bears inscription verso: IK97LT70, Long Tom Tjapanangka, Ikuntji Women’s Centre; and Niagara Galleries label
accompanied by the entrants letter for the Australian Heritage Commission Award and original receipts from Niagara Galleries

PROVENANCE
Ikuntji Women’s Centre, NT Cat No. IK97LT70 Niagara Galleries, Vic
Administrative Review Tribunal, NSW
Private collection, NSW

EXHIBITED
Australian Heritage Commission, 4th National Indigenous Heritage Art Award, Canberra, ACT, 1998

In this work, Long Tom Tjapanangka depicts the low hills and rocky rises of Lupul, his father’s Country west of Kintore, near the Frederick Ranges in the Gibson Desert. Rather than mapping a specific Dreaming narrative, Lupul reflects the artist’s intimate knowledge of Country. The composition builds from the ground up, with minimal use of colour and texture outlining silhouettes of the hills, while subtle tonal shifts evoke the play of light at dawn and dusk. The painting’s earthy palette convey the presence of the land itself.

A senior Pintupi painter, born around 1930 near Walungurru, Long Tom Tjapanangka began painting at Haasts Bluff (Ikuntji) in the early 1990s. His works are known for their strong minimal scenes of the desert terrain. In Lupul, 1997, he translates memory and topography into a composition of remarkable balance and quiet authority.

@ LONG TOM TJAPANANGKA / Copyright Agency, 2025

Long Tom Tjapanangka (c1930-2006)

Lupul

About the artist

Artwork description