Yumarra Rockhole, 2000

121.5 x 91.5 cm, 125.5 x 96 cm frame

Est. $6,000 – $9,000

Hammer $4,250

Provenance: Papunya Tula Artists Alice Springs, NT, Cat No. NN0007048 Private Collection, NSW
Artwork story: This painting depicts the Yumarra rockhole - an important water source near Yumari, Nyurapayia's birthplace - infused with sacred ceremonial significance. The site is closely associated with ancestral women's stories and ritual practices. Boldly composed with arcs, circles, and linear tracks, the work reflects both the physical contours of Country and the ceremonial traces left by travelling ancestors. Mrs Bennett's use of deep reds and contrasting white forms renders the terrain not as empty but charged - marked by action, memory, and spirit. Nyurapayia was among the few senior women painters to emerge during the expansion of the Papunya Tula movement in the 1990s. Her paintings are now highly regarded for their strength of design and the authority of her ceremonial knowledge. For collectors, works such as this embody a rare confluence of aesthetic intensity and cultural gravitas.

Click to enlarge

Sale 1 · Lot 53

c.1935 – 2013

121.5 x 91.5 cm, 125.5 x 96 cm frame

Est. $6,000 – $9,000

Hammer $4,250

Provenance: Papunya Tula Artists Alice Springs, NT, Cat No. NN0007048 Private Collection, NSW
Artwork story: This painting depicts the Yumarra rockhole - an important water source near Yumari, Nyurapayia's birthplace - infused with sacred ceremonial significance. The site is closely associated with ancestral women's stories and ritual practices. Boldly composed with arcs, circles, and linear tracks, the work reflects both the physical contours of Country and the ceremonial traces left by travelling ancestors. Mrs Bennett's use of deep reds and contrasting white forms renders the terrain not as empty but charged - marked by action, memory, and spirit. Nyurapayia was among the few senior women painters to emerge during the expansion of the Papunya Tula movement in the 1990s. Her paintings are now highly regarded for their strength of design and the authority of her ceremonial knowledge. For collectors, works such as this embody a rare confluence of aesthetic intensity and cultural gravitas.