Elea was born in the desert in Arrernte country, Central Australia, in 1902. Two years later he was baptised Albert. Thirty one years after that, at his first solo exhibition of watercolour landscapes, he signed his work with his father’s surname for the first time: Albert Namatjira.
Half a century after his death, Company B Belvoir and Big hART have invited some of his descendants – third generation watercolour artists – to spend six weeks filling the Belvoir St corner with a huge drawing of Namatjira’s country. Each night as they draw, the charismatic Trevor Jamieson will retell Namatjira’s extraordinary life.
At the height of his fame, Albert Namatjira’s shows sold out within minutes. If you didn’t own one of his paintings you probably had a print in your loungeroom. He also supported over six hundred members of his community, lost two of his ten children to malnutrition, was forbidden to own land, imprisoned for having a drink with his friends, and died a broken man.
Trevor Jamieson and Scott Rankin were two of the creative forces behind Ngapartji Ngapartji in 2008. They’ve teamed up with our own powerhouse Wayne Blair to create this whole-hearted tribute to a great Australian artist and a great Arrernte man.
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