Kathleen Petyarre was born in the 1940’s at Utopia, in Central Australia. Petyarre initially worked in batik, but her being allergic to some of the materials used in batik caused her to take up painting on canvas as part of CAAMA’s Summer Project in 1988. Petyarre’s paintings directly refer to her ‘Dreamings’ and the land around Utopia, land which she was one of the key Anmatyerre women involved who successfully claimed the freehold title for in 1979, returning it to its traditional owners. Kathleen's mother and seven sisters have managed to hold onto their land near Utopia Station.
Kathleen's paintings directly refer ther "Dreamings" and the associated country around Utopia, her Dreamings include Mountain Devil Lizard or Thorny Devil Lizard (Arnkerrthe), Women Collecing Bush Seeds. By layering very fine dots of acrylic paint, Petyarre’s paintings of carefully constructed landscapes evoke the Aboriginal custom of ceremonial body painting.
Petyarre won the NT Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award on two occasions and is considers on of the ‘most collectable artists in Australia’.
Collections
Royal Collection of HM Queen Elizabeth
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Musée du quai Branly, Paris
Museum for Contemporary Aboriginal Art, The Netherlands
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission Collection, Australia
Royal Palace Museum, Ubud, Bali
Essl Collection, Vienna
Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, USA
The Kelton Foundation, Los Angeles, USA