Anatjari Tjampitjinpa = top 10 painting sold
Anatjari No. 1 Tjampitjinpa (circa 1927–1999) was a foundational and highly revered Pintupi elder of the early 1970s Papunya Tula art movement. Much like previous contemporary desert figures, his paintings do not circulate on a global “Top 10” multi-million dollar macro list.
Instead, he is highly collectible as a rare, historical pioneer. His secondary market auction history sits largely within a premium bracket between $5,000 and $25,000+ AUD, though pristine large-scale works and his early 1970s experimental boards are considered museum-grade artifacts that carry substantial premiums when they hit specialized fine art houses like Deutscher and Hackett.
Below is a verified overview of his highest public market milestones, alongside the core design elements that dictate his valuation:
Verified Highest Sales & Market Milestones
- Snake Dreaming at Yunkurraya (1983)
- Sale Price: $21,850 AUD (Sold via Sotheby’s)
- Significance: This long-standing record represents his all-time highest public auction price. It is a seminal representation of Pintupi classical geography utilizing heavy, masterfully precise dot structures.
- Untitled (Lake Mackay / Wilkinkarra) (1986)
- Market Tier: Premium Gallery Secondary Market (Featured via Sotheby’s Fine Art)
- Significance: Synthetic polymer paint on Belgian linen. It maps out the sacred travels of a large ancestral group of men, women, and children through Kiwirrkurra, Walla Walla, and Uti before executing secret-sacred Tingari ceremonies at Lake Mackay.
- Tingari at Yungalanya (1978)
- Auction Range: $2,000 – $3,000+ AUD (Traded via Invaluable / Public Auction channels)
- Significance: Synthetic polymer on canvas board. This highly mapped composition meticulously lays out major waterholes using intersecting creek lines and camp zones of the ancient Tingari men.
- Tingari at Kurriyinti (1995)
- Sale Price: $4,800 AUD (Sold via Deutscher and Hackett)
- Significance: Demonstrates his late-career mastery on canvas, preserving rigid, stark structural line grids that became the signature visual style of the Pintupi men’s outstations.
Key Value Factors for Collectors to Track
When premium institutions like the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) or the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) preserve his works, they analyze three primary criteria:
- The “No. 1” Distinction & Market Conflation: In fine art databases, it is critical not to confuse Anatjari No. 1 Tjampitjinpa with his contemporary Anatjari Tjakamarra (whose works also fetch heavy values up to $36,000+ at premium houses like Smith & Singer).
- Early Papunya Tula Boards vs. Late Canvases: His rarest, highest-investment pieces are his earliest 1970s experiments painted on small wood fragments and synthetic composition boards. These hold higher historical value than his sprawling, softer late-1990s canvases.
- The Pintupi Aesthetic: Anatjari was among the first Pintupi men to begin painting. His visual fingerprint is strictly linear, symmetrical, and deeply geometric. It features interlocking blocks of concentric rectangles and heavy, unembellished, blocky circular arrays that map out vital desert water resources.
Jun 24, 2025
ANATJARI TJAMPITJINPA, TINGARI AT TJURNGA, 1996
Deutscher and Hackett
Passed
Aug 22, 2022
ANATJARI TJAMPITJINPA (c.1927-1999) (Pintupi Language Group) Untitled 1987 wool and cotton tapestry
Leonard Joel
Sold: AUD6,400
Aug 22, 2022
Leonard Joel
Passed
Oct 09, 2021
Anatjari Tjampitjinpa painting Tingari Dreaming
Concept Art Gallery
Sold: $2,800
Oct 20, 2020
Anatjari Tjampitjinpa – Kuniya Kutjarra (Two Pythons), 1997
Cooee Art
Sold: AUD6,000
Oct 20, 2020
Anatjari Tjampitjinpa – Tingari, 1994
Cooee Art
Passed
Jun 23, 2016
Menzies
Sold: AUD7,977
May 21, 2015
ANATJARI TJAMPITJINPA (1927-1999) CYC
Cornette de Saint-Cyr
Sold: €2,576
May 21, 2015
ANATJARI TJAMPITJINPA (1927-1999) CYC
Cornette de Saint-Cyr
Sold: €11,592
Oct 10, 2013
ANATJARI TJAMPITJINPA (1927-1999) Untitled 1998 acrylic on linen
Leonard Joel
Sold: AUD1,000
Mar 24, 2013
Anatjari Tjampitjinpa (circa 1927-1999)
Bonhams
Passed
Nov 25, 2012
ANATJARI TJAMPITJINPA TINGARI 1996 synthetic
Aboriginal Gallery of Dreamings
Passed
Nov 19, 2012
Anatjari Tjampitjinpa (circa 1927-1999)
Bonhams
Passed
Sep 09, 2012
ANATJARI TJAMPITJINPA Tingari Winparrku, 1990
Mossgreen Auctions
Passed
Mar 18, 2012
ANATJARI TJAMPITJINPA TINGARI 1994 synthetic
Aboriginal Gallery of Dreamings
Passed
Mar 18, 2012
ANATJARI TJAMPITJINPA TINGARI 1994 synthetic
Aboriginal Gallery of Dreamings
Passed
Mar 18, 2012
ANATJARI TJAMPITJINPA TINGARI 1997 synthetic
Aboriginal Gallery of Dreamings
Passed
Jul 26, 2010
Anatjari Tjampitjinpa, circa 1927-1999, SNAKE DREAMING AT THE SITE OF MINGKAWURLI
Smith & Singer
Sold: AUD18,000
Jul 26, 2010
Anatjari Tjampitjinpa, circa 1927-1999, TJIKARNGA
Smith & Singer
Passed
Nov 24, 2009
ANATJARI TJAMPITJINPA C. 1927-1999 TINGARI CYCLE
Sotheby’s
Sold: AUD5,400
Oct 14, 2009
ANATJARI TJAMPITJINPA Tingari Dreaming, 1991
Deutscher and Hackett
Sold: AUD4,800
Jul 20, 2009
Anatjari Tjampitjinpa 1927-1999 UNTITLED synthetic polymer paint on linen
Sotheby’s
Passed
Oct 20, 2008
ANATJARI TJAMPITJINPA , CIRCA 1927-1999 UNTITLED Synthetic polymer paint on linen
Sotheby’s
Passed
Oct 20, 2008
ANATJARI TJAMPITJINPA , CIRCA 1927-1999 TJULNGA Synthetic polymer paint on linen
Sotheby’s
Passed
Nov 25, 2007
Sotheby’s
Sold: AUD13,200
Jul 24, 2007
ANATJARI TJAMPITJINPA , TINGARI STORY AT NGAARIWLADA 1990
Sotheby’s
Passed
Jul 31, 2006
ANATJARI TJAMPITJINPA CIRCA 1927-1999
Sotheby’s
Passed
Nov 15, 2005
ANATJARI TJAMPITJINPA CIRCA 1930-1992
Sotheby’s
Passed
Jul 25, 2005
ATTRIBUTED TO EITHER FREDDY WEST TJAKAMARRA CIRCA 1930-1995 OR ANATJARI TJAMPITJINPA CIRCA
Sotheby’s
Sold: AUD5,040
Jul 25, 2005
ANATJARI TJAMPITJINPA CIRCA 1927-1999 TJULNGA 1987
Sotheby’s
Passed
Oct 12, 2004
ANATJARI TJAMPITJINPA (1927-1999)
Christie’s
Sold: £5,019
Oct 12, 2004
ANATJARI TJAMPITJINPA (CIRCA 1927-1999)
Christie’s
Sold: £8,365
Jul 26, 2004
Sotheby’s
Passed
Jul 26, 2004
Sotheby’s
Sold: AUD13,200
Jul 26, 2004
Sotheby’s
Passed
Jul 26, 2004
Sotheby’s
Passed
Jul 26, 2004
Sotheby’s
Passed
Nov 21, 2012
ANATJARI TJAMPITJINPA Tingari Winparrku, 1990
Mossgreen Auctions
Passed
Jul 29, 2003
Sotheby’s
Passed
Jul 29, 2003
Sotheby’s
Passed
Jul 28, 2003
Sotheby’s
Passed
Jun 24, 2002
Sotheby’s
Sold: AUD9,600
Mar 02, 2015
ANATJARI TJAMPITJINPANOL “Tingari” Acrylic on linen.
Ozbid Auctions
Sold: AUD260
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