Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri Indigenous Aboriginal Art Large Original Painting

Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri was born in Tjuirri, an area northwest of Alice Springs also known as Napperby Station (though the actual month/day are still unknown). Clifford enjoyed a traditional bush upbringing and was given the name Possum by his paternal grandfather. His career as an artist began in the 1950s when he carved snakes and goannas. By the 1970’s he was one of the most accomplished carvers in Central Australia. His first opportunity to paint came when one of Albert Namatjira’s sons gave him acrylic paints. This Anmatyerre man would then go on to be a genuine trailblazer, pioneering the acrylic painting style known as ‘dot art’ with several other contemporary artists from Papunya in the Northern Territory, then eventually becoming a founding director of the Papunya Tula Artists School in 1972. Today, Clifford Possum’s art is notable and recognized for its brilliant manipulation of three-dimensional space. He died tragically in Alice Springs on June 21, 2002 — the day he was due to be awarded the Order of Australia for his services to art and the Indigenous community.

Provenance:
From a private Los Angeles collection that was acquired along with another work by Clifford that we are listing that was documented by the gallery.

Clifford’s obituary attention to the verso as well as a visual description of this particular work.

Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri’s works can be found in various international collections and museums including:

the Art Gallery of New South Wales
The Holmes à Court Collection
The Kelton Foundation, Santa Monica, CA
The National Gallery of Australia
The Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia
The Redrock Gallery, Melbourne

His work has traveled extensively around the world, including ‘Dreamings – The Art of Aboriginal Australia’ in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and St Louis. He has had a book about him and his paintings, “The Art of Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri”, by Vivien Johnson. He is and has always been regarded as the leading figure in Australian Aboriginal Art.

A truly engaging original work. Would be a great addition to any collectors of Clifford’s work or Australian Aboriginal art collection or an eye-catching stand-alone accent piece in about any setting.

Dimensions: 50″ high, 29″ wide, 2.25″ deep