Gloria Petyarre
Gloria Petyarre was a celebrated Anmatyerre artist from the Utopia region in the Northern Territory of Australia. Born at Atnangkere, north-east of Alice Springs, she belonged to one of the most artistically significant families in Indigenous Australian art-niece of the renowned Emily Kame Kngwarreye and sister to artists Kathleen and Ada Bird Petyarre.
Gloria began her artistic career in batik in the late 1970s as part of the Utopia Women's Batik Group. Her transition to painting on canvas in the late 1980s quickly revealed a distinctive and powerful visual language. She is best known for her iconic "Bush Medicine Leaf" series, characterized by rhythmic, sweeping brushstrokes that convey the movement of leaves blown by the wind-celebrating the healing properties of native plants and her deep cultural knowledge.
In 1999, Gloria Petyarre became the first Indigenous Australian woman to win the prestigious Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Her work has been exhibited extensively in Australia and internationally, and is held in major collections including the National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of New South Wales, and the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.
Her paintings are highly sought after for their elegance, energy, and cultural depth-offering both aesthetic beauty and a profound connection to Country and tradition.
