Clever Men: Harry Tjutjuna, Dickie Minyintiri and Tiger Palpatja

Harry Tjutjuna (c.1930–2019), Dickie Minyintiri (c.1915–2014) and Tiger Palpatja (c.1920–2012) are the most significant Pitjantjatjara artists of their generation; their traditional lands, when combined, spanned the length of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands (APY Lands).

All three men shared parallel lives and experience: they were born in the bush, and all lived a traditional life before moving to Ernabella Mission; they were senior lawmen and respected ngangkari – traditional healers. They all started painting at a late age during the mid-2000s, each developing a unique painterly style, and, at the peak of their careers, their cultural authority was unmatched, except by each other.

It is an honour for D’Lan Contemporary to present this powerful single-owner collection of enormous cultural value and aesthetic beauty.