DAVID DAYMIRRINGU MALANGI

During his lifetime David Malangi was one of the best known and loved Aboriginal artists in Australia and was more highly recognised, during the 1970s and 1980s, than most of the desert painters whose reputations did not transcend his until the early 1990s. He was a prolific bark painter whose works were collected by major museums throughout Australia as well as France, Germany and the United States of America. The list of prestigious exhibitions that included his works; the awards that he was given; and the books in which his artworks featured; is as impressive as any other single Aboriginal artist.

His works first appeared at auction in 1987 and since that time 188 works have been offered of which a very solid 72% have sold. However, the fact that his works have been available since the earliest specialist auctions were held, as well as his prolific production has mitigated against his average prices despite the high regard in which he is held. While he was principally known as a bark painter he occasionally created carvings and it was for two of these rare works, created during the 1960’s, that his highest record prices have been recorded. The first, depicting Gurrmirringu’s Wife c.1968 stood 85 cm. high, and sold for $56,900 in Sotheby’s July 2005 auction (Lot 67). The other, a smaller double-sided piece measuring 56 x 56 cm of Gurrmirringu and His Wife c. 1961 fetched $33,400 when sold in Sotheby’s July 2003 auction (Lot 235). These were astronomical prices justifying the high estimates Tim Klinginder of Sotheby’s placed on the works. In fact, these excellent results indicate that rare sculptural pieces have been received with far more interest than even the very finest of Malangi’s more ubiquitous bark paintings. Admittedly, the two spectacular carvings were created in the 1960s, however another one half the size, that was made c.1980 had sold below the lower estimate for a mere $690 in Sotheby’s June 1997 sale(Lot 300). Nevertheless a hardwood boomerang featuring painted File Snakes sold for a very healthy $6,362 at Joel Fine At in June 2007 (Lot 86) against a presale estimate of $2,000-3,000 and a ceremonial paddle created in 1969 sold for $1200 at Lawson-Menzies in May 2006 (Lot 248). While these were beautifully realised pieces of art, one can only assume that the premium paid for Malangi’s sculptural pieces was due to their rarity. Only 5 have been offered since 1987 and all 5 have sold. This may also apply to the only work on canvas ever recorded as having been offered for sale. Gurrmirringu Story c.1992 measuring 183 x 188 cm. was offered at Sotheby’s in July 2001 (Lot 175) and achieved $8,400 the artists 2nd highest price for a painting and his 4th highest price overall. Sotheby’s indicated that this work, previously exhibited at Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, was reputedly the artist’s first attempt to paint on canvas rather than bark, and it was possibly the largest work he ever created. Malangi was obviously unimpressed with the medium as, having held several solo exhibitions for him in my own Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery during the late 1990’s, I never saw any evidence of others. However ,he did engage in printmaking and while no prints have appeared to date at auction, two works on paper have been offered and both have sold at an average price of $2,148, the best being Burala Cormorant and Waterlillies 1995, created in natural earth pigments and measuring 98 x 70 cm. This sold for $3,360 at Lawson-Menzies in November 2004 (Lot 340).

The sale rate for Malangi’s bark paintings is strong. The highest price for a bark has been $11,045 paid for a work titled Gumirringu Ceremony c.1960 which sold at Deutscher & Hackett in 2023. This transcended the $9,000 paid for a 86 x 63 cm. work titled Gunmirringu (sic) the Great Hunter 1985, which sold in Lawson~Menzies June 2004 auction (Lot 264). This image and that of the canvas work mentioned above, was very similar to the artwork reproduced on the one-dollar note for which David Malangi was famous.

Interestingly, it was for bark paintings that David Malangi was most famous, yet his barks have often languished when offered for sale. For an artist who painted for nearly 40 years it seems unusual that the year his works were painted appears to make little difference to the price, while the image seems to be the determining factor. For example, the average price for a work with featuring ‘catfish’ in the title is only $1,358, while the average for a similar sized bark with Gurrmirringu (sic) is closer to $4000.

Since the secondary market for Aboriginal art gained pace in the early 1990s collectors have been prepared to pay extremely high prices for even the most ordinary 1971-1974 desert paintings. And when compared to the prices currently being paid for the vast majority of contemporary desert and Kimberley works, especially those emanating recently from emerging western desert communities in the primary market, paintings by Malangi and several of his contemporaries are vastly undervalued. Bark painters like Malangi produced works that, in the opinion of those that have real historical and cultural knowledge and insight, are the epitome of Aboriginal fine art. That being the case, now is most definitely the time to acquire one for any respectable collection.

© Adrian Newstead