Men's Site, 1978

37 x 27.5 cm, 39.5 x 30.5 cm frame

Est. $4,000 – $6,000

Hammer $4,000

Provenance: Purchased by Australian artist Tim Johnson, directly from director Andrew Crocker at the Papunya Tula Artists Stockroom, NT, 1981 Accompanied by a letter from Tim Johnson
Artwork story: Old Mick Tjakamarra was among the founding artists at Papunya and a senior custodian of desert law. In Men's Site, he depicts a ceremonial ground used by initiated men - a space where sacred songs and knowledge are passed on under ancestral law. The composition is deliberately pared back: concentric circles, linear motifs, and a restrained dot palette reflect the artist's preference for clarity over ornamentation. His paintings stand as early markers of a cultural shift - when sacred knowledge entered public space with both caution and resolve - positioning him as a key figure for collectors drawn to works of historical gravity.

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Sale 1 · Lot 86

Old Mick Tjakamarra

c.1910 – 1996

37 x 27.5 cm, 39.5 x 30.5 cm frame

Est. $4,000 – $6,000

Hammer $4,000

Provenance: Purchased by Australian artist Tim Johnson, directly from director Andrew Crocker at the Papunya Tula Artists Stockroom, NT, 1981 Accompanied by a letter from Tim Johnson
Artwork story: Old Mick Tjakamarra was among the founding artists at Papunya and a senior custodian of desert law. In Men's Site, he depicts a ceremonial ground used by initiated men - a space where sacred songs and knowledge are passed on under ancestral law. The composition is deliberately pared back: concentric circles, linear motifs, and a restrained dot palette reflect the artist's preference for clarity over ornamentation. His paintings stand as early markers of a cultural shift - when sacred knowledge entered public space with both caution and resolve - positioning him as a key figure for collectors drawn to works of historical gravity.