Kathleen Petyarre is an eminent Australian artist, known for her paintings displaying an extremely refined layering technique with intricate dotting. Her art refers directly to her country and her Dreamings. The vastness of the country can be clearly felt in the landscapes of Petyarre's paintings which, for their visionary power, have occasionally been compared to the works of American Abstract Expressionists Jackson Pollock or Mark Rothko, and even to those of J.M.W. Turner. They have been described as "magisterial works that can be likened to symphonic compositions", New Hampshire, USA).
Her considerable reputation as one of the most original indigenous artists has been confirmed nationally and internationally by her regular inclusion in exhibitions at the most reputed museums and galleries. A book about her art, ' 'Genius of Place' ', was published in 2001 in conjunction with a solo exhibition of her works at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney , and her paintings can be found in public and private collections all over the world. Her work has been selected, along with just a handful of Aboriginal artists, for inclusion in the permanent collection of the new Musée du quai Branly in Paris.She has been repeatedly nominated by the influential journal Australian Art Collector as being among 'the 50 most collectable artists in Australia'.

Born North of Alice Springs, Kathleen Petyarre joined her large tribal family in wandering their ancestral lands in search for water and food. Moving from waterhole to waterhole the young Petyarre was initiated in the traditions associated with Dreamtime. When the family settled in Utopia, Kathleen became an advocate in the fight for Aboriginal and rights. In 1979, her actions resulted in the restitution of of the ancestral territories to the Anmatyrre people, who became the unique legitimate proprietors of Utopia.


Née au nord d’Alice Springst, Kathleen
Petyarre connaît une existence nomade au
sein de sa vaste famille qui circule de point
d’eau en point d’eau en quête permanente de
nourriture dans le respect de la nature. Ces
transhumances lui tiennent lieu d’école : elle
apprend à se repérer dans le désert. Au cours
de ces périples elle s’initie aux traditions
liées au «Temps du Rêve ». Installée avec sa
famille à Utopiat, elle y joue un rôle central
dans le combat pour le droit au sol. Son action
permettra en 1979 au peuple Anmatyrre
de récupérer ses territoires ancestraux en
devenant ainsi les uniques propriétaires
légitimes d’Utopia.
En 1988, elle présente ses premières toiles
lors d’une exposition à Utopia, organisée par la
Holmes Court Collection de Pertht.
Son clan se voit investi de la mission de
conserver l’héritage du «Rêve du Lézard »
à travers récits et chants. Assexué, ce petit
lézard, appelé aussi Moloch horridus, vit sur
les crêtes des dunes du désert et, comme le
caméléon, il se confond parfaitement avec
son environnement. Dans ses toiles, le lézard,
plus suggéré que représenté, augmente la
magnificence monumentale de ce paysage « du
rien ». Kathleen Petyarre donne une densité
minimaliste à ces cartographies mythiques où
le lézard livre une expérience symbolique du
désert.