25 March 2010
The National Museum of Australia exhibition Papunya Painting: Out of the Australian Desert, which showcases the work of Aboriginal artists, will go on display at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing from June until August, 2010.
The Director of the National Museum of Australia, Craddock Morton, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Art Museum of China, putting in place arrangements for reciprocal travelling exhibitions between Australia and the People's Republic of China.
Papunya Painting: Out of the Australian Desert will be part of the Year of Australian Culture in China titled Imagine Australia from June 2010 to June 2011.
The National Art Museum of China (NAMOC) is a national museum dedicated to the collection, research and exhibitions of modern and contemporary artistic works in China. NAMOC is in the centre of Beijing and draws about 2,000 visitors a day.
Papunya Painting: Out of the Australian Desert tells the story of the artists and supporters of the Papunya Tula art movement between 1974 and 1981. The exhibition drew significant crowds to the National Museum of Australia in Canberra when is went on display in 2007- 2008.
'Papunya Painting: Out of the Australian Desert was one of the most popular exhibitions developed and presented by the National Museum and we are delighted that, with the assistance of the Australian Government, the National Art Museum of China will show these remarkable works to a new audience,' said Craddock Morton.
The community of Papunya is located 250 km west of Alice Springs in central Australia. The National Museum of Australia holds one of the most significant collections of 1970's Papunya Tula canvases in the world. The exhibition in Beijing will include 48 artworks and 18 ethnographic objects.
Papunya Painting: Out of the Australian Desert is supported by the Australian Government through the Australia International Cultural Council, an initiative of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
For interviews, images and more information please contact Dennis Grant on (02) 6208 5351, 0409 916 481; Mark Juddery on (02) 6208 5338, 0438 620 710 or media@nma.gov.au.