From the Australian Desert: Contemporary Aboriginal Painting will be on view at The Fred Jones Jr Museum of Art at the University of Oklahoma October 16, 2026-March 14, 2027.
This exhibition is part of the touring exhibition Irriṯitja Kuwarri Tjungu (Past and Present Together): Contemporary Aboriginal Painting from the Australian Desert, the first US exhibition to survey Australia’s most globally recognized Aboriginal art movement, which arose in 1971 at the remote township of Papunya when a small group of Aboriginal men began painting their ancestral designs with acrylic paint on scraps of cardboard, Masonite, and linoleum. From these humble beginnings, a multimillion-dollar industry would emerge, changing the face of contemporary art and creating a powerful voice for Indigenous artists that reverberates into the present.
In 1973 the group founded their own company, Papunya Tula Artists Pty Ltd—the first Aboriginal-owned cooperative in Australia. For the past five decades, Papunya Tula Artists has stood at the forefront of contemporary Aboriginal art, producing some of the most iconic art and artists in Australian history. Today, artists and artworks from Papunya Tula travel the world and the artworks have been included in exhibitions such as Documenta and collected by institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Hood Museum of Art. Inspired by the sweeping ancestral landscape of the Australian desert, the story of Papunya Tula Artists is one of the world’s greatest stories of resilience, self-determination, and the power of art.
From the Australian Desert: Contemporary Aboriginal Painting features 127 works by over 80 artists produced between 1971-2021 and includes masterworks by leading artists such as Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula, Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, Mick Namarari Tjapaltjarri, Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri, Makinti Napanangka, and Yukultji Napangati. A highlight is The Papunya Tula Fiftieth Anniversary Suite, which features 50 works by 50 leading contemporary artists from Papunya Tula and presents an epic picture of the power of community.
Organized by Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia in conjunction with Papunya Tula Artists, the exhibition is the result of a thirty-year association between the two organizations. Kluge-Ruhe is the only museum outside of Australia dedicated to the exhibition and study of Indigenous Australian art.
EXHIBITION DATES: Brigham Young University Museum of Art, Provo, UT: July 18 – December 6, 2025; The Grey Art Museum, New York University, New York, NY: January 22 – April 11, 2026; The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK: October 16, 2026-March 14, 2027.