Biography

Born at Tjiturrunya, west of Muyinga over the Western Australian border, Ronnie Tjampitjinpa’s family moved around the country and the area around Wilkinkarra in the Northern Territory. Ronnie was

initiated at Winparrku in the Northern Territory. His family walked to Haasts Bluff in December 1956 from the Dovers Hills/Yumari area due to the severe drought affecting the region. Here Ronnie began working as a stockman before the family moved to the newly established settlement at Papunya, where he worked at fencing cattle yards.
One of the youngest artists, Ronnie began painting in 1971 with the founding group of Papunya painters, and became an important influence on the outstation movement. Ronnie moved to Walungurru with his family after it was established in 1981. In the early 1980’s, Ronnie painted intermittently for Papunya Tula Artists; however, by the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, his distinctive graphic style attracted considerable attention. In these later works, his delicate, dotted Tingari designs have been transformed into bands of colour to dazzling optical effect. He has exhibited widely both within Australia and overseas. Ronnie won the Alice Prize in September 1988 with the painting Tingari Story at Nwirmiminya, 1988. He has held several solo exhibitions, beginning with an exhibition at Gallery Gabrielle Pizze in 1989. Exhibitions include Australian Perspecta 1993, ‘Dreamings of the Desert’ (1996) and ‘Twenty-five Years and Beyond’ (1999).

Source: Papunya Tula: Genesis and Genius, Art Gallery of NSW, 2000

Ronnies painting’s are now on exhibition at the Art gallery of NSW.

http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/ronnie-tjampitjinpa/

Collections:
National Gallery of Australia,
Canberra, Araluen Arts Centre,
Alice Springs, Art Gallery of SA,
Holmes`a Court,
Art Gallery of WA,
Art Gallery of NSW
Museums & Art Galleries of NT,
Darwin Supreme Court,
Musee National des Africans et Oceaniens, Paris,
Kluge Collection, Virginia, USA
Michael Hollow collection
Museum of Fone Arts, San Francisco, USA
Kahn Collection, USA