aboriginal artist: Bobby West Tjupurrula

View all artwork by Bobby West Tjupurrula.

Bobby West Tjupurrula is the son of Freddy West Tjupurrula, one of the original shareholders of Papunya Tula Artist. He was born at the rockhole site of Tjamu Tjamu, which is east of Kiwirrkura, around 1958. Bobby’s family was met by Jeremy Long’s welfare patrol in 1963. At the time his family was camping at Willi rockholes, slightly east of Kintore. Bobby appears with his family in the book ‘The Lizard Eaters’ by Douglas Lockwood, which documents the 1963 patrol. He commenced painting for Papunya Tula Artists in the late 1980’s. In 1999 Bobby contributed to the Kiwirrkura men’s painting as part of the Western Desert Dialysis Appeal.

In 2011 Bobby was awarded the General Painting Award at the 28th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award.

Bobby’s artwork is highly sought after by collectors worldwide. He has exhibited broadly throughout the world, and his artworks are held in numerous public and private collections.