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The artwork from Australia really encompasses 2 distinct categories:

• Indigenous (view the Aboriginal art section)
• non-Indigenous (Western based; view examples below).

The paintings and artwork produced by the original inhabitants of Australia (Indigenous or Aboriginal) has really only made its presence felt on the international stage over the last 20 or so years. Prior to that, the work of Aboriginal artists was either than done within their homelands in outback (or country) Australia for their own use in ritual or family ceremonies or artwork influenced by European artists coming into the centre of the country (the red heart) either as missionaries or school teachers. An example is Albert Namatjira and the Hermannsberg school of artists based at the Mission in the Northern Territory.

From the late 1970s there emerged a new school of Indigenous art, that of traditional Aboriginal dreamings (stories and beliefs) being depicted in a Western/European medium, such as acrylic paint on canvas. These works have captured the imagination of people the world over and are immediately identifiable as "Australian". The most well known and respected of these artists have produced works that often sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars and have sold for more than $2 million.

Non-Indigenous Australian art is as diverse as its Indigenous counterpart. Australian artists are well known from Melbourne to London to New York to Beijing. The major artists regularly command prices over the million dollar mark and are responsible for not only depicting the unique landscape of Australia, but for interpreting trends and influences that were developed overseas. Arguably, Australia has more internationally recognised artists per head of population than any country on earth!

 

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