Tjapaltjarri Brothers - The last nomads

03.09.08 | by Sabine Haider

Central Art is proud to present an exhibition of the collective works by the three Western Desert artists; Thomas, Walala and Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri. The Tjapaltjarri...

Central Art is proud to present an exhibition of the collective works by the three Western Desert artists; Thomas, Walala and Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri.

The Tjapaltjarri brothers were hailed as ‘the Last nomads’ in the international press when they and six of their relatives left their nomadic life in October 1984 and made contact with their Pintupi relatives at Kiwirrkurra for the first time in over twenty years.

This was to be their first contact with the Western world.

Until this time, the brothers had lived a traditional life unchanged from the way their ancestors had lived for thousands of years

At Kiwirrkurra, they were introduced to the Papunya Tula Artists Cooperative and within three years they had become established Pintupi artists of the Western Desert. Their works became an immediate success.