ARTIST PROFILE  

Barney Campbell Tjakamarra

c.1928 – 2007

Barney was born, c 1928, in the desert near Warburton, Western Australia.  A respected Pintupi Elder, Barney once lead a traditional life travelling around his country. He painted with the best, even prior to the emergence of the Papunya painting era.
 
His country centres around the area of the Macdonald Ranges, including many salt lakes and wells to the east and west of Kintore. The traditional sacred sites of the area are the content of his artworks. His favoured theme was the Tingari cycle from the Macdonald Ranges to Tjukurla, which he depicted in a variety of strong patterns.
 
Barney resided in Alice Springs until his death in early 2007, fulfilling his role as an ambassador for his people both with the spoken word and through his highly acclaimed and symbolic paintings.
 
Selected Collections
- Victorian Art Centre, Melbourne
- Anthropology Art Museum, Perth
- Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
- National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
- Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
- Artbank, Sydney
- Holmes a Court Collection, Perth

Selected Bibliography
- Johnson, V., 1994, The Dictionary of Western Desert Artists, Craftsman House, East - Roseville, New South Wales. (C)
Aboriginal Artists, dictionary of biographies by Janusz B. Kreczmanski and Margo Birnberg. (C)