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NADPUR, FRED WATERS: see WATERS NADPURNAMATJIRA, ALBERT KNGWARRAYE (1902–1959), bush worker and artist, was born at Hermannsburg
Lutheran Mission in Central Australia to Namatjira and Lijutka of the Aranda people on 28 July 1901. His parents
converted to Christianity and took the names Jonathon and Emelia. At Christmas 1905, at the age of three,
the child was baptised Albert by Reverend Carl Strehlow. For more than 30 years, Albert was known by that
name alone until he took Namatjira (which means ‘flying ant’) as a surname. He was educated at the mission and
initiated into the Aranda. After he finished school, he worked at the station and was considered a good blacksmith,
carpenter, shearer and stockman. He travelled with the ‘Afghan’ camel teams between Oodnadatta and the stations
up north.
When Albert was about 17, he married Ilkalita, daughter of Wapity and Mambata of the Loritja. Although
tribal law did not initially sanction this marriage Albert and his wife, who was baptised Rubina, were Christians
and eventually the marriage gained acceptance within the Aboriginal community. Albert and Rubina were to have
nine children together although three of them predeceased Albert. Sons Enos, Oscar and Ewald all achieved fame
as painters.
In 1934 two watercolourists, Rex Battarbee and John Gardner held an exhibition of their work in Hermannsburg.
Upon seeing their work, Albert expressed a desire to paint and Pastor Albrecht bought him some watercolour
paints and encouraged him but he found the technique difficult. Albrecht believed that it was better for Namatjira to
work in the western style as he felt Aboriginal crafts had only a limited market. Albert concentrated on craftwork,
burning designs in wood with heated wire. His most famous piece was a poker worked boomerang made in
1935 depicting the installation of the water pipeline from Kaporilja Springs to the mission. Battarbee returned to
Hermannsburg in 1936 and for eight weeks taught Albert watercolour techniques. This was the only instruction
Albert received. Battarbee continued to support Albert and in 1937 included three of Albert’s works in an exhibition
of his own paintings in Adelaide. In the same year, Pastor Albrecht took a collection to the Lutheran Conference in
South Australia where six were sold.
At the end of 1938 Albert Namatjira, as he now signed his paintings, held his first solo exhibition at the Fine
Arts Society Gallery in Melbourne. The 40 watercolours were priced between one and six Guineas and sold out
almost immediately. The following year he held his second solo exhibition at the Royal Art Society’s Gallery in
Adelaide, which again sold out. The National Gallery of South Australia purchased ‘Haasts Bluff (Ulumbaura)’
for its collection. Namatjira did not exhibit during the war years in 1939 to 1944 owing to shortages of materials.
In 1944 the success of the Melbourne exhibition at the Mural Hall of the Myer Emporium showed he was a
national figure and could sell everything he painted. In this year also C P Mountford’s The Art of Albert Namatjira
was published by the Melbourne Bread and Cheese Club. In 1946, Namatjira exhibited again in Adelaide and was
again a sell out. During this year, Mountford made his film of the life and work of Namatjira. In 1947, Namatjira
successfully exhibited in Alice Springs and Brisbane.
Despite his success in the art world, some of the problems that were to eventually consume Namatjira became
apparent at this time. The western diet, high in meat protein and saturated fat, gave Namatjira a weight problem
and angina. Vic Hall recalls seeing Namatjira eat a ‘pound of butter’ (half a kilogram) at a meal. At the same time,
the Australian government demanded tax from Namatjira’s not inconsiderable earnings, despite the fact that he did
not hold citizenship and that his money was spent in support of his large family. At this time, Namatjira did not
control the sales and exhibition of his work. Initially it was handled by the mission and then later by the Aranda
Arts Council under the chairmanship of Rex Battarbee. The council was an attempt to regulate the sale of paintings
and stop the plethora of Namatjira forgeries flooding the market by authorising ‘official’ Namatjira works.
Nonetheless, in 1948 Namatjira held his third successful Melbourne exhibition. With the capital, he applied
for a Northern Territory grazing lease. It was rejected although Namatjira travelled to Darwin with Bill Harney
to appeal against the decision in 1949. In 1950 Namatjira held a successful exhibition at Anthony Hordern’s
Gallery of Fine Art in Sydney and with the proceeds he and Rubina purchased a caravan to use on painting
excursions. In 1951 Namatjira decided to purchase land in Alice Springs and build a house. This step was opposed
by the Native Affairs Branch and a meeting of the ‘Arunta’ Arts Council, which suggested that by such a move
Namatjira’s painting would suffer and leave him prey to ‘unscrupulous whites’ and ‘a retinue of not-so-desirable
tribal friends and relations’.
Disappointed by his inability to purchase and build in Alice Springs, Namatjira camped at Morris Soak just
out of town but returned to Hermannsburg. Despite the difficulties throughout 1952, he continued to paint and
exhibit both solo and with other Aranda artists in Sydney, Adelaide and Alice Springs. In 1953, he attempted to
visit Western Australia but as a non-citizen, he needed permission before travelling out of the Territory and the
visit did not proceed.
In 1953, Namatjira was awarded the Queen’s Coronation Medal and was invited the following year to Canberra
to be presented to the Queen. It was decided that his first flight out of Alice Springs would include visits to Sydney,
Melbourne and Adelaide. Although the presentation and tour were considered a success, Namatjira found life as a
celebrity tiring and he was on duty to the public for most of the time. He did not return to the southern capitals until
two years later in 1956 when he and his son Keith went to Sydney to collect a gift of a new truck donated by Ampol.
Namatjira was presented the truck by the ‘King’ of radio, Jack Davey, and sat for painter William Dargie, who