17

GEORGE TJUNGURRAYI (born circa 1943)
Acrylic on Belgian linen
244 x 183 cm

The lines in this painting depict the sandhills surrounding the claypan site known
as Mamultjulkulnga, on the western side of Lake Mackay. The artist’s father passed
away at this site. After the rain the claypan becomes a freshwater lake. In
mythological times two Tingari Men of the Tjangala and Tjapaltjarri kinship
subsections camped at this site. They gathered seeds known as mungilypa or
samphire from the small fleshy sub-shrub known as Tecticornia verrucosa. These
seeds are ground into a paste that is cooked in the coals to form a type of
unleavened bread. Since events associated with the Tingari Cycle are of a secret
nature no further detail is given.

PROVENANCE
Papunya Tula Artists Pty. Ltd., Alice Springs, painted at Kintore 2003,
Certificate number GT0305034

George was born in the desert in the vacinity of Kiwirrkura circa 1943, and is the
younger brother of Naata Nungurrayi. George walked into Papunya with another
young man along a freshly graded road, after living at Mukula west of Kiwirrkura.
He commenced painting for Papunya Tula Artists in the early 1980’s.

REPRESENTED
National Gallery of Australia
National Gallery of Victoria
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Art Gallery of South Australia
Supreme Court of the Northern Territory, Darwin
Araluen Collection, Alice Springs
Robert Holmes à Court Collection
Musee des Arts d’Afrique et d’Oceanie, Paris
Groninger Museum, The Netherlands