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https://www.smith-davidson.com
https://www.aasd.com.au/artist/1877-thomas-tjapaltjarri
https://www.masongallery.com.au/thomas-tjapaltjarri
https://www.clarkcollection.org/artists/thomas-tjapaltjarri
https://galleryaustralia.com.au
https://www.artsy.net/artist/thomas-tjapaltjarri/cv
Thomas Tjapaltjarri (born Tamayinya Tjapangati, also often known as Tamlik) was an Australian Aboriginal artist.[3] He and his brothers Warlimpirrnga and Walala have become well known as the Tjapaltjarri Brothers. Tjapaltjarri and his family became known as the last group of Aboriginal Australians to come into contact with modern, European society. They came out of the desert in 1984.
Early life
See also: Pintupi Nine
Tjapaltjarri was born in the desert of Western Australia sometime in the 1960s.<ref name=\”aas1\”/><ref name=\”histoires\”/> others say around 1969.<ref name=\”toohey\”/> This is partly because, traditionally, Aborigines have a different understanding of time; they often guess dates by comparing it to when they think another event occurred.<ref name=\”birnberg\”/>”}},”i”:0}}]}”>[6] He and his family lived a traditional nomadic way of life on the western side of Lake Mackay. They had never come into contact with European society. Most other Pintupi families had been settled in remote towns to the east and west of their traditional country during the 1950s. Tjapaltjarri’s father, Lanti (or “Joshua”), had lived for a short time at the mission in Balgo, but he had run away after getting into trouble for stealing food. It was his decision to stay in the desert, and he kept his family far away from the towns.[1]
Tjapaltjarri’s mother was named Nanu. He also had two other mothers, Papunya and Watjunka, who were his father’s secondary wives. He had two younger sisters, Yalti and Yukultji, a younger half-brother Walala, and four other “siblings” (cousins by blood relation). His father died sometime around 1980. The family finally came into contact with outsiders in October 1984, and were settled at Kiwirrkurra. The event was big news at the time, and the family became famously known as “the last nomads”.[1] Tjapaltjarri was diagnosed with epilepsy shortly after this.[7]
Thomas passed away on the 15th of September 2024, in Alice Springs.
Painting
Tjapaltjarri began painting in December 1987, a few years after settling at Kiwirrkurra.[7] His cousin Warlimpirrnga had already made a name for himself as an artist and he encouraged Tjapaltjarri to paint too.[2] Tjapaltjarri and Walala joined the Papunya Tula artists, and they and Warlimpirrnga eventually gained fame internationally as the Tjapaltjarri Brothers.[7] Although he normally painted using Tjapaltjarri as a surname, Tjapaltjarri’s skin name is Tjapangati.
His paintings depict stories from the Pintupi dreaming.[2] They are mostly about places and events in the Tingari cycle (a cycle of myths about the ancestors of the Pintupi). His designs were inspired by those painted on the body during ceremonies. He used acrylic paints on canvas, sticking to earthy colours (black, white and ochres). He painted simple shapes with dotted lines, which is a style that his brothers also use.
He has had paintings shown in many exhibitions around Australia, and also in Switzerland, Germany, France and the United States.[4] His larger paintings sell for at least A$6000 in Alice Springs and A$9500 in galleries in Melbourne and Sydney.[8]
References
<sup about=\”#mwt39\” class=\”mw-ref reference\” rel=\”dc:references\” typeof=\”mw:Extension/ref\” id=\”mwbw\” data-mw='{\”name\”:\”ref\”,\”attrs\”:{\”name\”:\”aas1\”},\”body\”:{\”id\”:\”mw-reference-text-cite_note-aas1-2\”}}’><a href=\”./Thomas_Tjapaltjarri#cite_note-aas1-2\” id=\”mwcA\”><span class=\”mw-reflink-text\” id=\”mwcQ\”><span class=\”cite-bracket\” id=\”mwcg\”>[</span>2<span class=\”cite-bracket\” id=\”mwcw\”>]</span></span></a></sup>\n<sup about=\”#mwt42\” class=\”mw-ref reference\” rel=\”dc:references\” typeof=\”mw:Extension/ref\” id=\”mwdA\” data-mw='{\”name\”:\”ref\”,\”attrs\”:{\”name\”:\”aas2\”},\”body\”:{\”id\”:\”mw-reference-text-cite_note-aas2-3\”}}’><a href=\”./Thomas_Tjapaltjarri#cite_note-aas2-3\” id=\”mwdQ\”><span class=\”mw-reflink-text\” id=\”mwdg\”><span class=\”cite-bracket\” id=\”mwdw\”>[</span>3<span class=\”cite-bracket\” id=\”mweA\”>]</span></span></a></sup>\n<sup about=\”#mwt45\” class=\”mw-ref reference\” rel=\”dc:references\” typeof=\”mw:Extension/ref\” id=\”mweQ\” data-mw='{\”name\”:\”ref\”,\”attrs\”:{\”name\”:\”adlam\”},\”body\”:{\”id\”:\”mw-reference-text-cite_note-adlam-8\”}}’><a href=\”./Thomas_Tjapaltjarri#cite_note-adlam-8\” id=\”mweg\”><span class=\”mw-reflink-text\” id=\”mwew\”><span class=\”cite-bracket\” id=\”mwfA\”>[</span>8<span class=\”cite-bracket\” id=\”mwfQ\”>]</span></span></a></sup>\n<sup about=\”#mwt48\” class=\”mw-ref reference\” rel=\”dc:references\” typeof=\”mw:Extension/ref\” id=\”mwfg\” data-mw='{\”name\”:\”ref\”,\”attrs\”:{\”name\”:\”birnberg\”},\”body\”:{\”id\”:\”mw-reference-text-cite_note-birnberg-5\”}}’><a href=\”./Thomas_Tjapaltjarri#cite_note-birnberg-5\” id=\”mwfw\”><span class=\”mw-reflink-text\” id=\”mwgA\”><span class=\”cite-bracket\” id=\”mwgQ\”>[</span>5<span class=\”cite-bracket\” id=\”mwgg\”>]</span></span></a></sup>\n<sup about=\”#mwt51\” class=\”mw-ref reference\” rel=\”dc:references\” typeof=\”mw:Extension/ref\” id=\”mwgw\” data-mw='{\”name\”:\”ref\”,\”attrs\”:{\”name\”:\”histoires\”},\”body\”:{\”id\”:\”mw-reference-text-cite_note-histoires-4\”}}’><a href=\”./Thomas_Tjapaltjarri#cite_note-histoires-4\” id=\”mwhA\”><span class=\”mw-reflink-text\” id=\”mwhQ\”><span class=\”cite-bracket\” id=\”mwhg\”>[</span>4<span class=\”cite-bracket\” id=\”mwhw\”>]</span></span></a></sup>\n<sup about=\”#mwt54\” class=\”mw-ref reference\” rel=\”dc:references\” typeof=\”mw:Extension/ref\” id=\”mwiA\” data-mw='{\”name\”:\”ref\”,\”attrs\”:{\”name\”:\”johnson\”},\”body\”:{\”id\”:\”mw-reference-text-cite_note-johnson-7\”}}’><a href=\”./Thomas_Tjapaltjarri#cite_note-johnson-7\” id=\”mwiQ\”><span class=\”mw-reflink-text\” id=\”mwig\”><span class=\”cite-bracket\” id=\”mwiw\”>[</span>7<span class=\”cite-bracket\” id=\”mwjA\”>]</span></span></a></sup>\n<sup about=\”#mwt57\” class=\”mw-ref reference\” rel=\”dc:references\” typeof=\”mw:Extension/ref\” id=\”mwjQ\” data-mw='{\”name\”:\”ref\”,\”attrs\”:{\”name\”:\”toohey\”},\”body\”:{\”id\”:\”mw-reference-text-cite_note-toohey-1\”}}’><a href=\”./Thomas_Tjapaltjarri#cite_note-toohey-1\” id=\”mwjg\”><span class=\”mw-reflink-text\” id=\”mwjw\”><span class=\”cite-bracket\” id=\”mwkA\”>[</span>1<span class=\”cite-bracket\” id=\”mwkQ\”>]</span></span></a></sup>\n”}}”>
- Toohey, Paul (4 May 2004). “The Last Nomads” (PDF). The Bulletin. pp. 28–35. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
- “Thomas Tjapaltjarri”. Aboriginal Art Store. Central Art. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
- “The Last Nomads”. Aboriginal Art Store. Central Art. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
- “Thomas Tjapaltjarri”. Histoires Aborigènes. Archived from the original on 28 November 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
- Birnberg, Margo; Janusz Kreczmanski (2004). Aboriginal Artist Dictionary of Biographies: Australian Western, Central Desert and Kimberley Region. Marleston, South Australia: J.B. Publishing. pp. 10–12. ISBN 1-876622-47-4.
- The exact date is not known. Some sources guess about 1964,[2][4] others say around 1969.[1] This is partly because, traditionally, Aborigines have a different understanding of time; they often guess dates by comparing it to when they think another event occurred.[5]
- Johnson, Vivien (2008). Lives of the Papunya Tula Artists. Alice Springs: IAD Press. p. 250.
- Adlam, Nigel (3 February 2007). “Lost tribe happy in modern world”. Herald Sun. Herald & Weekly Times Pty Ltd.
SHORT Biography
Thomas Tjapaltjarri was born around 1964 in the Gibson Desert, Western Australia. Thomas and his family, which includes fellow artists Walimpirrnga, Walala, Yukultji, Yalti and Tjakaria, led a completely nomadic life until they emerged from the desert, coming to Kiwirrkurra in 1984. The event of the family coming in from the desert was a momentous one. They had remained isolated from relatives who had left their desert homelands twenty years earlier. The family group had roamed between waterholes around Lake Mackay, along the border country between Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
The family group consisted of four brothers, three sisters and two mothers. The boys and girls were all in their early-to-late teens, although their exact ages were not known; the mothers were in their late 30s. After making contact and establishing their relationships, the Pintupi nine were invited to come and live at Kiwirrkura. The Pintupi-speaking trackers told them there was plenty of food, and water that came out of pipes. Yardi has said that this concept astounded them.
Three of the brothers – Walimpirrnga, Walala, and Tamlik (now known as ‘Thomas’) went on to gain international recognition in the Aboriginal art world. Thomas paints simple, geometric designs and uses a dotting technique shared with other Pintupi artists such as his brothers, Warlimpirrnga and Walala, and with George Ward Tjungurrayi. Thomas’s works generally explore the stories of the Tingari cycle.
Japingka Gallery has exhibited the work of Thomas Tjapaltjarri over many years including the exhibitions:
2013 Landmarks and Law Grounds: Men of the Desert
2011 Tjapaltjarri Brothers
2004 Travels of the Tingari – New Pintupi Works
2003 Pintupi – Major Works from the Western Desert
A selection of paintings by Thomas Tjapaltjarri is available from Japingka Gallery, where collectors can buy Aboriginal art online with certainty of quality, authenticity and provenance of art works.
Notable Sold Lots
Sold
Mar. 08, 2022
Thomas Tjapaltjarri – Tingari , 2014
Est: $18,000 – $25,000
Sold:$15,000
Thomas Tjapaltjarri first encountered the world outside of his small remnant clan group when he walked out of the desert into Kiwirrkurra as a young man in 1984. A decade later he began painting topographical aerial impressions of his ancestral lands. In this work waves of sand ridges and dunes are depicted by constructing a matrix of parallel meandering lines. These are the same as those incised into traditional ceremonial objects, including hair pins, boomerangs, and shields made by senior artisans amongst desert peoples. The Tingari beings arrived at this site west of Wilkinkarra (Lake Mackay) from the west, travelling beneath the earth’s surface to create the ridges and windswept sandhills that unfold pulsating and radiating across the canvas.Cooee Art
Sold
May. 05, 2026
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI, (c. 1964 – 2024), Tingari Dreaming Cycle 2004, synthetic polymer paint on canvas
Est: $15,000 – $20,000
Sold:$13,000
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI c. 1964 – 2024 Tingari Dreaming Cycle 2004 synthetic polymer paint on canvas In October 1984 a group of seven Pintupi men from Kiwirrkurra went searching for a family they had not seen for years. They found them near the Western Australian border: two widowed mothers, their children and half-siblings, among them a young man of around twenty who had never encountered European society. Thomas Tjapaltjarri and his family became known to the world as the Pintupi Nine, the last people in Australia to make first contact with the outside. His father Lanti had made that choice deliberately, running from Balgo mission years earlier and keeping his family deep in their country on the western side of Lake Mackay. Thomas was born into that life and lived it until the day the seven men walked toward them. He began painting in December 1987, three years after settling at Kiwirrkurra, encouraged by his cousin Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri, who had already begun to attract serious attention. Thomas and his brother Walala joined Papunya Tula Artists, and the three men became known internationally as the Tjapaltjarri Brothers. His designs derive from the body painting applied during Tingari ceremony, rendered in dotted lines of ochre, black and white across large canvases that seem to vibrate with controlled energy. The photographs accompanying this lot document Thomas painting this canvas on the floor at Kintore and standing beside it on completion. At 182 x 152 centimetres it is among the more ambitious works of his middle period. Three panels of densely worked concentric rectangular forms fill the canvas from edge to edge, the dotted lines running with extraordinary consistency across the warm ochre ground, the whole surface held together by a dark upper register of sky or country above. The scale and the sustained attention it required speak to a painter entirely at ease with the demands of large-format work.Theodore Bruce Auctioneers & Valuers
Sold
Jun. 08, 2021
Thomas Tjapaltjarri – Tingari, 2004
Est: $8,000 – $12,000
Sold:$12,000
Cooee Art Indigenous Fine Art Auction “Thomas Tjapaltjarri first encountered the world outside of his small remnant clan group when he walked out of the desert into Kiwirrkurra as a young man in 1984. A decade later he began painting topographical aerial impressions of his ancestral lands. In this work waves of sand ridges and dunes are depicted by constructing a matrix of parallel meandering zigzag lines. These are the same as those incised into traditional ceremonial objects, including hair pins, boomerangs, and shields made by senior artisans amongst desert peoples. The Tingari beings arrived at this site west of Wilkinkarra (Lake Mackay) from the west, travelling beneath the earth’s surface to create the ridges and windswept sandhills that unfold pulsating and radiating across the canvas. ” Contact Cooee Art for more information on this Aboriginal artwork.Cooee Art
Sold
Jun. 05, 2022
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI ” TINGARI”
Est: $9,000 – $12,000
Sold:$4,000
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI Tingari, 2006 Synthetic Polymer Paints on Belgian Linen COMES WITH CERTIFICATEKim’s Auction
Sold
Jun. 23, 2024
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI, (c1964 -), Tingari Cycle, acrylic on linen (ready to hang), 121 x 179 x 3 cm. (47.6 x 70.4 x 1.1 in.)
Est: $3,000 – $5,000
Sold:$2,600
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI (c1964 – ) Tingari Cycle acrylic on linen (ready to hang) Alice Sundown Aboriginal art certificate of authenticityLawsons
Sold
Nov. 20, 2023
Thomas Tjapaltjarri (b. c. 1964) Tingari, 2022
Est: $2,000 – $3,000
Sold:$2,600
acrylic on canvas, Cat. No. KFA223120Shapiro Auctioneers
Sold
Feb. 24, 2021
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI (born c.1964, Pintupi Language Group) Tingari Cycle 2004 synthetic polymer paint on linen
Est: $3,000 – $5,000
Sold:$2,600
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI (born c.1964, Pintupi Language Group) Tingari Cycle 2004 synthetic polymer paint on linen inscribed verso with Australian Contemporary Aborginal Art cat. no. ACAA TT04101 121.5 x 90cm PROVENANCE: Australian Contemporary Aborginal Art, Melbourne (accompanied by a copy of the certificate of authenticity) Private collection, MelbourneLeonard Joel
Sold
Oct. 27, 2019
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI “Tingari”
Est: $3,000 – $4,000
Sold:$2,600
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI “Tingari” Acrylic on linen Painted in 2019. Comes with Certificate of Authenticity. Artwork is stretched and ready to hang. 120cm x 183cmOzbid Auctions
Sold
Sep. 12, 2021
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI “Tingari”
Est: –
Sold:$2,500
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI “Tingari” Acrylic on linen. Painted in 2020. Comes with certificate of authenticity. Artwork is stretched and ready to hang. 104cm x 153cmOzbid Auctions
Sold
Apr. 29, 2021
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI (c1964 – ) – Tingari 200 x 91 cm (stretched and ready to hang)
Est: $2,500 – $3,500
Sold:$2,400
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI (c1964 – ) Tingari acrylic on canvas 200 x 91 cm (stretched and ready to hang) signed verso; certificate of authenticity including signing and progress photosLawsons
Sold
Jul. 27, 2026
TJAPALTJARRI Thomas (Aboriginal c.1964-2024), ‘Tingari,’ 2023., Acrylic on Belgian Linen, 153x102cm
Est: $1,000 – $2,000
Sold:$2,250
TJAPALTJARRI, Thomas (Aboriginal c.1964-2024) ‘Tingari,’ 2023. Accompanied by certificate of authenticity from Mimi Art Gallery, (also inscribed verso), cat #46595. Acrylic on Belgian Linen 153x102cmDavidson Auctions
Sold
Mar. 08, 2020
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI “Tingari” Acrylic on linen.Painted in 2019.Comes with Certificate of Authenticity. Artwork is stretched and ready to hang.119cm x 183cm
Est: –
Sold:$2,250
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI “Tingari” Acrylic on linen.Painted in 2019.Comes with Certificate of Authenticity. Artwork is stretched and ready to hang.119cm x 183cmPottle Auctions
Sold
Jun. 16, 2024
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI Tingari
Est: $2,500 – $4,000
Sold:$2,100
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI “Tingari” Acrylic on belgian linen. Painted in 2023. Comes with Certificate of Authenticity. Artwork is stretched and ready to hang. 104cm x 153cmOzbid Auctions
Sold
Oct. 27, 2024
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI, (c.1964-2024), “Tingari”, Acrylic on linen., 104cm x 153cm
Est: $3,000 – $5,000
Sold:$2,000
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI (c.1964-2024) “Tingari” Acrylic on linen. Painted in 2022. Comes with Certificate of Authenticity. Artwork is stretched and ready to hang.Ozbid Auctions
Sold
May. 19, 2019
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI “Tingari”
Est: $2,500 – $3,500
Sold:$2,000
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI “Tingari” Acrylic on linen. Painted in 2018. Comes with Certificate of Authenticity. Artwork is stretched and ready to hang. 103cm x 186cmOzbid Auctions
Sold
Feb. 27, 2014
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI born 1964 Tingari Dreaming
Est: $2,000 – $3,000
Sold:$1,841
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI born 1964 Tingari Dreaming 2006 synthetic polymer paint on canvas inscribed verso: ABTT 131 RC 200.0 x 150.0 cmLawson~Menzies
Sold
Feb. 27, 2014
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI born 1964 Tingari Dreaming
Est: $2,000 – $3,000
Sold:$1,841
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI born 1964 Tingari Dreaming 2006 synthetic polymer paint on linen inscribed verso: ABTT 131 RC 207.5 x 148.5 cmLawson~Menzies
Sold
Sep. 29, 2014
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI “Tingari” Acrylic on linen
Est: $2,000 – $3,000
Sold:$1,800
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI “Tingari” Acrylic on linen Comes with Certificate of Authenticity GALLERY VALUE AROUND $8,000 Painted 2013 Artwork is ready to hang 111cm x 213cmOzbid Auctions
Sold
Mar. 02, 2026
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI, Australia (Aboriginal) (c1964 – 2024), Tingari, 2020, acrylic on canvas (ready to hang), 103 x 150 x 2 cm. (40.54 x 59.04 x 0.79 in.)
Est: $2,000 – $3,000
Sold:$1,800
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI Australia (Aboriginal), (c1964 – 2024) Tingari, 2020 acrylic on canvas (ready to hang) inscribed verso: Thomas Tjapaltjarri / Tingari / 2020 cat. no: 01/6722 with Mimi Art Gallery Certificate of AuthenticityLawsons
Sold
Aug. 25, 2025
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI, Australia (c1964 – 2024), Tingari, acrylic on linen (ready to hang), 201 x 140 x 3 cm. (79.1 x 55.1 x 1.1 in.)
Est: $2,500 – $3,500
Sold:$1,800
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI Australia, (c1964 – 2024) Tingari acrylic on linen (ready to hang) inscribed verso; cat no. 01630; accompanied by a certificate of authenticityLawsons
Sold
May. 18, 2025
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI, (1964-2024), “Tingari”, Acrylic on linen., 132cm x 132cm
Est: $3,500 – $4,500
Sold:$1,800
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI (1964-2024) “Tingari” Acrylic on linen. Painted in 2023. Comes with Certificate of Authenticity. Artwork is stretched and ready to hang.Ozbid Auctions
Sold
May. 30, 2021
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI “Tingari”
Est: –
Sold:$1,800
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI “Tingari” Acrylic on canvas. Painted in 2020. Comes with Certificate of Authenticity. Artwork is stretched and ready to hang. 92cm x 98cm. Aboriginal ArtOzbid Auctions
Sold
Apr. 21, 2024
THOMAS TJAPALTJARRI (BORN CIRCA 1964), Tingari West of Lake McKay 2004
Est: $1,800 – $2,500
Sold:$1,700
AGOD / EBEScontemporary has the largest collection of EMILY paintings (if you want to own one – contact us – prices range from under $100,000 to over $1m+++; sizes range from small to extra large (we also have a range or Rovers +++; we have the largest collection of Australian indigenous dot paintings, Aboriginal Art – in the world = all for sale. AND because we own our building and commissioned most of the art directly – with the artists = prior to the art centres even existed (you pay no gallery commission; generally 50%; nor do you need to pay the 20% buyers premium – if you were to buy your Emily via an auction house (so contact us if you want to invest : Australian Aboriginal Art : 100,000 years in the making.
February 16, 2026