Eunice Napangardi

Eunice Napangardi was born at Yuendumu in the early 1950’s. Eunice is of the Luritja / Warlpiri tribal groupings and has 3 sisters, Pansy Napangardi, Alice Napangardi and Rene Robinson Napangardi with whom, she shares many of the Dreaming stories they paint. Eunice was one of the first women artists to paint. She started painting by helping her “old bush husband” Kaapa Tjampitjinpa, painting his series of “town paintings” in the early 1980’s when he painted for Papunya Tula Artists. Kaapa was one of the original group of painters influenced by Geoffrey Bardon in Papunya in the early 1970’s, in what’s marked the beginning, of The Western Desert Art Movement. This was considered the inception of Aboriginal Art as a genre’ all it’s own. In the late 1980’s, Eunice began to paint her own dreamings, thus beginning a career of her own. Eunice was one of the leading painters at the Centre for Aboriginal Artist’s and also has works in the Stockman’s Hall of Fame. Eunice was one of three artists requested for a special furniture painting project for the Australian Bicentennial Travelling Exhibition in 1988. Her work also featured in the “Tjukurrpa” Exhibition at the Baxland Gallery c.1989. In 1991 she exhibited again at the Aboriginal Arts Australia Gallery in Sydney with Maxie Tjampitjimpa, where she travelled to Sydney for the opening. Eunice has completed two major commissions. One being for the Alice Springs Airport, which opened in December 1991 and the other being for a travelling exhibition which started in Washington in 1992. Eunice also exhibited in Brisbane with her sister, Pansy Napangardi in a two women show.  Sadly,Eunice passed away on the 29th September 2005. Exhibitions: ~ 1988 – Furniture painting project, “Australian Bicentennial Travelling Exhibition” ~ 1989 - “Tjukurrpa” Exhibition, Baxland Gallery ~1991 – “Eunice Napangardi & Maxi Tjampitjinpa” Exhibition, Aboriginal Arts Australia Gallery, Sydney, N.S.W. ~1992 –Travelling Exhibition, beginning Washington, U.S.A. ~ 1992 – “Two Women” Exhibition, with Pansy Napangardi, Brisbane, Qld. ~ 2003 -  Eunice Napangardi & Kubbtji Tjungurrayi  “ Colour ” Exhibition, Red Desert Gallery, Eumundi, Qld. Collections: ~ Wollongong City Art Gallery ~ Federal Airports Corporation ~ Richard Kelton  ~ Private Selected Exhibitions: ~ 1993 –  Araluen  Arts Centre , Alice Springs . ~ 1994 –  Gabrielle Pizzi , Melbourne . ~ 1994 – Adelaide Fringe Festival .  ~ 1995 –  Hogarth Galleries , Sydney . ~ 1995 – “ Tandanya ” , Adelaide . ~ 1996 –  Gabrielle Pizzi , Melbourne . ~ 1995 –  Araluen  Arts Centre , Alice Springs . ~ 1997 –  Araluen  Arts Centre , Alice Springs . ~ 1998 –  Araluen  Arts Centre , Alice Springs . ~ 1999 – Araluen  Arts Centre , Alice Springs . ~ 2002 – Araluen  Arts Centre , Alice Springs . ~ 2002 – Gabrielle Pizzi , Melbourne . ~ 2003 – Gabrielle Pizzi , Melbourne . ~ 1999 – Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco , U . S . A  ~ 1999 – Flinders Art Museum , Flinders University Adelaide ~ 2002 – Gabriel Gallery , Melbourne .                 Selected Collections: ~ Flinders University Art Museum , Adelaide .

Artist’s image is not shown out of respect for the Aboriginal Cultural custom regarding viewing images of the deceased.