NEW YORK — Aboriginal art — a term typically used to describe works made by the indigenous people of Australia — takes several forms, all intriguing. They range from body paint and bark paintings to rock art; ochre paintings using organic pigments; textiles; wood carvings; and paintings on canvas, linen or wood. Paintings, in particular, have become one of the most desirable forms of Aboriginal art to collect and are widely represented in museums and fine collections around the world.
LOS ANGELES – Abell Auction Co. will offer an array of Aboriginal art from the collection of Richard Kelton (1929-2019), whose respect and passion for the Australian Indigenous culture inspired him to curate one of the world’s most important private collections of its kind. The online sale will take place Thursday, July 28, starting at 9 am Pacific time. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
LARCHMONT, N.Y. — An embarrassment of riches will cross the block at Clarke Auction Gallery in its Important Estates Auction on September 12, starting at 10 am Eastern time. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
LONDON – Tate Modern has opened A Year in Art: Australia 1992, a free exhibition of more than 25 works by Australian artists, many on show for the first time in the UK, to explore debates around land rights and the ongoing legacies of colonialism. It takes as its starting point the High Court of Australia’s landmark 1992 Mabo ruling in favour of five Meriam people including Edward Koiki Mabo. This decision overturned terra nullius (meaning ‘land belonging to nobody’), the doctrine on which the British had justified colonizing the land now known as Australia. The exhibition brings together works from Tate’s collection which explore Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ relationship with their lands, as well as colonization’s continuing impact on issues of representation, social injustice, and climate emergency. The exhibit will continue until spring 2022.