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Lenie Namatjira

Lenie Namatjira
Photo by Jess Beelitz

Skin name: Nungarayi
Language: Western Arrente
Date of birth: 24-Dec-51
From: Raggatt's Well
Current home: Alice Springs

Lenie is Albert Namatjira’s granddaughter, daughter to Oscar Namatjira. After an absence form Hermannsburg to attend mission school and complete three years service in the Army Labor gang, Oscar returned to his family at Hermannsburg mission and took up painting like his father. For a period of twelve months Oscar became Albert’s truck driver, driving Albert and his supplies to different painting locations. Oscar learnt paint from his father and became skilled practitioner in his own right.

Oscar raised a large family, with Lenie being one of ten children. Lenie and her siblings (Euphrene, Reginald, Saleen, Wallace, Albert Jnr, Marcia, Donald, Rosabelle, Gwenda and Bessie) were all raised at Hermannsburg. Lenie paints in the tradition of her father and grandfather. Her watercolour paintings focus on the landscape west of Hermannsburg. Many of her paintings are drawn from childhood memories of her country.

Lenie is also known by her married name ‘Lankin’ and in the past has spelt her name Lennie, with a double ‘n’.

Exhibition:

  • 2004 Desert Mob Exhibition, Araluen Galleries, Alice Springs
  • 2005 Affordable Art Show, Melbourne, Courtesy Alcaston Gallery
  • 2005 Art Sydney 05  Fox Studios Sydney , Courtesy Alcaston Gallery
  • 2005 Desert Mob Exhibition, Araluen Galleries, Alice Springs
  • 2006 Watercolour exhibition, Araluen Galleries, Alice Springs
  • 2006 Desert Mob Exhibition, Araluen Galleries, Alice Springs
  • 2007 Advocate Art Award, Araluen Galleries, Alice Springs
  • 2007 Divas of the Desert, Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs
  • 2007 Desert Mob Exhibition, Araluen Galleries, Alice Springs
  • 2008 Indigenart, Subiaco WA
  • 2008 The Namatjira circle-landscapes of Central Australia, Birrung Gallery, Sydney NSW
  • 2008 Desert Mob Exhibition, Araluen Galleries, Alice Springs
  • 2008 CCAE, A New Beginning Exhibition, Darwin NT
  • 2009 Real to Surreal, Scenes from the Centre: Journey with the new Generation of Hermannsburg watercolour artists, Tandanya Adelaide, SA
  • 2009 Beyond Batterby, Recent Watercolour by Central Australian Artists, Hobart Tasmania
  • 2009 The Watercolourists of Central Australia, Indigenart, Melbourne Vic
  • 2010 Telstra Art award finalist
  • 2011 Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne VIC
  • 2011 Chapman Gallery, Canberra
  • 2012 Damian Minton Gallery, Sydney, NSW
  • 2012 Regional Art Gallery, Burnie, TAS
  • 2012 Art Mob, Launceston, TAS
  • 2012 Art Mob, Hobart, TAS
  • 2012 Frankston Arts Centre, Frankston, VIC
  • 2012 Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide, SA
  • 2012 Talapi Gallery, Alice Springs, NT
  • 2012 Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Townsville, NT

Collections:

  • National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
  • 2009 art gallery of NSW

Publications: