Previous image preload Next image preload
Back to catalog
Lot 1
image_0 image_1 image_2 image_3 image_4 image_5 image_6 image_7 image_8
Attributed to Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula, (c.1925 – 2001), Water Dreaming (Tjikarri), c.1989, synthetic polymer paint on Belgian linen
Attributed to Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula, (c.1925 – 2001), Water Dreaming (Tjikarri), c.1989, synthetic polymer paint on Belgian linen
image_0 image_1 image_2 image_3 image_4 image_5 image_6 image_7 image_8
Description:

Attributed to Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula
(c.1925 – 2001)
Water Dreaming (Tjikarri), c.1989
synthetic polymer paint on Belgian linen
Where desert rain becomes light: a masterful late Water Dreaming on an epic scale.

Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula rose to prominence in the early 1970s with his celebrated depictions of Kalipinypa, painted in the aftermath of heavy rains that transformed the desert landscape. Geoffrey Bardon described these works as possessing a "tremulous illusion." They marked the breakthrough of Papunya painting, when the expressive potential of acrylic on board and canvas was first realised. These early paintings secured Warangkula's place as a leading figure of the movement, shaping its trajectory for decades and ensuring his position in the canon of Australian art.

By the late 1980s, Warangkula produced several monumental canvases for Papunya Tula and for private dealers. Works that appeared on the market include Rain Dreaming Site of Kalipinpa (100 x 200 cm), a version of Tjikari (183 x 122 cm, 1985), another Rain Dreaming (100 x 200 cm, 1986), and an untitled canvas relating to events at the Tjikari soakage (121.5 x 213 cm, 1988). Compared to those examples, this panoramic painting carries a greater narrative force: while the earlier late-1980s works often relied on bold coloured grounds, here the surface achieves a richer visual depth.

The background recalls some of Warangkula's finest early- and mid-1970s boards – an effect that might initially seem almost too good to be true. Yet the hallmarks of his hand are undeniable: the loose, assured brushwork; the seemingly casual but deeply controlled composition; the dense rhythm of dotting. The refined passages of dotwork suggest the involvement of his wife, Gladys Yawintji Napanangka, herself a Papunya Tula painter whose large-scale canvases featured at World Expo '88 in Brisbane. Far from complicating authorship, such collaboration reflects the kinship model central to Papunya Tula, sustaining the production of major canvases through the late 1980s. Gladys' hand enriches the surface, amplifying its shimmering vitality.

Compositionally, the work fuses the energy of Warangkula's early 1970s boards with the speckled, overlapping dot technique of his later canvases. Concentric roundels mark waterholes and ceremonial sites; ancestral tracks weave across the surface; fields of luminous dots evoke desert light after rain. At this scale, the composition channels the elemental drama of storm and water – motifs that defined Warangkula's identity as both ceremonial rainmaker and artistic innovator. As Vivien Johnson has written, "Family is artistic destiny in the Western Desert" – a truth borne out in this collaboration between Johnny, Gladys, and possibly other family members.

The verso bears two inscriptions – "Johnny W 89" and "Johnny W Aug '89" – in the hand of Rodney Gooch, the influential Utopia art adviser whose pivotal role in bringing Papunya and Utopia artists to international attention is well documented. Gooch's involvement anchors the provenance, further supported by a Mulga Bore Certificate of Authenticity (stock number Aug 93–9) and financial records from Mary Reid Brunstrom's Austral Gallery in St. Louis, including the original invoice. From there, the painting entered the private collection of Terence J. Gilbert in Albany, New York, where it has remained for over three decades.

Its international profile was confirmed in May 1998, when Architectural Digest (Vol. 55, No. 5) devoted its Arts section to "Aboriginal Dream Paintings." Several galleries worldwide were invited to submit what they considered their strongest examples of Aboriginal art. The editors selected this work as the lead painting, reproducing it across a two-page spread. Its secure provenance, long-term ownership, and prominent exposure in one of the world's most prestigious design publications enhance both its rarity and appeal.

As part of our due diligence, we sought the opinions of leading specialists with first-hand knowledge of Warangkula and the Papunya movement. Their responses were consistently affirmative, describing the painting as "magnificent" and "brilliant," and recognising in it a fusion of the vitality of his early boards with the monumentality of his late canvases. One senior artist-scholar praised it as "a fantastic painting… a brilliant synthesis of the 1970s and 1980s." Another confirmed without hesitation: "This is Johnny's work, with all his characteristic quirks and idiosyncrasies."

While the evidence strongly supports Warangkula's direct hand in the painting, certain details invite caution. Some specialists have observed that the date, c.1989, sits uneasily with his style from that period, and that aspects of the iconography – particularly the continuous animal tracks, thought to represent mala (rufous hare-wallaby) – appear uncharacteristic of his usual treatment. According to Gilbert, former Sotheby's specialist Tim Klingender described the painting as "magnificent" after seeing it reproduced in Architectural Digest around 2000, noting two comparable canvases in private collections but also raising concerns about Warangkula's fragile health at the time and the four-year gap in provenance prior to Rodney Gooch's promotion of the work through Austral Gallery in St. Louis. Taken together, these observations complicate the attribution, though they do not outweigh the affirmations of senior artists, scholars, and advisers with direct knowledge of Warangkula's practice. In line with best practice in cataloguing, the work is offered as Attributed to Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula, c.1989.

Comparable works reside in the National Gallery of Victoria, the National Gallery of Australia, and the Art Gallery of Western Australia. Ambitious late-career canvases of this kind seldom reach the market, most remaining in institutional or private hands. The market has consistently valued two bodies of Warangkula's work most highly: the seminal Papunya boards of the early 1970s and the monumental canvases of his late career. This painting belongs firmly in the latter category.

This major work – Water Dreaming (Tjikarri), c.1989 – unites commanding scale, refined execution, and secure provenance linking Rodney Gooch's fieldwork to Austral Gallery's pivotal role in presenting Aboriginal art to American audiences in the 1990s. With its luminous surface, narrative depth, and distinguished ownership, it represents a rare opportunity to acquire a painting of exceptional cultural resonance, artistic mastery, and market rarity.

Adrian Newstead
Kathleen Rose Roberts

  • Provenance: Mulga Bore Artists, Alice Springs, NT, Cat No. AUG93-9 Austral Gallery, St Louis (Mary Reid Brunstrom), Invoice No.756

    Statement on Lot 1: Water Dreaming (Tjikarri), c.1989

    Newstead Art Auctions is in receipt of, and acknowledges, recent comments by Professor Vivien Johnson and Dr John Kean regarding Lot 1 in our forthcoming sale. Both are highly respected scholars, and we have included their views in full within the Provenance and Attribution Brief on this work, which has been available to all interested parties since the sale was posted publicly.

    It is precisely because of these differing expert opinions that the work has been catalogued as Attributed to Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula. Our research brought forward a wide range of views: some cautionary, others strongly affirmative. We believe it is our responsibility to present all of this evidence openly, with no attempt to conceal doubts or exaggerate claims.

    As we outlined in our inaugural manifesto, Newstead Art Auctions relies on connoisseurship and field experience, alongside scholarly debate, in assessing attribution. We respect academic opinion, but we do not believe any single framework or authority should dictate legitimacy.

    The decision to offer the work with the attribution caveat reflects our belief in transparency and scholarly debate. Ultimately, the market and potential buyers will make their own judgment, as they have done with other contested works in art history.

    Whether one views this painting as a masterful late Warangkula, a collaborative work, or as problematic in authorship, there is no denying its cultural resonance, long provenance, beauty, and documented place in the discourse on Aboriginal art. We welcome the debate as part of a respectful and evolving understanding of this period in the history and development of the Aboriginal art movement.

    – Adrian Newstead OAM
  • Dimensions: 93 x 298 cm
  • Medium: synthetic polymer paint on Belgian linen
  • Condition: Buyers Please Note


    This auction is conducted in conjunction with Newstead Art Auctions.
    Theodore Bruce will manage online bidding, registrations, invoicing, and payments, while Newstead Art will handle all onsite logistics, including viewings, collections, and shipping.


    Viewing:

    Onsite viewings will take place in Albany, New York, USA, between 23 and 30 October 2025.
    For more information or to arrange a visit, please contact Adrian Newstead at [email protected].


    Payment & Collection:

    All purchases must be paid within two (2) days of the auction.
    Shipping or collection arrangements must be finalised by 8 November 2025.
    To ensure timely processing, we recommend using the Theodore Bruce 3D Secure online payment system.


    Location of Lots:


    All lots are located in Albany, New York, USA. A representative and a recommended carrier will be available onsite until 8 November 2025. All lots must be collected by this date.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, MasterCard, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

All Lots Are Located In Albany, New York, USA, we have a representative onsite and a recommended carrier available until 8 November, 2025. All Lots MUST collected by that date.

Purchases must be paid for within two days of auction and shipping/collection arrangements need to be finalised no later than 8 November 2025. In order to facilitate this timeframe we recommend using our 3D Secure online payment system.

October 31, 2025 9:00 AM AEDT
Stanmore, Australia

Theodore Bruce Auctioneers & Valuers

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
A$0 A$999 A$50
A$1,000 A$1,999 A$100
A$2,000 A$4,999 A$200
A$5,000 A$9,999 A$500
A$10,000 A$19,999 A$1,000
A$20,000 A$49,999 A$2,000
A$50,000 A$99,999 A$5,000
A$100,000 A$199,999 A$10,000
A$200,000 A$499,999 A$20,000
A$500,000 A$999,999 A$50,000
A$1,000,000 + A$100,000