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Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri
Creating monumental Western Desert paintings, including Warlugulong.
Warlugulong · Warlugulong
- Born
- c. 1932
- Birthplace
- Central Australia
- Died
- 21 June 2002
More people
Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri
Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri was an Anmatyerr artist and a major figure in the Papunya painting movement.
Early life
Country
Grew up with knowledge of ancestral places and stories in Central Australia.
Working life
Worked as a stockman and made wood carvings before concentrating on painting.
Career
- 1970s
Papunya painting
Joined the artists developing acrylic paintings at Papunya.
- 1980s
Cooperative leadership
Served as chairman of Papunya Tula Artists.
- 1988
London exhibition
Had a solo exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Arts.
Selected work
Warlugulong
Worked with Tim Leura Tjapaltjarri on a major painting.
Warlugulong
Created the monumental canvas later acquired by the National Gallery of Australia.
Man’s Love Story
Mapped ancestral narratives across a large painted field.
Beyond work
Artistic family
Worked alongside his brother Tim Leura Tjapaltjarri.
Cultural knowledge
His paintings communicated relationships between ancestral narratives and particular places.
Sources & photo credit
Biography and career ↗Further source ↗Photo: Image reproduced in the linked biographical source. Copyright retained by the credited rights holder · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.