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paint. Whilst on this expedition, which lasted two months, Battarbee provided Namatjira with the only training he
ever received.
Battarbee and Namatjira returned to the mission, where Battarbee began giving classes in art, under the guise of
the Arunta School of Watercolourists. Pastor Albrecht was only too willing to assist, and did not hesitate to obtain
supplies of paint and equipment for use by the school.
Namatjira’s paintings were well accepted by the Australian public; Pastor Albrecht sold six out of the
10 paintings he took to a seminar in Adelaide, and shortly after that, an exhibition of some more of Namatjira’s
work was held there, many of them being sold. By the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, Namatjira’s
popularity as an artist had outstripped that of his only tutor, Battarbee.
During the Second World War the German origins of the mission staff led military intelligence to regard them,
wrongly, with suspicion and to recommend their removal. Battarbee solved the problem by volunteering to act as
liaison officer to the Hermannsburg Mission. During this period, he formed an advisory council to guide Namatjira
in the sale of his paintings, which were escalating in popularity and value—fetching high prices. The wartime
shortage of painting materials did not deter the artists; they used smoothed slices of beanwood. These paintings
became more valuable, because of their more natural appearance, and the use of traditional materials on which to
paint (in Namatjira’s case) met with wide acclaim.
In 1951 Battarbee formed the Arunta Arts Council. This effectively superseded the mission’s role in the
management of the art of the Arunta tribe, or of the artists, although the Council remained at the Hermannsburg
Mission. In the same year, Battarbee’s book Modern Australian Aboriginal Art was published. Battarbee also held
his first exhibition of Aboriginal art at his home in Alice Springs, which he bought because ‘my love for this land
has become so much a part of my life’. That exhibition was of the art of thirteen Aborigines, including work by
Namatjira and his three eldest sons.
As Namatjira became more and more popular, Battarbee faded into the background, although the styles of
the artists are arguably very similar. He is now remembered more for his work with Namatjira than for his own
accomplishments as an artist.
Rex Battarbee died in Alice Springs on 3 September 1973. A son and daughter survived him. His wife died
about two years before him. He is buried at the Alice Springs Memorial Cemetery and is commemorated by
Battarbee Street in Alice Springs.
N Amadio, Albert Namatjira—The Life and Work of an Australian Painter, 1986; R Battarbee, Modern Australian Aboriginal Art, 1951;
R Berndt & E Phillips, The Australian Aboriginal Heritage, 1973; Adelaide Advertiser, 4 September 1973; Northern Territory News, 3 &
4 September 1973.
DUNCAN McCONNEL, Vol 1.
BAUDIN, NICOLAS-THOMAS (1756–1803), French hydrographer, was born on an island at Saint-Martin de Re
on 17 February 1756, son of Francois and of Dame Suzanne Guillotze. His father was a merchant and later chandler
to the Cordovan lighthouse at the mouth of the Gironde. Very little is known of his early life until, at the age of 21,
he appears among the troops of the French East India Company. Apparently disillusioned, he returned to France at
public expense. He subsequently tried a naval career at the beginning of the American revolutionary war but was
relieved of his command by an intrigue of officiers rouges (nobles), Baudin being of lower social standing.
It was an age when the military profession lent itself to internationalism and Baudin joined the Austrian navy
in the service of Emperor Joseph II, brother of Marie-Antoinette. In 1786 and 1789 Baudin led two successful
scientific expeditions as far as the Indian Ocean and the Pacific collecting botanical specimens for the collection
at Schonbrunn Palace.
In 1792 France declared war on Hungary and Bohemia. On hearing the news, Baudin made haste to rejoin the
French service, anticipating promotional possibilities. However, he was disappointed and achieved nothing but the
right to sail free of French intervention. In 1793 he sailed around the Cape of Good Hope and later stated he had
been off the coast of New Holland when two consecutive hurricanes had forced him to withdraw.
Unaware that hostilities had erupted between France and England, Baudin put into the port of Bombay and was
received with hostility by the English. He continued to the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, the Cape and finally, after a
shipwreck, appeared in the United States. He arrived back in France in 1795 via Trinidad, having supposedly acted
as a French agent.
On his return to France, Baudin sought to enhance his reputation with the authorities. He suggested organising
raids on the commerce of the English East Indiamen, but this was rejected. However, his second proposal, which
was to have a great influence on his life, was more acceptable. It seems that, on the strength of his previous
voyages, albeit with foreign powers, he had acquired friends and patrons at the Institut National. With the backing
of these learned men he secured from a reluctant government, the command of a botanical expedition to the West
Indies. Following the success of this trip Baudin broached the idea of the Voyage aux Terres Australes. He turned to
the Institut National and, with the influence again of his patrons, use of a certain charm and tact, and the enthusiasm
of Napoleon, Baudin was successful.
The aims of the voyage were to determine precisely the geographical position of the principal points along the
coastline they would travel and to chart them exactly; also to study the inhabitants, animals and natural products
of the countries in which they would land. Baudin sailed from Le Havre in Geographe in 1800 accompanied by
a consort, Naturaliste. Baudin’s dogmatic character was soon evident; after they sailed round the Cape of Good
Hope, Baudin persisted in keeping close to the African coastline, against the advice of his naval crew, thus missing
the favourable winds. This dogmatic approach allowed Flinders to reach the Australian coastline before him,