Lot 72
- 72
BILLY THOMAS JOONGOORRA CIRCA 1920-2012 | Gunambalayi - Travels of the Black Snake
Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 GBP
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Description
- Gunambalayi - Travels of the Black Snake
- Bears Red Rock Art number 05/04 and KP1988 on reverse
- Natural earth pigments and synthetic binder on canvas
- 150 by 180 cm
Provenance
Painted in 2004 for Red Rock Art, Kununurra, Western Australia
The Dennis and Debra Scholl Collection, Miami, acquired from the above
The Dennis and Debra Scholl Collection, Miami, acquired from the above
Exhibited
Nevada, Nevada Museum of Art, No Boundaries: Aboriginal Australian Contemporary Abstract Painting, 13 February to 13 May 2015, and additional venues:
Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, Portland, 20 June to 16 August 2015
Pérez Art Museum, Miami, 17 September 2015 to 3 January 2016
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Detroit, 18 January to 15 May 2016
Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University, New York, 9 June to 14 August 2016
Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, Portland, 20 June to 16 August 2015
Pérez Art Museum, Miami, 17 September 2015 to 3 January 2016
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Detroit, 18 January to 15 May 2016
Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University, New York, 9 June to 14 August 2016
Literature
Henry F. Skerritt, ed. et al, No Boundaries: Australian Aboriginal Contemporary Abstract Painting, Prestel Verlag, Munich-London-New York, 2014, p.106, p.113 (illus.)
Condition
Bears Red Rock Art number KP1988 on reverse. Synthetic polymer paint on canvas, on stretcher, unframed. The work is in very good condition overall with no visible evidence of repair or restoration.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
One of only three large canvases known to have been painted by Billy Thomas, the subject of this work has a personal resonance for the artist as the ancestral Black Snake Gunambalayi was his personal totem. The painting features sandhills depicted as large concentric ovoids emerging from the periphery of the canvas, permanent freshwater springs in the centre of the painting, and recurring images of the Snake as it traversed the country in a type of ‘time-lapse’ rendition common to desert narrative painting. The colours in the ground of the painting are subsumed in layers of white dotting that lend the painting its luminous quality. WC