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Auction results
Minnie
Pwerle
1910-2006
Under the freedom of
information we have compiled relevant data for your
enjoyment
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Details |
Price excl. GST |
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Awelye Atnwengerrp 2002
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 165 x 360 cm, Est: $60,000-80,000,
Lawson~Menzies (now trading as Menzies), Australian Aboriginal Art,
Sydney, 14/11/2007, Lot No. 51 |
$78,000 |
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Awelye 2004
Synthetic polymer paint on linen, 355 x 165 cm, Est: $60,000-80,000,
Lawson~Menzies (now trading as Menzies), Aboriginal Art, Sydney,
22/11/2006, Lot No. 53 |
$72,000 |
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Awelye-Atnwengerrp 2005
Synthetic polymer paint on linen, four panels, 122 x 90 cm, Est:
$55,000-60,000, Lawson~Menzies (now trading as Menzies), Australian
Aboriginal Art, Sydney, 14/11/2007, Lot No. 129 |
$60,000 |
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Awelye Atnwengerrp 2005 (4)
Synthetic polymer paint on four canvas panels, 122 x 360 cm overall, Est:
$50,000-60,000, Lawson~Menzies (now trading as Menzies), Contemporary,
Modern Australian and Important Abor, Sydney, 19/06/2008, Lot No. 244 |
$54,000 |
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Awelye Atnwengerrp, 2005
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas, four panels, 122.5 x 90.5 cm, Est:
$50,000-60,000, Lawson~Menzies (now trading as Menzies), Aboriginal Fine
Art, Sydney, 23/05/2007, Lot No. 96 |
$50,400 |
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Awelye, 2002
Synthetic polymer paint on linen, stamped verso, 164 x 345 cm, Est:
$40,000-50,000, Lawson~Menzies (now trading as Menzies), Aboriginal Fine
Art, Sydney, 23/05/2007, Lot No. 55 |
$45,600 |
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Awelye Antwengerrp - Bush Tomato, 2001
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 352 x 164 cm, Est: $40,000-50,000,
Lawson~Menzies (now trading as Menzies), Aboriginal Art, Sydney,
22/11/2006, Lot No. 198 |
$43,200 |
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Awelye Atnwengerrp, 2000
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 360 x 166 cm, Est: $40,000-60,000,
Lawson~Menzies (now trading as Menzies), Aboriginal Art Auction, Sydney,
23/11/2004, Lot No. 42 |
$43,200 |
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Awelye Atnwengerrp 2001
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas, inscribed verso: DG 04726/ Minnie
Pwerle/ Awelye Atnwengerrp/ 2001, 353 x 165 cm, Est: $40,000-50,000,
Lawson~Menzies (now trading as Menzies), Colonial to Contemporary
Including Aboriginal Art, Sydney, 25/03/2009, Lot No. 135 |
$43,200 |
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Minnie Pwerle
biography
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 Minnie Pwerle (1910-2006)
Biography is
on page 331
Australian Aboriginal Artists dictionary of
biographies.
Minnie Pwerle and
Emily Kame Kngwarreye
(1910-1996)
sister-in-law, are
both the
most
highly praised
Contemporary
Australian artists.
Both
emanated to Western-style
the most
contemporary,
state-of-the-art
work.
Minnie Pwerle work is
dynamic,
and ground-breaking.
She was recognised as
one of the
world’s best
modern
abstract artists
and
most successful in the
World Art Market
Minnie Pwerle (1910-2006) is one the most highly praised
Australian artists,
recognised
by art experts as dynamic, original, ground-breaking and one of the world’s
best
modern
abstract artists.
Professor
Vivien Johnson,
a
Desert art specialist said that
Minnie Pwerle style was 'radically
different' from other ‘painting
communities’ in the
Western Desert art movement,
stunningly
contemporary and most successful in
the
World Art Market.
Hank Ebes
named Minnie Pwerle "a
genius".
Michael Eather
(Contemporary
Australian artist who helped
cross-cultural artistic collaboration
between Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists)
paralleled
Minnie Pwerle work to
Emily Kngwarreye, and also
Tony Tuckson
paintings. John Anthony Tuckson, was
an
Australian
Abstract Expressionist artist
exhibited in
National Gallery of Australia.
Indigenous art expert
Jenny Green (who worked with the Anmatyerre and Alyawarre people, recording
and noting their language)
believes Minnie's work continues the tradition of "gestural
abstractionism" established by
Emily Kngwarreye, in the works of
Western Desert artists.
An
Australian-born
art critic, writer and editor,
Benjamin Genocchio, illustrated
Minnie Pwerle work on the
cover of his book 'Dollar Dreaming'.
VIDEO: Dollar Dreaming: Ben Genocchio on the
world of Aboriginal art.
Minnie
paintings have distinctive linear fluidity
and rare energy which is infectious to the viewer.
Minnie
work is immensely joyful, she
experimented with bold, brilliant colours,
painting with a rich
array of tones.
MINNIE PWERLE's
style
was characterized by
one reviewer as "broad,
luminescent flowing lines and circles". Minnie's creative style
comprises two key themes.
The first, embodies the
body painting (designs used in
women's ceremonies, or Awelye). These are free-flowing parallel lines in a
pendulous outline.
The second, circular forms portrays
bush tomato (Solanum
chippendalei), bush melon, and northern wild orange (Capparis
umbonata), among a number of forms of
bushfood represented in her works.
Minnie Pwerle style,
both:
circular design and the patterned lines are presented in bold and reminiscent of
Emily Kame Kngwarreye work.
Minnie Pwerle (1910-2006)
same as her sister-in-law
Emily Kame Kngwarreye
(1910-1996)
are the most
highly praised Australian artists
who
dubbed by art
experts as one of the world’s best modern and abstract artists.
Both
artists are ground-breaking
and dynamic
emanated to Western-style
original and the most
contemporary,
state-of-the-art
work.
Emily Kame Kngwarreye
(1910-1996)
painting
'Earth's
Creation'
sold for $1,056,000.
The success of female artists snowballed CAAMA’s ‘Summer Project 1988/9’
handling over $1 million in sales for Utopia artists.
Minnie Pwerle (1910-2006) museum-quality original paintings are
highly sought after and
have the physical presence of
the much contemporary work of art.
Skilfully painted with accuracy and attentions details, unrestrained
shades of colours that seems to float in the air and moves with the viewer’s eyes,
capturing the three dimensional appearance.
Papunya Tula Artist,
Minnie Pwerle
work contains a compelling visual and spiritual
power,
clearly evident in all her paintings,
conveys her deep connection with
the land.
Minnie
used linear
brush-work based on the
body painting used for important
women’s ceremonies in her native country of
Atnwengerrp.
T
Minnie paintings are held
in lots of overseas institutional and private collections as
well as the major art galleries in Australia.
Minnie’s
work has been highly
sought after by art
international
and Australian collectors.
Many of the works in the National Museum's Papunya
collection had been rarely seen in Australia,
until
Papunya Painting
exhibition in 2007 in Canberra.
AWARDS
2001 the 18th
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award
Minnie Pwerle entered
2002 first selected to exhibit in the
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art
Award
2003
Exhibited
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art
Award
Awelye Atnwengerrp
The artist's price $44,000 was the second-highest in the exhibition and the
highest for an artist from the central and western deserts.
2005
Exhibited
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art
Award
competition Awelye Atnwengerrp no.2
2004 recognised one of Australia's 50 most collectible artists Minnie by
Australian Art Collector
2015
Minnie Pwerle
Awelye Atnwengerrp
MP0635 masterwork
was
selected by the
Department of Education,
Queensland
Government
for the
Australian National Curriculum,
with the
acknowledgments
to
the artist Pwerle Estate’s representative, the AAA © Estate of the
artist
licensed
by
Aboriginal Artists Agency Limited
and credits to
Galeria Aniela art gallery
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COLLECTIONS
Art Gallery of South
Australia (Adelaide)
Queensland Art Gallery
(Brisbane)
National Gallery of
Australia (Canberra)
Museum and Art Gallery
Northern Territory (Darwin)
Art Gallery of New
South Wales
Art Bank Sydney
National Gallery of
Victoria
Gallery of Victoria
(Melbourne)
Art Gallery of Western Australia
Homes
a Court Gallery and
gallery Collection
Kelton Foundation
USA
Kreglinger
Collection
John McBride Collection
Ebes
Collection
Fred Torres Collection
Museum of Victoria
National Museum Australia
Kreglinger Collection
Thomas Vroom Collection
Holland
John McBride Collection
Fred Torres Collection
Hank Ebes Collection, Melbourne
AMP Collection Melbourne
Australian Heritage Commission, Canberra
Many of Minnie’s paintings reflect possibly the oldest designs of art in
the world; the body painting for women’s ceremony – Awely. These
are linear designs that are painted onto the chest, breasts, arms and
thighs. Powders ground from red ochre (clay) and ash are used, and
applied with a flat stick with soft padding. This stick is called a ‘typale’.
During the ceremony, Minnie and the women would sing the songs
associated with their awely, paint each other and dance. Awely
ceremonies are performed to demonstrate respect for the country and the
total well-being and health of the community.
Minnie also painted the Dreamtime story of the Anemangkerr (Bush
Melon) and also of the Akarley, which may be represented in her
paintings by ‘a-lube-eh-ditch’ loops. Her works are very bold and
free flowing and immediately capture the attention of art lovers. Having
never been taught art by way of European methods, nor having visited
museums and contemporary art galleries, Minnie was one of Australia’s
top female contemporary Indigenous artists. Her paintings are loved for
being so modern in style and yet so traditional and raw in subject.
Minnie was born in Alyawarr land, approximately 200 kilometres north
east of Alice Springs, in approximately 1922. Speaking very little of
the English language, Minnie made a bold, swift and unexpected entry
into the European world of Australia in 2000 through painting. Minnie’s
eldest daughter, Barbara Weir born in 1945, was taken away at the age of
9 but they were both reunited in the late 1960’s. For many years Minnie
detached herself from Barbara. Sorry business had been done for her many
years before and it was hard for Minnie to welcome a stranger claiming
to be her daughter. Their lives were so different.
Minnie had earlier married an Aboriginal man by the name of Motorcar Jim
and had six children; Aileen, Betty, Raymond and Dora Mpetyane (two
other daughters passed away and are not spoken of). But it was Barbara
who encouraged Minnie to paint in the later years of her life. Barbara,
being an established artist herself, gave Minnie some canvas and paints
while she waited for Barbara to finish painting at a workshop in
Adelaide. Minnie painted what she has always painted – the body paint
designs (awely) that belonged to her country, Atnwengerrp. The
traditional colours of this country are red ochre and white; however
Minnie was excited by the vast amount of colours in front of her and
never looked back.
When asked if Minnie enjoyed painting, Minnie’s family always replied
for her with wholehearted conviction ‘absolutely’. And very evident it
was in her enthusiasm to paint and in her work; her freedom of brush
stroke and fervour of colour.
Minnie passed away on 18th March 2006 at her home in Atnwengerrp. She is
survived by her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and
siblings Margie, Molly, Emily, Geyla, Lois, Ally and Louie.
Exhibitions
2021 Desert Colours 2021, Incinerator Art
Space, Sydney
2021 We Choose to Challenge, Coo-ee
Fine Art Gallery, Sydney
2020 Still in the Desert,
Fireworks Gallery, Brisbane
2019 International Women’s Day,
Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney
2019 Large Showroom; Large Works,
FireWorks Gallery, Brisbane
2019 Desert Colours, Central
Australian painting, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane
2019 Defining Tradition | the
colourists, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney
2019 Matches 6 – Exhibition
Featuring Barbara Weir, Ian Bettinson, Jack Britten, Lilly Kelly
Napangardi, Minnie Pwerle, Tony Tuckson & Yvonne Mills-Stanley,
Fire-Works Gallery, Brisbane
2018 Mercedes Me x Pwerle Gallery Art
Exhibition at Mercedes Me Melbourne.
2018 Pwerle Gallery ‘Utopia exhibition of
four generations’, Adelaide.
2018 Earth’s Creation 2: Emily Kame
Kngwarreye & Family, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney
2018 Delmore Gallery: Utopia
Women, Merricks Art Gallery, Merricks
2018 Utopia Exhibition of 4
Generations, One Rundle Trading Co., Adelaide
2017 Gems from the Stockroom, Kate
Owen Gallery, Sydney
2017 A SWEEP continues, FireWorks
Gallery, Brisbane
2010 ‘Utopia’, group exhibition, DACOU
Melbourne, Middle Park, VIC.
2010 ‘Desert Rhythms’, group exhibition,
Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne, VIC.
2010 ‘The Pwerle Sisters’, group exhibition,
DACOU Australia & DACOU Melbourne, Port Melbourne & Middle Park, VIC.
2009 ‘Utopia – Colors of the Desert’,
Gongpyeong Art Space in conjunction with DACOU, Australian Embassy in
Korea and Crossbay Gallery, Seoul, Korea.
2008 ‘Atnwengerrp: Land of Dreaming’, Minnie
Pwerle carpet launch, Designer Rugs Showroom, Edgecliffe, NSW.
2008 ‘EWB Elements’, travelling group
exhibition, all major cities of Australia, DACOU in conjunction with
Dreamtime Art.
2008 ‘Minnie Pwerle – Body Paint’, solo
exhibition, DACOU Melbourne, Middle Park, VIC.
2007 ‘Utopia in New York’, Robert Steele
Gallery, New York, USA.
2007 ‘Desert Diversity, group exhibition,
Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne, VIC.
2007 ‘New Works from Utopia’, Space Gallery,
Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
2006 ‘The Pwerle Sisters’, group exhibition,
Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne, VIC.
2006 ‘Memorial Exhibition’, solo exhibition,
Gallery Savah, Sydney, NSW.
2006 APS Bendi Lango Art Exhibition, group
exhibition, Rio Tinto Offices, Melbourne, VIC.
2005 Finalist in the 2005 Telstra National
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award.
2004 Named by Art Collector as “one of
Australia’s 50 most collectible artists”.
2003 ‘My Grandmother & Me’, World Vision,
Walkabout Gallery, Sydney, NSW.
2003 ‘Minnie Pwerle & Mitjili Napurrula’,
Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, WA.
2003 Art & Soul Gallery, group exhibition,
Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
2003 ‘Art from the Dreamtime’, Portland Art
Museum, Oregon, USA.
2002 ‘United Mother and Daughter’ incl.
Barbara Weir, Alison Kelly Gallery, Armadale VIC
2002 Group exhibition, New York City, USA.
2002 Mbantua Gallery, group exhibition, Alice
Springs, NT.
2002 Knut Grothe Galeri, Utopia group
exhibition, Charlottlenlund, Copenhagen.
2002 Galerie à Le Temps Du Reve, Utopia group
exhibition, Pont-Aven, France.
2002 ‘Minnie’s Country’, DACOU Gallery,
Adelaide, SA.
2002 ‘Generations Utopia’, group exhibition,
Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, Perth, WA.
2002 Selected entrant in the 2002 19th
Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award.
2002 ‘Awelye Atnwengerrp’, solo exhibition,
DACOU Gallery, Adelaide, SA.
2002 Urban Wineworks Gallery, Portland,
Oregon, USA.
2002 ‘In the Cove’, Carriage House Gallery,
Portland, Oregon, USA.
2001 Group exhibition, San Anselmo, Marin
County, California, USA.
2001 ‘Small Stories: Minnie Pwerle, Mary
Pantjiti McLean, Tumaru Purlykumunu’ Japingka Gallery, Perth, WA
2001 ‘Desert Colour- My Country’, exhibition,
Raintree Aboriginal Art Gallery, Darwin, NT.
2001 Dreamtime Gallery, group exhibition,
Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
2001 ‘Women Artists of the Australian Desert’,
exhibition, Gallery 2021, Auckland, NZ
Minnie Pwerle was born around 1910
at
Utopia Station
in the
Australian central desert on the banks of the Sandover River, 350 kilometres
northeast of Alice Springs.
Her country was
Atnwengerrp, (pronounced a-NOONG-a-pa), and
her languages
Anmatyerre and
Alyawarr,
languages from an area of
Central Australia 250 km northeast of
Alice Springs.
Minnie was one of six children and went on
to become the mother of seven children including International artist
Barbara Weir.
She
was married to Jim
Motorcar
and together they had six
children.
Like many other highly
respected Utopia women
artists, Minnie participated in the batik project which was
introduced to the community in 1977. Painting on canvas in
the community started in the late 1980s. Minnie then started painting batiks in the 1980's completing
works for the Robert Holmes a Court Collection. Minnie's paintings
reflect her country, the bush tucker so important to her desert heritage
and the women's ceremonial body paint inherent in her culture.
She
adopted the traditional body painting designs that convey Minnie's
intuitive connection with her country.
All the stories she painted conveyed her deep
connection with the land, and knowledge of the foods
that it provides. Besides Women's Dreaming,
Minnie Pwerle painted
other Dreamings
involving the
bush melon, and bush melon seed, types of
bush tucker traditionally used by her people, once
very common, and becoming increasingly rarer.
Minnie Pwerle and the
other women used to collect this fruit (that was green
in colour and then ripened to a brown colour) and scrape
out the small
black seeds.
They would then eat the fruit
straight away or cut it into pieces and skewer them onto
a piece of wood and dry them to be eaten in the coming
months when bush tucker was scarce.
MINNIE PWERLE’s work shared
many features with that of other contemporary artists of
the
central and western deserts: the portrayal of
stories or features for which she had responsibility
within her family or clan; the
strong influence of
traditional designs in the art; vigorous use of colour;
and the enthusiastic embrace of new techniques, such as
acrylic paint on canvas.
In 1999, after many
years of ceremonial body painting and in her late eighties,
Minnie started to paint on canvas. Minnie soon attracted a large following, holding
her first solo exhibition in Melbourne in 2000.
Minnie work
rapidly drew the attention of both local and international collectors.
Minnie
Pwerle painted the
Awelye Atnwengerrp
Dreamings (Women's Dreaming}.
Minnie Pwerle
work contains a compelling visual and spiritual
power,
convening her deep connection with
the land,
clearly evident in all her paintings.
Minnie Pwerle
used linear
brush-work based on the
body painting used for important
women’s ceremonies in her native country of
Atnwengerrp.
The
circular design of the Bush Melon and the patterned lines of the Women's
body paint are presented in bold and reminiscent of
Emily Kame Kngwarreye work.
Minnie paintings have distinctive linear fluidity
and rare energy which is infectious to the viewer.
Minnie
work is immensely joyful, as she
experimented with bold, brilliant colours,
often painting with a rich
array of tones.
Minnie
Pwerle is regarded as one of Australia's most
important indigenous talents and is compared with her late friend and
contemporary,
Emily Kame Kngwarreye.
They both became prolific and
highly praised artists who came to Western-style art
late in life.
Minnie paintings are held
in lots of overseas institutional and private collections as
well as the major art galleries in Australia.
Minnie’s
work has been highly
sought after by art
international
and Australian collectors.
Minnie
Pwerle continued to paint up until
her
death in March 2006.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Literature
Source
& FURTHER
REFERENCES
In 2015, the Department of Education of the
Queensland Government
selected
Minnie Pwerle '1998
masterwork
-
MP0635
Awelye Atnwengerrp‘
for the Australian National Curriculum - acknowledgments to the artist
Pwerle Estate’s representative, the AAA © Estate of the artist licensed
by
Aboriginal Artists Agency Limited
-
the credits to Galeria Aniela.
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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