“Marrapinti”, 2001 by Nancy Ross Nungurrayi 122x61cm Cat 6387NN

This painting, titled “Marrapinti,” 2001 by Nancy Ross Nungurrayi, vibrates with energy, featuring concentric circles and adjoining lines radiating in beautiful yellow and red ochre colours.

Nancy's subject matter often includes body paint designs applied to women's breasts during ceremonies. Her work is renowned for its beautiful fluidity and gestural quality.

Nancy Nungurrayi, a highly respected Western Desert artist, was born in 1935. Until the assimilation period in the mid-to-late '60s, she lived a traditional lifestyle northwest of Kintore with her sister Naata Nungurrayi and extended family at Maya, where she was born, and later at Wala Wala, west of the Kiwirrkura Community.

A finalist in the 2001 Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, Nancy exhibited widely both within Australia and overseas. Her work is represented in many collections, including the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), the Queensland Art Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA), the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA), and the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Nancy passed away in 2009.