Dick Nguleingulei - Kumuken - Freshwater Crocodile

Lot description

Dick Nguleingulei Murrumurru lived most of his life on the Liverpool River plateau in West Arnhem Land, where he was born around 1920. He dedicated himself to painting from 1965 until the end of his life. Murrumurru was a versatile, inventive, and eclectic bark painter. His subject matter focused on country animals such as kumoken (freshwater crocodile) and ngarrbek (echidna), which were painted with a hunter’s attuned sense of proportion, anatomy, and personality. He also painted stories and spirits from the stone country, such as the Wardbukarra-wardbukarra from nearby Manmoyi and the Mimih spirits that inhabit the escarpment. His works were included in many major exhibitions, including Keepers of the Secrets at the AGWA in 1990, Dreamings at the Asia Society in New York in 1988, Art of the First Australians in Kobe, Japan in 1986,  Kunwinjku Bim at the NGV in 1984, and The Art of Aboriginal Australia, which toured North America in 1974-76. Kumuken, a totem of the Dhuwa moiety, was the artist's mother's Dreaming. Kumuken the crocodile was the creator of the Liverpool area of Maningrida. After emerging from the earth, Kumuken went to the sea and made the shape of the river with its tail.