Photo: Lannon Harley (ANU)
The Australian National University (ANU) has been given a collection of Aboriginal art estimated to be worth more than $9 million.
The collection includes 124 Western Desert paintings from the personal collection of Canberra lawyer and ANU alumnus Craig Edwards (pictured) and is the most significant single donation of Indigenous art to an Australian university.
Vice-Chancellor of ANU, Professor Brian Schmidt said the collection comprises works by influential Indigenous artists including Nyurapayia Nampitjinpa (also known as Mrs Bennett), Yannima Pikarli, Tommy Watson, Naata Nungurrayi, Tjawina Porter Nampitjinpa, George Tjungurrayi and Queenie McKenzie.
He said the University was thrilled to receive such a significant gift.
“This is an inspirational act of philanthropy on the part of Craig Edwards, and we are delighted that he has chosen ANU to be the custodians of this extraordinary collection,” Professor Schmidt said.
He said Mr Edwards has been an enthusiastic collector of Aboriginal art for more than 30 years and has spent much time in the Western Desert.
“I was captivated by some of the monumental works of the desert artists,” Mr Edwards said.
“I always thought they did their best work on a large scale and it’s fair to say my love affair with the art became something of an obsession.”
He said as his collection grew, he placed some of it on show in Central Australia, hung and rotated works in the offices of his law firm, and loaned works to regional galleries from time to time, but the volume of the collection and lack of resources to show it began to feel overwhelming.
“I’ve had a strong and long connection to the Drill Hall Gallery and ANU and it was an obvious choice to donate here, especially with the high degree of public access it will give,” Mr Edwards said.
“ANU has been good to me; I had a wonderful time doing my degrees at the University and the education I received opened up a lot of opportunities in my life.”
