Year Of Birth

1926

Year Of Death

1998

Biography

Rover Thomas is widely regarded as one of Australia's most important indigenous artists, celebrated for his powerful depictions of Country that transformed the language of Australian landscape painting. A senior Kukatja and Wangkajunga man from the East Kimberley, Thomas developed a distinctive visual style characterised by sweeping compositions, rich ochre palettes and bold, simplified forms that evoke the spiritual, cultural and physical presence of the Kimberley landscape. Emerging from the East Kimberley painting movement in the early 1980s, his works draw upon Ngarrangkarni (Dreaming) narratives. Thomas was among the first Indigenous Australian artists to achieve widespread international recognition, representing Australia at the 1990 Venice Biennale and helping to establish Aboriginal painting as a major force within contemporary art. His paintings are held in leading public collections worldwide and are celebrated for their remarkable synthesis of cultural authority and modern abstraction. Combining profound knowledge of Country with a highly original visual language, Rover Thomas redefined the possibilities of contemporary landscape painting and secured his place as one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century.