SELECT WORKS FROM
THE LE PLEY COLLECTION

Barrie and Jude Le Pley collected their first Australian First Nations artworks in the 1980s – two large bark paintings by the prominent Oenpelli artist Mick Kubarku. Since then, their collection has grown out of a sustained interest in the lives of the artists over many years, and closely follows the development of contemporary Australian First Nations art since the early 1970s, focusing on major works by Australia’s most significant artists across thirty Indigenous art centres.

The Le Pleys travelled extensively to remote communities where the most exciting art was being made and supported many notable projects, such as artist residencies, programs for younger artists, returning to Country trips, exhibitions and publications. The following group of works has been selected from this esteemed Western Australian collection, reflecting its dedicated focus on representing significant artists from a broad scope of Australia’s most prominent art centres – Martumili Artists in the East Pilbara, Mangkaja Arts in Fitzroy Crossing, Kayili Artists in the Gibson Desert, Jilamara in the Tiwi Islands, Warmun in the Kimberley region, Balgo, the APY Lands and Papunya Tula Artists in the Western Desert.