warumpi Arts
took considerable pride in their paintings as a reflection of their culture and
beliefs.
The
Papunya Community Council then decided to close the gallery with the
aim of later opening an art centre in
Papunya
art centre
Papunya Tjupi Arts.
Warumpi is an Aboriginal (Warlpiri) word meaning ‘honeyant’. Honey ants are one
of the favourite bush foods of central Australia and their nests are found at
the base of mulga trees. The ants produce a sweet “honey” which is stored in
their bodies.
Honey Ant - The range of mountains behind Papunya has a
distinctive rounded shape, like the shape of a honey ant in profile, and it is
this shape which has given these ranges their name – and also the Warumpi Art
centre.
AWARDS
1985 selected
Australian National Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Art Award
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern
Territory
William Sandy is one of the
master a rtists
who was involved in the Aboriginal art movement similar to
Billy
Stockman
and
Long Jack
Phillipus
in the 70's.
It is a rare opportunity to purchase an original, authentic
painting of impeccable provenance, by one of the master artist, William Sandy.
Today Aboriginal Australians live and work around the
world, from
Papunya to London, from
Arnhem Land to New York.
VIDEO:
Prime Minister of Australia,
Bob Hawke
talks about
Australian Aboriginal art
COLLECTIONS
Art Gallery Western Australia
Art Gallery of South Australia
National Gallery of Australia
Wollongong City Art Gallery
Art Bank
National Gallery of Victoria
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory,
Queensland Art Gallery
Homes a Court collection
Art Gallery of Western Australia
Queensland Art Gallery
Kelton Foundation USA
Donald Kahn art
collection USA
Museo
Centro Cultural Arte Contemporaneo Mexico,
John Weber Gallery New York
Isaacs
Art Center Museum and Gallery
Toronto
Lowe Art Museum Miami
University of Miami
Embassy of Australia Washington
Grand Hyatt London
Grand Hyatt Jakarta
Groninger Museum Holland
Oxford University England
Broken Hill Regional Art
Gallery NSW,
Wagga Wagga Regional Art Gallery
University of Queensland
Australia
Araluen Art Centre Northern Territory Australia
IBM Kawasaki Gallery Japan
Born circa 1944, near Ernabella in
South Australia
William Sandy
has lived in Areyonga and Haasts Bluff in Papunya, with his family.
Kunapi region, far to the south
of Papunya out towards Docker River, is his country from his grandmother
and mothers side.
Eventually the family settled at Ernabella,
from here William Sandy came to Papunya in 1973.
At Papunya William married
Violet Nakamarra,
sister of Michael NELSON Jagamarra.
They have four children,
a boy and three girls, one adopted.
William Sandy's wife, Violet
Nakamarra, has also painted since the early '80's. From the time of his
arrival in Papunya settlement, William worked for the Papunya Council.
William Sandy is a senior elder and knowledgeable
traditional
medicine man.
From the late '80's,
William Sandy and his wife Violet Nakamarra have been health workers with the Papunya Medical Service.
William Sandy paints Dingo, Emu, Woman, Green Bean and other
Dreaming stories of his ancient country Dreamtime stories.
SELECTED Major EXHIBITIONS
William Sandy work was
exhibited in the significant
'Dreamings' exhibition which toured the USA in 1988 - 89, and in the
subsequent show of Papunya Tula Artists at the John Weber
Gallery in New York.
William Sandy had a solo exhibition in 1990 at Gallery
Gabrielle Pizzi, and the Aboriginal Desert Art Gallery Melbourne
1994-95-96-97-98.
Grand Hyatt, Jakarta 1992, London 1993, Sydney
1994-95-96-97-98, Australian Embassy Washington and New York 1999.
Since
the early '80's when William Sandy began painting full-time for Papunya Tula Artists
Galleries and the Aboriginal Desert
Art Gallery in Alice Springs.
1982 Georges Exhibition, Melbourne
1983 Mori Gallery, Sydney NSW
1985 Aboriginal Artists Gallery, Melbourne
1986 Queensland University, Brisbane
1988 Papunya Tula Paintings City Art Gallery, Wagga Wagga, NSW
1989 Papunya Tula: Contemporary Paintings from Australia's Western Desert, John
Weber Gallery, New York, USA
1988-89 "Dreaming" Exhibition which toured the USA
1989 Papunya Tula Artists, John Weber Gallery, New York, USA
1989 Centro Cultural Arte Contemporaneo, Mexico City, Mexico
1990 Isaacs Gallery, Toronto, Canada
1990 Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi Melbourne;
Paintings from the Desert, Contemporary Aboriginal Paintings
1990 Plimsoll Gallery, Centre for the Arts, Hobart, Tasmania
1991 Australian Aboriginal Art from the Collection of Donald Kahn
1991 Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami, USA
1991 The Painted Dream: Contemporary Aboriginal Paintings from Auckland City Art
Gallery Tim and Vivien Johnson Collection
1991 Te Whare Taonga Aoteroa National Art Gallery NZ
1991 Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami, USA
1992 IBM - Kawasaki City Gallery, Kawasaki, Japan
1992 Grand Hyatt, Jakarta
1993 Roar Studios, Melbourne, VIC
1993 Aboriginal Art Exhibition, Kung Gubunga
1993 Oasis Gallery, Broadbeach, Qld
1993
Chapman Gallery, Canberra
1993 Exhibition in London
1994 Dreamings - Tjukurrpa: Aboriginal Art of the Western Desert
1994 The Donald
Kahn collection, Museum Villa Stuck, Munich
1994
Aboriginal Desert Art Gallery Melbourne and Sydney
1995
Aboriginal Desert Art Gallery Melbourne and Sydney
1996
Aboriginal Desert Art Gallery Melbourne and Sydney
1997
Aboriginal Desert Art Gallery Melbourne and Sydney
1997
Manningham Art Space, Melbourne
1997 L'Art des
Aborignes d'Australie
1997 Arts
d'Australie o Stphane Jacob Paris, France
1997 Galerie de
Stassart, Bruxelles
1997 L'Art des
Aborignes d'Australie, Arts d'Australie o Stphane Jacob
1997 Festival
du Film, Cannes France
1997 L'Art des
Aborignes d'Australie Paris, France
1997 Arts d'Australie o Stphane Jacob Paris, France
1997
Espace Paul Riquet, Bziers
1998 Aboriginal Desert Art Gallery Melbourne and Sydney NSW
1999 Aboriginal Art Galleries of Australia, Melbourne VIC
1999 Embassy
of Australia, Washington and New York, USA
2000 Arts
d'Australie, Arts d'Australie o Stphane Jacob Paris, France
2000 Salon
Pharmagora, Paris, France
2000
Aboriginal Art Galleries of Australia, Melbourne
2003 Chapel off Chapel Gallery, Melbourne
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Literature
Source
& FURTHER
REFERENCES

Australian Aboriginal Artist dictionary of biographies
Kreczmanski, Janusz B and Birnberg, Margo (eds.): Aboriginal Artists: Dictionary
of Biographies: Central Desert, Western Desert and Kimberley Region JB
Publishing Australia, Marleston, 2004.
Aboriginal Artists of the Western Desert - A Biographical Dictionary by Vivien
Johnson, published by Craftsman House 1994
The Oxford Companion to Aboriginal Art and Culture edited by Sylvia Kleinert and
Margo Neale published by OUP 2000
Aboriginal Artists: Dictionary of Biographies: Central Desert, Western Desert &
Kimberley Region JB Publishing Australia, Marleston, 2004
Brody, A. 1989 Utopia women’s Paintings: the First Works on Canvas, A summer
Project, 1988-89 exhib. Cat. Heytesbury Holdings, Perth Brody
A. 1990 Utopia, a picture Story, 88 Silk Batiks from the Robert Homes a Court
Gallery and gallery Collection, Heytesbury Holdings LTD Perth NATSIVAD database,
Latz, P. 1995, Bushfires & Bushtucker, IAD Press, Alice Springs
Brody, A. 1989 Utopia women’s Paintings: the First Works on Canvas, A summer
Project 1988-89 exhib. Cat. Heytesbury Holdings, Perth Brody
Amadio, N. und Kimber, R., Wildbird Dreaming. Aboriginal Art from the
Central Deserts of Australia, Greenhouse Publ., Melbourne 1988; Auckland
City Art Gallery, Auckland 1990, Ausst. Kat.; Australian Aboriginal Art
from the Collection of Donald Kahn. Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
(Hrsg.), 1991, Ausst. Kat.; Droombeelden - Tjukurrpa. Groninger Museum (Hrsg.),
Groningen 1995, Ausst. Kat.; Isaacs, J., Australia´s Living Heritage.
Arts of the Dreaming, Lansdowne Press, Sydney 1984; Isaacs, J.,
Australian Aboriginal Paintings. Lansdowne, Sydney 1989, ISBN
186302011X; Johnson, V., Aboriginal Artists of the Western Desert. A
Biographical Dictionary, Craftsman House, East Roseville 1994, ISBN
9768097817; Modern Art - Ancient Icon. The Aboriginal Gallery of
Dreamings (Hrsg.), o.O. 1992, ISBN 0646080520; Nangara. The Australian
Aboriginal Art Exhibition from the Ebes Collection. The Aboriginal
Gallery of Dreamings (Hrsg.), Melbourne 1996, Ausst. Kat.; Stourton, P.
Corbally, Songlines and Dreamings. Lund Humphries Publ., London 1996,
ISBN 0853316910; The Painted Dream. Contemporary Aboriginal Paintings.
Johnson, V. (Hrsg.), Auckland City Art Gallery, Auckland 1991, Ausst.
Kat.; Tjinytjilpa. The Dotted Design. Aboriginal Art Galleries of
Australia (Hrsg.), Melbourne 1998, Ausst. Kat.; Traumzeit - Tjukurrpa.
Kunst der Aborigines der Western Desert. Die Donald Kahn-Sammlung,
Danzker, J.B. (Hrsg.), Prestel, München und New York 1994, Ausst. Kat.;
Voices of the Earth. Paintings, Photography and Sculpture from
Aboriginal Australia. Gabrielle Pizzi (Hrsg.), Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi,
Melbourne 1996, Ausst. Kat., ISBN 0646288954.
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