Summary

Painted by renowned indigenous artist Jimmy Pike (c.1940-2002), a Walmajarri man who grew up in a semi-nomadic family group in the Great Sandy Desert. Young Jimmy Pike was named after the famous jockey, who rode the legendary race horse Phar Lap in the 1930s, by a European working in the pastoral industry. Born well after Phar Lap's death, Jimmy knew little of the jockey and Phar Lap until later in life when he took an interest in them. He painted this image of Phar lap in 2000, shortly before his death.

According to the AIATSIS website, "In the 1980s, Pike's innovative use of bold bright colours stood in contrast to the dominant forms of Aboriginal art of the time; the ochre toned bark and canvas paintings from Arnhem Land and Central Australia. Pike was also a trailblazer in the promotion of his art internationally. His imagery licensed to Desert Designs, became a fashion sensation not only in Australia but also in Japan, America and Europe."

Description of Content

Small rectangular unframed acrylic painting of Phar Lap against a background of the Kimberley Ranges.

Physical Description

Rectangular piece of artist board, with an acrylic artwork painted on one side.

Significance

This artwork was painted by renowned artist Jimmy Pike, (c.1940-2002), a Walmajarri man who grew up in a semi-nomadic family group in the Great Sandy Desert. When young, Jimmy Pike was named after the legendary jockey, who rode Phar Lap to 27 wins, by a European working in the pastoral industry.

Born well after Phar Lap's death, Jimmy knew little of the jockey and of Phar Lap until the later years of his life, when he took a great interest in them both. He painted this interpretation of the Phar Lap legend in a naïve style, shortly before his death, placing the horse against the landscape of his Western Australian home in the Kimberleys.

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