Albert Namatjira’s ghost gums …
Renowned Central Australian artists and Albert Namatjira’s grandchildren Lenie Namatjira and Kevin Namatjira attended an exhibition celebrating Australian art in London tonight.
At a reception at the Royal Academy of Arts, London Lenie and Kevin met Their Royal Highnesses, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall.
Whilst on tour in London with Big hART’s Namatjira production Lenie Namatjira and Kevin Namatjira, grandchildren of international renowned Aboriginal watercolour painter Albert Namatjira, were invited to attend a viewing of the Australia exhibition with The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.
Two paintings by Albert Namatjira are hanging in the Australia exhibition; Gum Tree and Sandhill, (c.1938) and Love’s Creek, MacDonnell Ranges, (c.1948)
Having learnt from their fathers Oscar and Maurice Namatjira and grandfather Albert Namatjira, Lenie and Kevin are established and widely exhibited watercolour artists in their own right. They were thrilled to have met The Prince of Wales and Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Cornwall especially given that His Royal Highness is an avid watercolour artist.
The attendance by the Namatjira grandchildren at the prestigious Royal Academy of Arts was an invaluable opportunity to raise the profile of the Hermannsburg School watercolour movement for the contemporary practicing artists, from the Central Australian Desert. The Namatjiras were honoured to take their rightful place and voice in the international visual arts canon.
Kevin and Lenie Namatjira are in London to perform in a play Namatjira developed with social change arts company Big hART which tells the story of their grandfather, renowned artist Albert Namatjira.
Last week the cousins attended an audience with Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness, the Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace to see watercolours by their grandfather Albert Namatjira from the Royal Collection.
As well as the stage production Big hART partnered with Palya Arts and Ngurratjuta Many Hands Art Centre – who are based in Alice Springs and represent the watercolour artists – to present the Living Watercolours exhibition in the Queen Elizabeth Hall foyer alongside the Namatjira stage production last week.
The exhibition was opened by Kathy Lette and Geoffrey Robertson QC and attracted huge interest, selling all of Lenie and Kevin’s paintings and most of the works in the exhibition.
Iris Bendor from Ngurratjuta Many Hands Arts Centre, Alice Springs said;
People were taken by the strong vibrant colours which are so different to European watercolours and the public were very enthusiastic to discover this arts movement.
This exhibition was a big step for Ngurratjura Many Hands Art Centre who are now assured that there is a strong global market for artwork from the Hermannsburg School, which confirms for us the value in continuing to invest in these artists.
Lenie and Kevin return home to Alice Springs this weekend.
Links:
Namatjira stage production Southbank Centre http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/big-hart-78632
Living Watercolours Exhibition Southbank Centre http://palya.com.au/living-watercolours/
Australia Exhibition Royal Academy of the Arts http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/australia/
Ngurratjuta Many Hands Arts Centre
http://ngurart.com.au/
Namatjira project http://namatjira.bighart.org/
Big hART http://bighart.org/
Big hART http://bighart.org/
