Clan

Gumatj

Artist Dates

c.1945-2021

Nyapanyapa Yunupiŋu

Nyapanyapa Yunupiŋu was one of Australia’s most acclaimed contemporary artists. She rose to prominence for her paintings that departed from sacred elements characteristic of Yolŋu art. Hailing from a powerful Yolŋu family, Nyapanyapa is the daughter of the statesman and artist Mungurruway Yunupiŋu and is the younger sister of artist Gulumbu Yunupiŋu. Her works are held in every major public collection in Australia. In 2016 she was featured in the Sydney Biennale, and the Bangarra Dance Theatre performed a work inspired by her life. In 2020, the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory in Darwin held a retrospective of her work, and in 2021, she was awarded the Wynne Prize, one of Australia’s most prestigious landscape painting prizes.