Kathleen Petyarre
Also know as: Kweyetwemp
BIOGRAPHY
Kathleen Petyarre was born around 1940 in the Utopia region, northeast of Alice Springs, and was raised within the cultural traditions of the Anmatyerre people. From an early age she was taught by her paternal grandmother the Dreaming stories and ceremonial knowledge that would later inform her paintings. Central to her work is the story of the Mountain Devil Lizard, a small desert creature believed to have travelled across the land since ancestral times, shaping the landscape grain by grain and creating the vast Country of the Eastern Anmatyerre people.
Petyarre began her artistic practice in the late 1970s through the batik workshops held at Utopia under the guidance of adult educator Jenny Green. These workshops played a pivotal role in the emergence of Aboriginal women artists in Central Australia. Working collectively, the women developed a strong artistic presence while continuing their traditional responsibilities on Country. During this period Petyarre was also involved in the successful 1979 land claim that returned the Utopia region to its traditional owners.
In 1986, following health concerns associated with batik production, Petyarre began painting with acrylic on canvas after the introduction of the medium by art advisor Rodney Gooch. Her meticulous working methods translated naturally into painting, and she developed a distinctive technique built from countless fine dots that form subtle tonal variations across the surface. These intricate fields of marks suggest the desert landscape, underground watercourses and the traces of ancestral movement across Country.
Many of Petyarre’s most recognised works belong to her Mountain Devil Lizard Dreaming and My Country series. In these paintings thin acrylic paint is absorbed into carefully prepared linen, producing delicate, atmospheric surfaces in which shimmering constellations of dots build rhythm and depth. While these compositions may appear abstract, they remain closely connected to ceremonial knowledge, recalling the patterns of Awelye body painting and the journeys of ancestral beings across the land.
Working alongside senior artists from Utopia, including her aunt Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Petyarre developed an increasingly confident artistic language during the 1990s. Her Mountain Devil imagery became a central motif, often represented through subtle diagonal pathways that evoke the tracks and ceremonial sites associated with the Dreaming ancestor.
Petyarre’s reputation grew steadily through exhibitions and prizes during this period. In 1998 she received the Visy Board Art Prize at the Barossa Vintage Festival Art Show, followed by the People’s Choice Award at the Seppelts Contemporary Art Award at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in 1999. Later that year she was awarded the prestigious Telstra Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award.
The award was accompanied by controversy surrounding the authorship of the winning work, prompting a public discussion about collaborative practices and the communal nature of cultural knowledge in Aboriginal art. Although the matter was ultimately resolved in Petyarre’s favour, the investigation caused significant distress for the artist and her family.
In 2001 a major retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney reassessed Petyarre’s career and reaffirmed her position as one of the most significant artists to emerge from the Utopia movement. The exhibition highlighted the subtlety and complexity of her paintings, which balance intricate technique with a profound spiritual connection to Country.
Petyarre’s finest works are characterised by their extraordinary delicacy and quiet intensity. Through thousands of carefully placed marks she evokes the vast desert landscape while maintaining an intimate connection to the ancestral narratives that guide her practice. Her paintings continue to stand as some of the most refined and contemplative expressions of the Eastern Desert painting tradition.
Petyarre began her artistic practice in the late 1970s through the batik workshops held at Utopia under the guidance of adult educator Jenny Green. These workshops played a pivotal role in the emergence of Aboriginal women artists in Central Australia. Working collectively, the women developed a strong artistic presence while continuing their traditional responsibilities on Country. During this period Petyarre was also involved in the successful 1979 land claim that returned the Utopia region to its traditional owners.
In 1986, following health concerns associated with batik production, Petyarre began painting with acrylic on canvas after the introduction of the medium by art advisor Rodney Gooch. Her meticulous working methods translated naturally into painting, and she developed a distinctive technique built from countless fine dots that form subtle tonal variations across the surface. These intricate fields of marks suggest the desert landscape, underground watercourses and the traces of ancestral movement across Country.
Many of Petyarre’s most recognised works belong to her Mountain Devil Lizard Dreaming and My Country series. In these paintings thin acrylic paint is absorbed into carefully prepared linen, producing delicate, atmospheric surfaces in which shimmering constellations of dots build rhythm and depth. While these compositions may appear abstract, they remain closely connected to ceremonial knowledge, recalling the patterns of Awelye body painting and the journeys of ancestral beings across the land.
Working alongside senior artists from Utopia, including her aunt Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Petyarre developed an increasingly confident artistic language during the 1990s. Her Mountain Devil imagery became a central motif, often represented through subtle diagonal pathways that evoke the tracks and ceremonial sites associated with the Dreaming ancestor.
Petyarre’s reputation grew steadily through exhibitions and prizes during this period. In 1998 she received the Visy Board Art Prize at the Barossa Vintage Festival Art Show, followed by the People’s Choice Award at the Seppelts Contemporary Art Award at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in 1999. Later that year she was awarded the prestigious Telstra Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award.
The award was accompanied by controversy surrounding the authorship of the winning work, prompting a public discussion about collaborative practices and the communal nature of cultural knowledge in Aboriginal art. Although the matter was ultimately resolved in Petyarre’s favour, the investigation caused significant distress for the artist and her family.
In 2001 a major retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney reassessed Petyarre’s career and reaffirmed her position as one of the most significant artists to emerge from the Utopia movement. The exhibition highlighted the subtlety and complexity of her paintings, which balance intricate technique with a profound spiritual connection to Country.
Petyarre’s finest works are characterised by their extraordinary delicacy and quiet intensity. Through thousands of carefully placed marks she evokes the vast desert landscape while maintaining an intimate connection to the ancestral narratives that guide her practice. Her paintings continue to stand as some of the most refined and contemplative expressions of the Eastern Desert painting tradition.
Awards
2002 – Top 50 Collectable Artists, Australian Art Collector Magazine
2001 – Top 50 Collectable Artists, Australian Art Collector Magazine
2000 – Top 50 Collectable Artists, Australian Art Collector Magazine
1998 – People’s Choice Award, Seppelt Contemporary Art Award, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, NSW, Australia
1998 – Finalist, 15th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA), Darwin, NT, Australia
1997 – Winner, Visy Board Art Prize, Barossa Vintage Festival Art Show, Nuriootpa, SA, Australia
1997 – John McCaughey Memorial Art Prize, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
1996 – Joint Second Prize, Open Award Category, Third National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Heritage Commission Art Award, Canberra, ACT, Australia
1996 – Overall Winner, 13th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA), Darwin, NT, Australia
2001 – Top 50 Collectable Artists, Australian Art Collector Magazine
2000 – Top 50 Collectable Artists, Australian Art Collector Magazine
1998 – People’s Choice Award, Seppelt Contemporary Art Award, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, NSW, Australia
1998 – Finalist, 15th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA), Darwin, NT, Australia
1997 – Winner, Visy Board Art Prize, Barossa Vintage Festival Art Show, Nuriootpa, SA, Australia
1997 – John McCaughey Memorial Art Prize, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
1996 – Joint Second Prize, Open Award Category, Third National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Heritage Commission Art Award, Canberra, ACT, Australia
1996 – Overall Winner, 13th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA), Darwin, NT, Australia
Exhibitions
2018 – Mountain Devil Lizard Dreaming, Cooee Art Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2013 – My Country, Cooee Art Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2008 – Mountain Devil Lizard Dreaming, Metro 5 Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2008 – Amazing 11: Amazing Women Artists from the Central and Western Deserts, Central Art | Aboriginal Art Store, Alice Springs, NT, Australia
2007 – Gallery Anthony Curtis, Boston, MA, USA
2007 – Galerie Rigassi, Bern, Switzerland
2006 – Prism: Contemporary Australian Art, Bridgestone Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan
2006 – National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC, USA
2006 – Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
2006 – Galerie Clement, Vevey, Switzerland
2004 – Old Woman Lizard, Coo-ee Aboriginal Art, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2003 – My Country, Gallerie Australis, Adelaide, SA, Australia
2003 – Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2002 – Galerie Commines, Paris, France
2002 – Aboriginal Galleries of Australia, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2001 – Genius of Place: The Work of Kathleen Petyarre, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2001 – Kathleen Petyarre: Retrospective, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2000 – Kathleen Petyarre: Retrospective Exhibition, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2000 – Landscape: Truth and Beauty – Recent Paintings by Kathleen Petyarre, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2000 – New Directions in Contemporary Aboriginal Painting, Songlines Gallery, USA
1999 – My Country, Gallerie Australis, Adelaide, SA, Australia
1999 – Recent Paintings by Kathleen Petyarre, Mary Place Gallery, Paddington, Sydney, NSW, Australia
1999 – Paintings by Kathleen Petyarre, Gallerie Australis, Adelaide, SA, Australia
1999 – Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Surfers Paradise, QLD, Australia
1999 – Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
1999 – Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
1998 – Mountain Devil Lizard Dreaming, Gallerie Australis, Adelaide, SA, Australia
1998 – Arnkerrthe – My Dreaming, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
1998 – Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, NSW, Australia
1998 – Chapman Gallery, Canberra, ACT, Australia
1998 – Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide, SA, Australia
1997 – My Country, Gallerie Australis, Adelaide, SA, Australia
1996 – Mountain Devil Lizard Dreaming, Gallerie Australis, Adelaide, SA, Australia
1996 – Kathleen Petyarre: Storm in Atnangkere Country, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
1994 – Kathleen Petyarre: Atnangkere Country, Delmore Gallery, Alice Springs, NT, Australia
2013 – My Country, Cooee Art Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2008 – Mountain Devil Lizard Dreaming, Metro 5 Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2008 – Amazing 11: Amazing Women Artists from the Central and Western Deserts, Central Art | Aboriginal Art Store, Alice Springs, NT, Australia
2007 – Gallery Anthony Curtis, Boston, MA, USA
2007 – Galerie Rigassi, Bern, Switzerland
2006 – Prism: Contemporary Australian Art, Bridgestone Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan
2006 – National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC, USA
2006 – Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
2006 – Galerie Clement, Vevey, Switzerland
2004 – Old Woman Lizard, Coo-ee Aboriginal Art, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2003 – My Country, Gallerie Australis, Adelaide, SA, Australia
2003 – Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2002 – Galerie Commines, Paris, France
2002 – Aboriginal Galleries of Australia, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2001 – Genius of Place: The Work of Kathleen Petyarre, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2001 – Kathleen Petyarre: Retrospective, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2000 – Kathleen Petyarre: Retrospective Exhibition, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2000 – Landscape: Truth and Beauty – Recent Paintings by Kathleen Petyarre, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2000 – New Directions in Contemporary Aboriginal Painting, Songlines Gallery, USA
1999 – My Country, Gallerie Australis, Adelaide, SA, Australia
1999 – Recent Paintings by Kathleen Petyarre, Mary Place Gallery, Paddington, Sydney, NSW, Australia
1999 – Paintings by Kathleen Petyarre, Gallerie Australis, Adelaide, SA, Australia
1999 – Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Surfers Paradise, QLD, Australia
1999 – Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
1999 – Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
1998 – Mountain Devil Lizard Dreaming, Gallerie Australis, Adelaide, SA, Australia
1998 – Arnkerrthe – My Dreaming, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
1998 – Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, NSW, Australia
1998 – Chapman Gallery, Canberra, ACT, Australia
1998 – Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide, SA, Australia
1997 – My Country, Gallerie Australis, Adelaide, SA, Australia
1996 – Mountain Devil Lizard Dreaming, Gallerie Australis, Adelaide, SA, Australia
1996 – Kathleen Petyarre: Storm in Atnangkere Country, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
1994 – Kathleen Petyarre: Atnangkere Country, Delmore Gallery, Alice Springs, NT, Australia
Group Exhibitions
2025 – At The Gallery, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, WA, Australia
2025 – Utopia Showcase, Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2025 – Eternal Signs: Indigenous Australian Art from the Kaplan & Levi Collection, Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, NV, USA
2024 – Utopia in Colours, Fondation Burkhardt-Felder Arts et Culture, Môtiers, Switzerland
2024 – Indigenous Masterworks, Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2023 – Utopia in Colours, Musée de l’Art Aborigène Australien, Fondation Burkhardt-Felder Arts et Culture, Môtiers, Switzerland
2023 – Tracing the Country: Living Landscapes from the Central and Western Deserts, Cooee Art, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2022 – Nations 2022, Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia
2022 – Significant 2022, D’Lan Contemporary, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2022 – Utopia in Detail, Cooee Art Gallery, Redfern, NSW, Australia
2021 – My Land, My Dreaming, Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, NV, USA
2021 – Private Collection | Private View: One Collector’s Passion & Soul, Cooee Art, Redfern, NSW, Australia
2021 – Voyage Across Aboriginal Australia – Founders’ Favourites, Fondation Burkhardt-Felder Arts et Culture, Môtiers, Switzerland
2020 – Innovative Australian Women, Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2020 – Pointillism Perfection, Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia
2019 – International Women’s Day, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2019 – Significant, D’Lan Contemporary, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2017 – The Golden Age of Utopia, Aboriginal Signature Estrangin Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
2016 – O Tempo Dos Sonhos: Arte Aborígene Contemporânea da Austrália, Caixa Cultural, São Paulo, Brazil
2016 – Utopia Sisters – The Petyarre Women, Delmore Gallery / RedSea Gallery, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
2016 – Cooee Art at Australian Galleries, Australian Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2015 – Art Paris Art Fair, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2015 – Vibrations: Au Cœur de l’Art Aborigène, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob / Acabas Gallery, Paris, France
2014 – Art Élysées, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2014 – Parcours des Mondes, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2013 – Parcours des Mondes, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2013 – Art Élysées, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2013 – Art d’Australie, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob / Barclays, Paris, France
2012 – Parcours des Mondes, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2012 – Art Élysées, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2012 – Art Gent, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Ghent, Belgium
2012 – Paris Art Fair, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2011 – Pavillon des Arts et du Design, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2011 – Art Élysées, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2011 – Galerie AROA & Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
2011 – Art d’Australie, Art Images / Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Limoges, France
2010 – Parcours des Mondes, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2010 – Art Élysées, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2010 – Ripples in the Water – Lines in the Sand, Cooee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2010 – Desert Art: Collection 2010, Gadfly Gallery, Perth, WA, Australia
2010 – Desert Country, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia
2010 – Gooch’s Utopia: Collected Works from the Central Desert, Flinders University Touring Exhibition, Macquarie University Art Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2009 – Art Élysées, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2008 – Emily Kngwarreye and Her Legacy, Cooee Aboriginal Art Gallery / Art Front Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2008 – Unearthed: Stories Written in the Land, Cooee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2008 – Black and White, NG Art Gallery / Cooee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2007 – The Petyarre Sisters, Central Art – Aboriginal Art Store, Alice Springs, NT, Australia
2006 – Arts d’Australie 10th Anniversary, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2006 – Christofle Invite l’Australie, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob / Musée Bouilhet-Christofle, Saint-Denis, France
2005 – Aboriginal Dreaming: European Discovery, Australian Embassy, Paris, France
2005 – Découvrir, Rêver, Investir… l’Art Aborigène d’Australie, Australian Embassy, Paris, France
2004 – Explained: A Closer Look at Aboriginal Art, Aboriginal Art Museum, Utrecht, Netherlands
1999 – 15th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award Touring Exhibition, Australia (touring)
1999 – Raiki Wara: Long Cloth from Aboriginal Australia and the Torres Strait, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
1999 – North by North East: Landscape and Ceremonial Paintings from Utopia, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
1999 – South Australia Living Artists Week, Gallerie Australis, Adelaide, SA, Australia
1999 – Utopia: Ancient Cultures / New Forms, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
1999 – My Dreaming, Redrock Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
1998 – Raiki Wara, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
1998 – Our Country – Then and Now, Gallerie Australis, Adelaide, SA, Australia
1998 – Ladies of Utopia, Chapman Gallery, Canberra, ACT, Australia
1998 – Expanse: Aboriginalities, Spatialities and the Politics of Ecstasy, University of South Australia Art Museum, Adelaide, SA, Australia
1998 – 15th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia
1998 – Belonging to Mother Earth: Indigenous Wisdom and Healing Conference, Virginia Beach, VA, USA
1998 – The Rodney Gooch Collection, Riddoch Regional Art Gallery, Mount Gambier, SA, Australia
1998 – The Seppelt Contemporary Art Award Group Exhibition, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, NSW, Australia
1998 – Utopia Dreamings, Desert Designs / Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, WA, Australia
1997 – 14th National Aboriginal Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia
1997 – Utopia Exhibition (Adjunct to Documenta), Kassel, Germany
1997 – Fireworks Gallery, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
1997 – Dreampower: Art of Contemporary Aboriginal Australia, Museum Puri Lukisan, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
1997 – Dreamings from the Home of the Mountain Devil Lizard, Cooee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
1997 – Mountain Lizard Dreaming, Desert Designs / Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, WA, Australia
1997 – Recent Acquisitions, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
1997 – John McCaughey Memorial Art Prize, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
1997 – Songlines Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands
1996 – Third National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Commission Art Award, Old Parliament House, Canberra, ACT, Australia
1996 – 14th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia
1996 – Artists from Ngukurr, Haasts Bluff and Utopia, Gallerie Australis, Adelaide, SA, Australia
1996 – Dreamings of the Desert, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia
1995 – 12th National Aboriginal Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia
1995 – Utopia – A Picture Story, Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst, Aachen, Germany
1994 – Utopia Mixed Exhibition – Festival of Arts, Gallerie Australis, Adelaide, SA, Australia
1994 – The Evolving Dreamtime: Contemporary Art by Indigenous Australians from the Kelton Foundation Collection, Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, CA, USA
1993 – Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
1993 – Contemporary Art from the Robert Holmes à Court Collection, Moree Plains Art Gallery, Moree, NSW, Australia
1990 – Utopia – A Picture Story, Holmes à Court Collection (touring exhibition), Ireland and Scotland
1990 – Contemporary Aboriginal Art from the Robert Holmes à Court Collection, Harvard University / University of Minnesota / Lake Oswego Centre for the Arts, USA
1989 – Utopia Women’s Paintings: The First Works on Canvas, S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
1989 – Utopia Women, Coventry Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
1984 – The First National Aboriginal Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia
2025 – Utopia Showcase, Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2025 – Eternal Signs: Indigenous Australian Art from the Kaplan & Levi Collection, Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, NV, USA
2024 – Utopia in Colours, Fondation Burkhardt-Felder Arts et Culture, Môtiers, Switzerland
2024 – Indigenous Masterworks, Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2023 – Utopia in Colours, Musée de l’Art Aborigène Australien, Fondation Burkhardt-Felder Arts et Culture, Môtiers, Switzerland
2023 – Tracing the Country: Living Landscapes from the Central and Western Deserts, Cooee Art, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2022 – Nations 2022, Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia
2022 – Significant 2022, D’Lan Contemporary, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2022 – Utopia in Detail, Cooee Art Gallery, Redfern, NSW, Australia
2021 – My Land, My Dreaming, Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, NV, USA
2021 – Private Collection | Private View: One Collector’s Passion & Soul, Cooee Art, Redfern, NSW, Australia
2021 – Voyage Across Aboriginal Australia – Founders’ Favourites, Fondation Burkhardt-Felder Arts et Culture, Môtiers, Switzerland
2020 – Innovative Australian Women, Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2020 – Pointillism Perfection, Art Mob, Hobart, TAS, Australia
2019 – International Women’s Day, Kate Owen Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2019 – Significant, D’Lan Contemporary, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2017 – The Golden Age of Utopia, Aboriginal Signature Estrangin Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
2016 – O Tempo Dos Sonhos: Arte Aborígene Contemporânea da Austrália, Caixa Cultural, São Paulo, Brazil
2016 – Utopia Sisters – The Petyarre Women, Delmore Gallery / RedSea Gallery, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
2016 – Cooee Art at Australian Galleries, Australian Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2015 – Art Paris Art Fair, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2015 – Vibrations: Au Cœur de l’Art Aborigène, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob / Acabas Gallery, Paris, France
2014 – Art Élysées, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2014 – Parcours des Mondes, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2013 – Parcours des Mondes, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2013 – Art Élysées, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2013 – Art d’Australie, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob / Barclays, Paris, France
2012 – Parcours des Mondes, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2012 – Art Élysées, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2012 – Art Gent, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Ghent, Belgium
2012 – Paris Art Fair, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2011 – Pavillon des Arts et du Design, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2011 – Art Élysées, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2011 – Galerie AROA & Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
2011 – Art d’Australie, Art Images / Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Limoges, France
2010 – Parcours des Mondes, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2010 – Art Élysées, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2010 – Ripples in the Water – Lines in the Sand, Cooee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2010 – Desert Art: Collection 2010, Gadfly Gallery, Perth, WA, Australia
2010 – Desert Country, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia
2010 – Gooch’s Utopia: Collected Works from the Central Desert, Flinders University Touring Exhibition, Macquarie University Art Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2009 – Art Élysées, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2008 – Emily Kngwarreye and Her Legacy, Cooee Aboriginal Art Gallery / Art Front Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2008 – Unearthed: Stories Written in the Land, Cooee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2008 – Black and White, NG Art Gallery / Cooee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
2007 – The Petyarre Sisters, Central Art – Aboriginal Art Store, Alice Springs, NT, Australia
2006 – Arts d’Australie 10th Anniversary, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob, Paris, France
2006 – Christofle Invite l’Australie, Arts d’Australie, Stéphane Jacob / Musée Bouilhet-Christofle, Saint-Denis, France
2005 – Aboriginal Dreaming: European Discovery, Australian Embassy, Paris, France
2005 – Découvrir, Rêver, Investir… l’Art Aborigène d’Australie, Australian Embassy, Paris, France
2004 – Explained: A Closer Look at Aboriginal Art, Aboriginal Art Museum, Utrecht, Netherlands
1999 – 15th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award Touring Exhibition, Australia (touring)
1999 – Raiki Wara: Long Cloth from Aboriginal Australia and the Torres Strait, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
1999 – North by North East: Landscape and Ceremonial Paintings from Utopia, Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
1999 – South Australia Living Artists Week, Gallerie Australis, Adelaide, SA, Australia
1999 – Utopia: Ancient Cultures / New Forms, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
1999 – My Dreaming, Redrock Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
1998 – Raiki Wara, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
1998 – Our Country – Then and Now, Gallerie Australis, Adelaide, SA, Australia
1998 – Ladies of Utopia, Chapman Gallery, Canberra, ACT, Australia
1998 – Expanse: Aboriginalities, Spatialities and the Politics of Ecstasy, University of South Australia Art Museum, Adelaide, SA, Australia
1998 – 15th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia
1998 – Belonging to Mother Earth: Indigenous Wisdom and Healing Conference, Virginia Beach, VA, USA
1998 – The Rodney Gooch Collection, Riddoch Regional Art Gallery, Mount Gambier, SA, Australia
1998 – The Seppelt Contemporary Art Award Group Exhibition, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, NSW, Australia
1998 – Utopia Dreamings, Desert Designs / Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, WA, Australia
1997 – 14th National Aboriginal Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia
1997 – Utopia Exhibition (Adjunct to Documenta), Kassel, Germany
1997 – Fireworks Gallery, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
1997 – Dreampower: Art of Contemporary Aboriginal Australia, Museum Puri Lukisan, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
1997 – Dreamings from the Home of the Mountain Devil Lizard, Cooee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
1997 – Mountain Lizard Dreaming, Desert Designs / Japingka Gallery, Fremantle, WA, Australia
1997 – Recent Acquisitions, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
1997 – John McCaughey Memorial Art Prize, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
1997 – Songlines Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands
1996 – Third National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Commission Art Award, Old Parliament House, Canberra, ACT, Australia
1996 – 14th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia
1996 – Artists from Ngukurr, Haasts Bluff and Utopia, Gallerie Australis, Adelaide, SA, Australia
1996 – Dreamings of the Desert, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia
1995 – 12th National Aboriginal Art Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia
1995 – Utopia – A Picture Story, Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst, Aachen, Germany
1994 – Utopia Mixed Exhibition – Festival of Arts, Gallerie Australis, Adelaide, SA, Australia
1994 – The Evolving Dreamtime: Contemporary Art by Indigenous Australians from the Kelton Foundation Collection, Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, CA, USA
1993 – Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
1993 – Contemporary Art from the Robert Holmes à Court Collection, Moree Plains Art Gallery, Moree, NSW, Australia
1990 – Utopia – A Picture Story, Holmes à Court Collection (touring exhibition), Ireland and Scotland
1990 – Contemporary Aboriginal Art from the Robert Holmes à Court Collection, Harvard University / University of Minnesota / Lake Oswego Centre for the Arts, USA
1989 – Utopia Women’s Paintings: The First Works on Canvas, S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
1989 – Utopia Women, Coventry Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
1984 – The First National Aboriginal Art Award Exhibition, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia
Collections
Aboriginal Art Museum, Utrecht, Netherlands
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia
ATSIC Collection, Adelaide, SA, Australia
British Museum, London, UK
Edith Cowan University Art Collection, Perth, WA, Australia
Flinders University Art Museum, Adelaide, SA, Australia
John W. Kluge Collection, Charlottesville, VA, USA
Kelton Foundation Collection, California, USA
Kerry Stokes Collection, Perth, WA, Australia
Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, Charlottesville, VA, USA
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, USA
Musée des Arts d’Afrique et d’Océanie, Paris, France
Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle de Lyon, Lyon, France
Museum de Lyon, Lyon, France
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia
Museum Puri Lukisan, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
National Museum of Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia
Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Riddoch Regional Art Gallery, Mount Gambier, SA, Australia
The Holmes à Court Collection, Perth, WA, Australia
University of South Australia Art Museum, Adelaide, SA, Australia
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia
ATSIC Collection, Adelaide, SA, Australia
British Museum, London, UK
Edith Cowan University Art Collection, Perth, WA, Australia
Flinders University Art Museum, Adelaide, SA, Australia
John W. Kluge Collection, Charlottesville, VA, USA
Kelton Foundation Collection, California, USA
Kerry Stokes Collection, Perth, WA, Australia
Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, Charlottesville, VA, USA
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, USA
Musée des Arts d’Afrique et d’Océanie, Paris, France
Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle de Lyon, Lyon, France
Museum de Lyon, Lyon, France
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT, Australia
Museum Puri Lukisan, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
National Museum of Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia
Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Riddoch Regional Art Gallery, Mount Gambier, SA, Australia
The Holmes à Court Collection, Perth, WA, Australia
University of South Australia Art Museum, Adelaide, SA, Australia
Market Analysis
Despite achieving significant recognition, including winning the Telstra Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, the secondary market for Kathleen Petyarre’s work remained subdued for several years following the controversy surrounding her 1998 award. While prices in the primary market continued to rise through the late 1990s, collectors were generally reluctant to offer major works at auction until the early 2000s. A reassessment of her career began following her retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in 2001, and the majority of her strongest auction results have been achieved since 2003.
During the late 1990s and early 2000s, prices for her paintings increased steadily in the primary market, particularly for works from the Mountain Devil Lizard Dreaming series. By the mid 2000s, paintings measuring around 122 x 122 cm were selling for approximately $25,000, with larger works commanding substantially higher prices. In 2008 several large rectangular compositions were produced for an exhibition in Melbourne and were quickly acquired by collectors at prices approaching $100,000.
At auction, the majority of Petyarre’s works fall within the 91 x 91 cm and 122 x 122 cm formats, reflecting the sizes most frequently produced during her career. Results vary considerably depending on quality, provenance and period. Works created during the mid to late 1990s, particularly those with provenance from her primary representative galleries such as Gallerie Australis or Delmore Gallery, have consistently achieved the strongest prices.
Her auction record was established in 2009 when Mountain Devil Lizard Dreaming (2008), a large painting measuring 184 x 245 cm, sold for $96,000. This result brought the secondary market more closely into line with the prices achieved for her best works through the primary market.
As with many artists who produced a large body of work, provenance and execution remain key determinants of value. Important paintings from the 1990s, particularly those with strong gallery provenance and clear exhibition history, continue to attract the greatest interest from collectors. These works demonstrate the extraordinary delicacy and complexity that define Petyarre’s finest paintings and ensure her lasting reputation as one of the most significant artists to emerge from the Utopia movement.
During the late 1990s and early 2000s, prices for her paintings increased steadily in the primary market, particularly for works from the Mountain Devil Lizard Dreaming series. By the mid 2000s, paintings measuring around 122 x 122 cm were selling for approximately $25,000, with larger works commanding substantially higher prices. In 2008 several large rectangular compositions were produced for an exhibition in Melbourne and were quickly acquired by collectors at prices approaching $100,000.
At auction, the majority of Petyarre’s works fall within the 91 x 91 cm and 122 x 122 cm formats, reflecting the sizes most frequently produced during her career. Results vary considerably depending on quality, provenance and period. Works created during the mid to late 1990s, particularly those with provenance from her primary representative galleries such as Gallerie Australis or Delmore Gallery, have consistently achieved the strongest prices.
Her auction record was established in 2009 when Mountain Devil Lizard Dreaming (2008), a large painting measuring 184 x 245 cm, sold for $96,000. This result brought the secondary market more closely into line with the prices achieved for her best works through the primary market.
As with many artists who produced a large body of work, provenance and execution remain key determinants of value. Important paintings from the 1990s, particularly those with strong gallery provenance and clear exhibition history, continue to attract the greatest interest from collectors. These works demonstrate the extraordinary delicacy and complexity that define Petyarre’s finest paintings and ensure her lasting reputation as one of the most significant artists to emerge from the Utopia movement.
