Charlie Egalie Tjapaltjarri (circa 1938–2002) was an important Warlpiri/Luritja elder and an early pioneer of the Papunya Tula art movement. Guided by masters like Billy Stockman and Johnny Warangkula, he began painting around 1972. However, he was never a highly prolific painter. [1, 2, 3]
Because his surviving body of work is relatively small, Charlie Egalie Tjapaltjarri’s paintings do not feature on a multi-million dollar global “Top 10” list. Instead, his works are valued as scarce, historically significant collectors’ items. His public auction records generally sit between $2,000 and $15,000+ AUD, driven by his status as an early Papunya pioneer. [1, 2, 3]
Below is an overview of his verified highest auction results and the defining features collectors track for his paintings:
Verified Top Auction Sales & Historical Milestones
- Wallaby Dreaming At Tjunti
- Sale Price: $9,409 USD (Approx. $14,000+ AUD, sold in 2013 via Smith & Singer, Melbourne)
- Significance: This stands as the all-time public auction record for a Charlie Egalie Tjapaltjarri artwork. It is a quintessential execution of his detailed, layered storytelling tracking ancestral wallaby travels. [1]
- Kutata (1976)
- Auction Range: $2,500 – $4,500 AUD (Traded via specialized fine art auction houses)
- Significance: This synthetic polymer painting on canvas board is an exceptionally rare piece of mid-1970s Papunya history.
- Provenance: It holds flawless institutional pedigree, carrying a 1976 Papunya Tula Artists certificate signed by historical coordinator Janet Wilson. [1]
- My Country / Budgerigar Dreaming
- Market Value: $4,800+ AUD (Premium retail gallery listings)
- Significance: A larger canvas layout (109 x 174 cm) displaying his signature bird-tracking arrays. His Budgerigar Dreaming compositions are so highly regarded that one was selected as the front cover art for the seminal publication Wildbird Dreaming. [1, 2]
Key Value Indicators for Charlie Egalie
When fine art galleries or auction houses appraise a painting by Charlie Egalie Tjapaltjarri, its value is dictated by three primary factors:
- The 1970s Canvas Board Premium: Because he painted less frequently than other Papunya artists, his early 1970s works executed on small composition boards or early canvas panels are incredibly rare. These early boards are valued far higher as historic artifacts than his late-1990s canvases. [1, 2]
- Iconography of the Landscape: Charlie’s works are highly coded. For example, in his Kutata series, he used paired half-circles to represent seated ancestral women, straight bars for digging sticks, and concentric circles for waterholes. The paint is often layered to represent resource gathering, with white dots mapping witchetty grubs and yellow dots representing desert fruits. [1]
- Official Papunya Tula Cataloging: Because he frequently traveled between Papunya and Mount Liebig, verifying his work requires strict paperwork. A premium valuation requires an official Papunya Tula Artists (PTA) stamp, a clear field collection record (such as early Jinta Desert Art or Dorothy Bennett documentation), or an official stock code on the reverse of the canvas. [1, 2, 3]
If you are evaluating or researching a Charlie Egalie Tjapaltjarri painting, let me know:
- Is there a specific Papunya Tula catalog code or gallery stamp inscribed on the back of the piece?
- Are you checking a rare 1970s board or one of his later 1990s acrylic canvases?
- Would you like me to track down the history of a specific title, such as his Sugar Ant or Bush Fire Dreamings?
Auction records for indigenous Australian artist Charlie Egalie Tjapaltjarri (c. 1938/1940–2002) show a record price of $9,760 USD (approx. $9,409 USD to $9,760 USD) for his 1972 painting Wallaby Dreaming at Tjunti, sold through Sotheby’s. [1, 2]
Recent and Notable Auction Results
- May 5, 2026: Kutata (1976), synthetic polymer paint on canvas board — Theodore Bruce Auctioneers & Valuers (Estimate: $2,500 – $4,500 AUD). [1, 2]
- April 27, 2026: Untitled (1995), acrylic on canvas, 127 x 79 x 2 cm — Lawsons (Estimate: $1,500 – $2,500 AUD). [1]
- January 29, 2026: Untitled (1995) — Leonard Joel (Estimate: $300 – $500 AUD). [1]
- January 22, 2026: Untitled (1995) — Leonard Joel (Estimate: $400 – $600 AUD). [1]
- June 22, 2023: Women in the Early Dreamtime (1974) — Sold via Artnet-tracked auction. [1]
- July 31, 2023: Budgeree Dreaming (c. 1975), acrylic on board — Theodore Bruce Auctioneers & Valuers (Estimate: $2,000 – $3,000 AUD). [1]
- March 28, 2019: Untitled (1989), Warlpiri language group — Menzies Art Brands (Estimate: $4,000 – $6,000 AUD; sold for $3,800 hammer / $4,664 AUD inc. buyer’s premium). [1, 2]
- May 11, 2022: Bushfire Dreaming at Walukulangu (1989), synthetic polymer paint on composition board — Bonhams / Abell Auction (Estimate: $5,000 – $7,000). [1]
- May 28, 2013: Wallaby Dreaming at Tjunti (1972) — Sotheby’s (Record price: $9,760 USD). [1, 2]
Market Overview
- Average Price: Generally ranges between $1,500 and $5,000 AUD for standard board or smaller acrylic works, depending on size, provenance (such as early Papunya Tula collections), and condition.
- Primary Marketplace: Australia (frequently handled by auction houses like Leonard Joel, Theodore Bruce, Lawsons, and Menzies). [1, 2, 3]
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CHARLIE EGALIE TJAPALTJARRI, (1940-2002), “Wallaby Dreaming”, Acrylic on canvas., 127cm x 87cm
Ozbid Auctions
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Lawsons
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