Nyurapayia Nampitjinpa (Mrs Bennett)

c. 1935 - 2013
Language Group: Pintubi / Pitjantjatjara

Country: Yumari, near Docker River

Nyurapayia Nampitjinpa (Mrs Bennett) (c. 1935–2013) was a Pintupi woman born at Yumara, north of Docker River in Western Australia, who later settled at Kintore. A deeply respected custodian of Western Desert Law, her knowledge and teaching were revered throughout her Country. She was also one of the most remarkable painters to emerge from the Western Desert art movement. In the mid-1990s, she played an instrumental role in the development of the Haasts Bluff/Kintore Women’s Painting Camp, an important moment in the emergence of women’s painting in the region.

Nyurapayia painted her mother's Dreamings, which are connected to sites at Yumarra, Wantjunga Tjalilli rockhole near Papunya, Pukara, Ngalkinginga and Munkara rockholes.  Deeply concerned with women's culture, her designs often depict their specific ceremonies and rituals. The gathering of bush tucker, such as Kampurarrpa (desert raisin) and quandong, are also central to her work.

Nyurapayia is represented in the collections of the Art Gallery of NSW, National Gallery of Australia, Artbank, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory; National Gallery of Victoria, Art Bank, National Museum of Australia, Art Gallery of South Australia, Queensland Art Gallery, Art Gallery of Western Australia and the Homes a Court Collection. Outside Australia, her work is held by the Kelton Foundation, Santa Monica, USA, Donald Kahn Collection USA, Gantner Myer Collection, San Francisco, USA and the Aboriginal Art Museum, The Netherlands as well as private collections in Australia and around the world. 

 CLICK ON EACH IMAGE BELOW FOR PROVENANCE INFORMATION