Heritage of Namatjira

The Heritage of Namatjira is the first comprehensive survey of the massive output of watercolours by the Aranda (Arrernte) artists of Central Australia. Having as its genesis the first attempts in 1394 of Albert Namatjira to follow the example of European painters, notably the Victorian-born Rex Battarbee, the tradition of watercolour painting is still being maintained by the descendants of Albert and his contemporaries.

Twelve contributors — anthropologists, historians, art critics and collectors — review the history and stylistic development fo the Hermannsburg watercolourists since the Finke River Mission’s establishment in 1877, against a background of upheaval in Western Aranda culture. They chronicle the changing critical attitudes to the watercolours and their fluctuating fortunes in the art market, and assess the present role of the paintings within contemporary Aboriginal society.