Detail from Rover Thomas - Tjadarung - Rainbow, c. 1985
Art Authentication
My expertise in Aboriginal Art in general and East Kimberley Art and Rover Thomas in particular, arises from-
Graduate Certificate in Art Authentication and PhD examining the oeuvre of Rover Thomas; studies undertaken at the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation (CCMC) at the University of Melbourne (2006- 2013).
For further information, SEE Indigenous Art
I lived in Darwin for a decade (1987-97) and have engaged with Aboriginal Art since 1987.
See: Marketing Aboriginal Art (1988), about Dorothy Bennett and Shirley Collins, dealers in Aboriginal Art, in WOMEN IN FILM AND TELEVISION
Suzanne Spunner interviewing Dorothy Bennett and Shirley Collins at Raintree Gallery, Darwin for ‘Women Today’, NT, April, 1988.
East Kimberly Art Matters (EKAM)
I have created EKAM to support Waringarri Aboriginal Arts and Warmun Art Centre and fees paid for my expert advice and opinion on Kimberley art are directed towards these art centres.
I am supporting both art centres because - Rover Thomas painted for Waringarri in Kununurra although he lived at Turkey Creek/Warmun. Warmun Art Centre was only founded after this death.
My fees are directed to giving to Waringarri or Friends of Warmun:
Click to the logos to go to the art centre websites
Australian Dictionary of Biography - Indigenous
2023
The Australian Dictionary of Biography based at ANU commissioned biographies of Rover Thomas, Queenie McKenzie and Freddie Timms in 2020, and after an extensive editorial process they were were completed and put online in September 2023.
Truth Telling - UMAC
2023
The 2023 University Museums and Collections conference held at the University of Sydney at the Chau Chak Wing Museum in August focused on truth-telling.
“Check your gift horse’s mouth - he may come back to bite you” my paper with Dr Lyndon Ormond- Parker was presented in the session, Stewardship of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Collections and exhibitions.
NATIONAL MUSEUM PROBE $1.2m DONATED PAINTING
2022
Article by Gabriella Coslovich The Australian Financial Review – 11 March 2022, Weekend Edition, News, p.11.
Discusses the donation of a large painting purported to be by Rover Thomas called, Jabanunga (Rainbow Serpent) under the Cultural Gifts Programme (CGP) to the NMA.
Follow Up Articles
A later ‘Saleroom’ article by Gabriella Coslovich based on the original about the forthcoming auction at Deutscher Hackett of a Rover Thomas painting of an owl.
Another article by Tom McIlroy related to the work on the Cultural Gifts Programme and the Rover Thomas donation.
Jabanunga aka Goorialla (Rainbow Serpent)., 1996.
NMA Investigation Feb-Dec 2022
I submitted a Dossier about the painting under Investigation and an accompanying Timeline of the wider context in April.
In December the NMA presented their Report and Gabriella Coslovich commented in an Article in the AFR.
Indigenous ART SUPPORTERS Dinner IN MELBOURNE 2022
I distributed this notice at the Annual Dinner at the NGV for Supporters of Indigenous Art.
Rover Thomas ‘Owl’ (1989)
2022
In 2022, this painting was again offered at Deutscher Hackett and I contributed to the essay with Kim Akerman.
Rover Withdrawn FROM AUCTION 2022
Kimberley Land Council
In 2020 brother and sister, Mabel Juli and Rusty Peters were opposing the unauthorised expansion of a granite mine on Springvale Station. Amidst the battle, Mr Peters died. He had been a great friend to Rover Thomas, and at Waringarri Arts he was Rover’s painting assistant, later Mr Peters became an artist himself. At the request of the Kimberley Land Council, I made a Submission to the Inquiry about Rover Thomas’s connection to the Springvale Story.
Boragu Place, a ‘problematic’ work purported to be by Rover Thomas in 1985 from Hank Ebes Nangara collection.
'Problematic' works set to go under the hammer / Mystery Cases in the art world
2020
Article by Gabriella Coslovich
‘Saleroom’, The Australian Financial Review – 15 October 2020
Discusses provenance issues arising from two early works purported to be by Rover Thomas and a disputed work by Paddy Bedford, another East Kimberley artist.
Baragu Country, a well-provenanced Rover Thomas 1989 painting from Waringarri Arts.
A tale of two kangaroos 2020
Kangaroo (at Barawooban) by Rover Thomas, 1983 photographed by Rimas Riauba, Wungkul Store, Warmun
These two kangaroo paintings are amongst the earliest works created by Rover Thomas at Warmun just after he began painting in 1983. Their likely sequence has only just become apparent.
Fish Hole on the way to Texas Downs by Rover Thomas, 1984.
Lightning Storm at Rosewood, 1991
'Lightning storm at Rosewood Station’ (1991)
2020
Essay on the Rover Thomas painting from Mary Macha, for D’Lan Davidson Contemporary exhibition ‘CROSSINGS’, Oct-Nov. 2020. Discusses the actual subject matter and story, and counters suggestions that it referred to a massacre.
SEE: D’Lan Davidson catalogues for ‘Collecting Indigenous Australian Art- Best Practice”.
Unveiling the Mary Macha Archive
2019
Perth based Mary Macha was the pre-eminent agent and dealer in Rover Thomas’ work. This short article describes the process of and reasons for digitising Mary Macha’s East Kimberley archive for the special issue of - Archives & Manuscripts: Information technologies and Indigenous communities, Edited by Dr Lyndon Ormond- Parker and Professor Aaron Corn.
Mary Macha at Aboriginal Arts & Crafts, Perth.
Mr Timms
2018
Essay written to mark the passing of the artist, a close associate and mate of Rover Thomas.
It functions as a brief but complete biography of the artist and his exhibition history.
Commissioned by Raft Artspace for an exhibition in Sydney.
Blackfella whitefella (1999), National Gallery of Australia
Cover image by Brook Andrew
Three Certificates are not enough Rover Thomas and art centre archives
2017
An essay on why art centre provenance is desirable and a reliable indicator of authenticity, refracted through an examination of some works by Rover Thomas.
in Indigenous Archives: The making and unmaking of Aboriginal Art,
(eds) Darren Jorgensen & Ian McLean, UWAP Scholarly.
Rover Thomas ‘Owl’, 1989
Rover Thomas ‘Owl’ (1989)
Nov. 2017
A brief but complete exegesis of the criteria for authentic Rover Thomas paintings of owls.
Catalogue essay for Mossgreen Auctions.
Waringarri Aboriginal Arts : Rethinking practices in conservation documentation through assessing the needs of a community art centre
2013
Although Rover Thomas lived at Warmun/Turkey Creek, he painted for Waringarri Aboriginal Arts in Kununurra.
AICCM Journal, Vol. 34 2013
Jennifer O’Connell, Lyndon Ormond-Parker, Suzanne Spunner and Robyn Sloggett
THE PHONE BOOTH
2013
The original English typescript of the essay which mentions a Rover Thomas painting of a remote telephone box, written with Lyndon Ormond-Parker and published in French and English as ‘The Aboriginal invention of Technology’ in the catalogue for -
Memoires Vives, (exhibition), Musee de l’Aquitaine, Bourdeaux, 2014
PhD - Vindicating Rover Thomas
2012
The Indigenous artist, Rover Thomas (1926-1998) is the pre-eminent artist of the East Kimberley School. His works command record-breaking prices on the auction market, however there is no Catalogue Raisonné and significant issues with the provenance of many works attributed to him. My research has contributed to securing his oeuvre. In my thesis I have developed a model of art authentication based on the verification principle and identified three periods where the provenance is not secure.
Restricted
Chapter 4 'Methods and Evidence'
from my Phd 'Vindicating Rover Thomas'
2012
I developed a method for rating the provenance of works attributed to Rover Thomas. This chapter outlines my methodology and the theory for anyone wanting to understand provenance rating and what problematic means as applied to an artwork.
Catalogue cover - Venice Biennale 1990
Rover Thomas and Trevor Nickolls
TREVOR NICKOLLS
2010-2012
Urban Aboriginal artist Trevor Nickolls and Rover Thomas were shown together at the 1990 Venice Biennale, and formed a close association.
Book chapter: Neither Dots Nor Bark: Positioning the Urban Artist about Trevor Nickolls and Rover Thomas and the 1990 Venice Biennale, in Chapter 5: Urban Representations: cultural expression, identity, and politics (eds) Sylvia Kleinert & Grace Koch, AIATSIS, 2012.
Trevor Nickolls: An Urban gift
Art Monthly no 236 2010/11 A review of Trevor Nickolls’ last exhibition, Other Side Art curated by Michael O’Ferrall
Pack (2003) by Pam Lofts
Serendipity and Savage Dogs: When did Jack Britten begin painting?
2011
An exegesis about when Gija artist Jack Britten began painting, with implications for dating works by Rover Thomas.
Paper presented at the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation Research day, University of Melbourne
Fake!
2009
Quentin McDermott - Four Corners, June 2009
Includes coverage of the Rover Thomas forgery case in Melbourne. The supporting material cites my commentary in Artlink Sept,2008.
A frank fake by Nat Thomas
Problematic Artworks: My Doctor advised me to take up painting
2008
Artlink Sept 2008
A discussion of the Rover Thomas Forgery case in the County Court of Victoria and a commentary on the artist, Nat Thomas’ commentary on the case.
FIRE FIRE BURNING BRIGHT JOONBA 2002
A letter of support for ‘Fire Fire Burning Bright"‘ in the form of a comparative critique of the theatre performance and the original East Kimberley Joonba, animating the Bedford Downs Massacre.
Eddie Burrup: Never a Borrower or a lender be
2000
Real Time No. 2 2000
A report on the exhibition and seminar series ‘From Appreciation to Appropriation’ with special focus on the scandale, which originated in the East Kimberley in the masquerade by Elizabeth Durack as Eddie Burrup, an Indigenous male artist. It was believed by some people in the Kimberley that an imposter dressed up as Rover Thomas for an exhibition down South. This was not true, it was Elizabeth Durack who dressed up and the artist was Eddie Burrup.
Flinders University Art Museum, City Gallery, Adelaide Festival.
Rusty Peters Photo: Katie Wilson
Two Laws One Big Spirit
2000
Art Monthly Nov. 2000
Review of the series of paintings made at Crocodile Hole in the East Kimberley by Gija artist Rusty Peters and Gadiya artist, Peter Adsett, in response to each other’s work. Rusty Peters was studio assistant at Waringarri Arts under Joel Smoker during the heyday of Rover Thomas.
Kaltja business
1996
Real Time – 1996
Indigenous Art: Culture or Industry? A forum and art project organised in Darwin by Northern Territory University (NTU)School of Art.
The Meeting Place mural was created by 60 senior Indigenous artists including Rover Thomas.
Rover Thomas, 1986. Photo: Martin Van der Wal
ALL-ABOUT ROVER THOMAS:
Drover, Dreamer, Aboriginal Artist.
Cross cultural biography of Rover Thomas and an examination the Aboriginal Art market.
Forthcoming Publication