Bonham’s Aboriginal Art sale will include My Alalgura, 1991, by Emily Kam Kngawarray (Emily Kame Kngwarreye)(circa 1916-1996). Synthetic polymer paint on linen, diameter: 100.0cm. Estimate: US$ 7,400 – 11,000. Image courtesy of Bonhams

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA –  Aboriginal Art from the Thomas Vroom Collection will be up for sale on September 6, 2015, at Bonhams. Tagged Aboriginal Art: The Thomas Vroom Collection, the auction will include works spanning more than 100 years of continuous collection of art. Recently repatriated, the collection was one of Europe’s largest, most valuable, and significant collections by Aboriginal artists.

Many of the artworks on auction reveal the amazing story of Aboriginal culture. The Aboriginal culture dates back between 60,000 and 80,000. This was when the Aborigines began to settles in Australia. The evidence of that early settlement is everywhere and still visible today. They are in many of the rock art that date back more than 20,000 years. The rock arts show the ethos and philosophy of the early Aborigines.

Using Ochres, the Aborigines documented their presence and everyday activities on rough rock surfaces. Archeologists have been pouring over the lives of the Aborigines and their art since discovery. Using science and carbon dating, they have been able to date remains and findings as far back as 40,000 to 60,000 years after the discoveries of primal campsites.

At the core of Aborigines rock art, are signs and symbols.  Because the Australian Aboriginal People did not have a written language, they used icons and symbols to communicate cultural stories. Those symbols have been passed down through time and become a major part of traditional Aboriginal art. Many contemporary Aboriginal artists are also adapting and appropriating the traditional symbols in their contemporary works. The works in this art sale reflect how traditional and contemporary artists are using those symbols in their works.

Aboriginal Artists

A major highlight of the auction is a rare roundel Anooralya Yam by Emily Kgwarreye, Australia’s most celebrated indigenous artist. The piece has a value between  AU$10,000 – 15,000. It is part of a group of works Vroom bought from Emily Kgwarreye in the 1990s. After discovering Kgwarreye’s work in the early 1990s, Vroom was mesmerized. So, he drove  250km from Alice Springs to the artist’s community of Utopia. Then, he drove to Delmore Downs station to meet the artist. When he eventually arrived, he was overjoyed. Thirty paintings by Emily Kngwarreye dating from her earlier periods to large-scale later works were on offer. The works consisting of Aboriginal dot paintings and Aboriginal art symbols. They reveal the influence of Aboriginal culture on contemporary art. All these works will be on display during the Bonhams art sale.

Emily Kngwarreye is just one of the female Aboriginal artists whose works are in Thomas Vroom’s collection. A major supporter of women’s desert paintings, Thomas Vroom also collected works by women artists. In the collection are works by Kathleen Petyarre, Eubena Nampitjin, Queen Mackenzie, and Ngoia Pollard. The works of late Dorothy Napangati Robinson will feature prominently in this auction. Two of the works in the artist’s retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, will highlight this art auction. They are also prominent in the accompanying catalogue.

ART AUCTION NEWS | READ ALSO:  Western Australian Indigenous Artist Wins Prestigious Art Award

The Thomas Vroom Collection is the result of decades of the expansive Aboriginal art collection. Vroom first came across Australian Indigenous art in New York in 1991 and soon developed a passion for collecting Aboriginal art globally. That passion led to the acquisition of important historical works from groundbreaking auctions, even as he tracked down and directly acquired old collections.

An ardent collector with a discerning eye, Vroom was fascinated by the entire spectrum of Aboriginal art. Therefore, he was always on the lookout for great works. On numerous trips to remote regions and capital cities throughout Australia, Vroom collected traditional aboriginal art and contemporary works. Over the years, the collection has grown to include early artifacts, bark paintings, and ceremonial sculptures. Additionally, there are works from the genesis of the Western Desert and Kimberley painting movements.

Bonhams auction will include important early collections of Aboriginal art from various other collections. They include the Lance Bennett Collection of Western Arnhem Land and the Tiwi Islands. Formed in the 1960s, The Lance Bennett Collection includes rare paintings on bark depicting the sexual exploits of spirit figures. Similar to paintings found in the rock art of the region, these paintings were despised by the missionaries, who discouraged and suppressed their production.

The missionaries were very influential in the shaping of indigenous Aboriginal art. As the only outlet for artist’s production in the 1960s, the missionaries dictated the artistic direction of indigenous art. In spite of the condemnation and effort to stifle creativity, however, artists continued to express their artistic visions. Nadjombolmi is one of the artists that defied the missionaries. She is acknowledged as the greatest painter of rock art in the Kakadu region. Her Bark paintings show the resilience of these women to nurture their own creativity. Bark paintings by

The Thomas Vroom Collection allows a clear insight into many aspects of aboriginal art. Spanning over a decade, it shows the growth of art among Aboriginal artists. The collection formed the cornerstone of the Aboriginal Art Museum in Utrecht, The Netherlands.

What do you think about Aboriginal art and its influence on contemporary art? Join the art conversation: Share your thoughts and comments.

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