Kudditji Kngwarreye, known as "Goob", was an Australian Aboriginal artist from the Utopia community in the Northern Territory.
20 Facts About Kudditji Kngwarreye
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Kudditji Kngwarreye was the brother through kinship of the late Emily Kame Kngwarreye.
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Kudditji Kngwarreye had a traditional bush upbringing and worked as a stockman and mine worker.
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Kudditji Kngwarreye was a traditional custodian of many important Dreamings of the land, and men's business ceremonial sites located in his country at Utopia Station.
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Kudditji Kngwarreye witnessed the success of Albert Namatjira, and experienced the 1967 referendum.
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Kudditji Kngwarreye started painting around 1986 and continued painting until 2015.
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Kudditji Kngwarreye participated in many international exhibitions and became known for depictions of his Dreamings; their abstract imagery, bold colour use, and intuitive interplay with space and form has cemented his name in the Aboriginal art scene.
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In 2006, Kudditji Kngwarreye was named as one of the top 50 most collectible artists in Australia by Art Collector magazine.
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Kudditji Kngwarreye continued to paint until 2015 when illness prevented him from painting any longer.
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An exhibition of some of these artists' work, organised by CAAMA, called "A Summer Project", where Kudditji Kngwarreye's work received immediate attention from critics.
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However, after witnessing the success of Utopian artist Emily Kame Kudditji Kngwarreye, who catapulted onto the Australian and International Art scene using a technique similar to his, Kudditji Kngwarreye resumed his exploration of the abstract.
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From early 2003, Kudditji Kngwarreye began to experiment with paint to eradicate the pointillist style altogether and use a heavily loaded paint brush to sweep broadly across the canvas in stages, similar to the western landscape plane.
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Kudditji Kngwarreye has been represented in major exhibitions and has gained worldwide recognition for his traditional depictions of his dreamings.
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For international collectors of contemporary art, Kudditji Kngwarreye quickly became an obvious addition.
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Whilst many international visitors compared him to the great American abstract impressionist, Mark Rothko, Kudditji Kngwarreye was totally unaware of any similarities.
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Kudditji Kngwarreye was just painting his country, his Dreamings, his way.
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Kudditji Kngwarreye painted the country he longed to see again, and, at least in that moment of singing and painting, he returned to his country, if only in his heart and mind.
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Artists around the world were inspired by the work of Kudditji Kngwarreye, including Melbourne-based painter Vincent Fantauzzo.
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Fantauzzo has commented on the sense of urgency he felt to complete his portrait, when in 2015 Kudditji Kngwarreye fell ill and there were fears he may not recover.
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In 2006, Kudditji Kngwarreye was named as one of the top 50 most collectible artists in Australia by Art Collector magazine.