ELIZABETH NYUMI NUNGURRAYI

With the passing of many of the senior male artists Elizabeth Nyumi Nungurrayi is now second only to Eubena Nampitjin on the Warlayirti artists ’top seller’ list. In order to secure a major work through the art centre you need to be on a waiting list, or buy through her occasional gallery exhibitions.

Nyumi began painting in 1988 and was largely undistinguished until the mid 1990’s. Her technique developed over the years until 1997, when she began creating works that, although not altogether successful, led by 1999, to her most familiar and polular style. In these works, often simply titled ‘Parwalla’, the icons, rather than being connected by a series of wavy dotted lines, appear through a shimmering haze of overlaid dots.

Nyumi’s highest price was achieved at Lawson-Menzies in November 2005 when Parwalla 2000, a 180 x 120 cm. work on linen, sold for $43,200. To purchase a work of this size directly from the Balgo Hills art centre wpould have cost $21,600 at the time. Her second highest result was for a work from her transitional period. This 180 x 120 cm. painting on linen titled Minjali, near Kiwirrkurra, WA, 1999 sold for $23,400 in Shapiro’s July 2004 auction. At the Christies sale held in Melbourne during July the following year collectors should have been kicking themselves for having failed to purchase another wonderful painting Parwalla, 2002, measuring 180 x 120 cm. which was passed in despite being a steal at its incredibly low estimate of just $15,000-$20,000.

Although her highest result represents an encouraging 100% increase in value over 5 years, the average price for a 120 x 180 cm. works has been just $20,232 and 150 x 90 cm. works average $13,500. These results are well below the artist’s current primary market prices, which would indicate that it is far too soon to be selling her most desirable high quality pieces. Most were painted post 2000 and it would seem advisable to hold on to anything purchased through galleries for no less than 10 years before offering them for sale at auction. A perfect example is the major 121 x 295 cm. work bought from Warlayirti artists in 2007 which was offered for sale through Lawson~Menzies at their November sale that same year (Lot 71). While the painting was still ‘wet’ and carried a high estimate of $70,000-90,000 works of this size and quality were unobtainable through galleries. Regardless, it failed to attract a buyer during a sale in which other impressive contemporaranious and equally rare paintings by several other artists were far more successful.

The sale rate for Nyumi seems reasonable at 67% with 34 of the 51 offered at auction finding new homes. The majority of those that have failed to sell have been works in her earlier styles and Parwalla paintings have tended to sell for up to 3 times the prices achieved for equivalent sized works from an earlier period.

While Parwalla paintings have been responsible for her highest prices in both the primary and secondary market, many of her earlier works are none-the-less worth collecting. They are currently undervalued, and investors and serious collectors would do well to consider paintings produced during several periods to add variety and interest to their collection. These paintings may not necessarily suit the current fashion for austere minimalism but they are highly accomplished and distinctive paintings that should prove to be a canny investment given the low prices they can currently be acquired for, and the artist’s stature as a major figure in the art of the region.

© Adrian Newstead