Literature in our Collection
(A-L)

Johnson, Vivien: Lives of the Papunya Tula Artists, IAD Press, Alice Springs 2008, ISBN 9781864650907

Table of Contents        ¦         Cover Text        ¦         Book Review

Table of Contents

How to Use this Book -v-

The Use of Photographs -viii-

Introduction -xii-

First Artists - to November 1972 -1-

Early Days - December 1972 to August 1981 -73-

Art Business - September 1981 to August 1993 -171-

Fame - August 1993 to Present -267-

Exhibitions -384-

References -392-

Index -393-

Cover Text

"Lives of the Papunya Tula Artists" chronicles the beginnings of the Western Desert art movement and the phenomenal development of its founding art company over four decades. Through comprehensive and widely researched biographies of more than 200 men and women the book illuminates lives balanced between first contact and international stardom, poverty and record auction prices. In the early 1970s, a small group of Western Desert ‚painting men‘ at Papunya in Central Australia seized the opportunity to experiment with new techniques and materials, producing vibrant an innovative works that give enduring expression to their powerful tjukurrpa (Dreamings). In the years since, Papunya Tula Artists Pty Ltd has made a profound contribution to the Western Desert art movement and international contemporary art. Over 25 years in the making, "Lives of the Papuny Tula Artists" celebrates both the individual lives of the artists and their cooperative endeavour. It showcases the importance of what they share: family and country, significant sites, tjukurrpa and life histories. Illustrated with numerous candid photographs and key artworks, this book charts the historical landscape of the Papunya Tula artists, revealing a collective creative achievement of rare genius.