Who was Rover Thomas?
Rover Thomas was a Kukatja and Wangkajunga artist from the Kimberley region of Western Australia, known for bold ochre paintings of country and a founding figure of the East Kimberley painting movement.
Born around 1926 in the Great Sandy Desert, Thomas worked as a stockman on cattle stations for many years. He later lived at Warmun (Turkey Creek) in the East Kimberley.
In the mid-1970s, after the death of a relative, he received the Krill Krill ceremony in a series of dreams. Paintings on boards carried in the ceremony marked the beginning of his work as an artist.
Painting with ochre
Thomas used natural ochres and pigments to paint simple, powerful shapes of hills, rivers and roads, often telling stories of history, including massacres and Cyclone Tracy.
In 1990, Thomas and Trevor Nickolls were the first Aboriginal artists to represent Australia at the Venice Biennale.
He died in 1998, but his influence remains strong. Warmun Art Centre continues to support artists working in the East Kimberley ochre style, and other East Kimberley painters, such as Queenie McKenzie and Paddy Bedford, became well known in their own right.
Rover Thomas's works are held by the National Gallery of Australia and other major galleries, and his paintings have achieved high prices at auction, reflecting his place among Australia's most important artists.
Did You Know?
Thomas's painting All That Big Rain Coming from Topside became one of the most famous Kimberley works.