It's fair to say that art experts and private collectors worldwide are becoming more and more excited by the unique cultural significance and contemporary appeal of Australian Aboriginal Art. It has even been described by renowned Australian art critic, Robert Hughes, as being "the world's last great art movement".

Though exhibitions in Asia, the US, Germany, Switzerland and Holland have been well received over recent years, the awareness and recent rise of this movement has so far seemingly flown under the radar in the United Kingdom. This may soon change, with the recent opening of the Jacques Chirac commissioned Musee du quai Branly, in Paris. The museum sits at the foot of the Eiffel Tower and is dedicated to indigenous art from throughout the world, with a large portion of its façade and architecture dedicated to Australian Aboriginal artists.

Australian Aboriginal art may also lay claim to being the oldest living art tradition in the world, with paintings in rock shelters dating back 20,000 years. Much of this historic art relates to stories of the ‘Dreamtime’ - the Creation Period in Aboriginal belief, when important Ancestral Beings formed the land and created the people, plants and animals. These Ancestral Beings (often depicted in the art in human, animal, plant or combined forms) are said to have taught the Aboriginal people their laws and ceremonies.

This more traditional artistic medium eventually took on a modern form, when, in 1971, a visiting art teacher, Geoffrey Bardon, encouraged senior aboriginal elders to paint their ‘Dreamings’ on canvas, to preserve their traditional stories. These stories had previously been drawn on the desert sand, and were now given a more permanent form. Suddenly, a new art movement was born, soon spreading across Central Australia, and eventually achieving international acclaim.

The most famous of the artists to come from this movement is the late Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, with his legendary Warlugulong painting fetching a staggering AUD$2.4 million at a recent Sotheby’s auction.

West-Eleven will be offering a selection of leading aboriginal artists at the Chelsea Art Fair 2008. Ningura Napurrula, in particular, has recently risen in prominence,as one of few Australian Aboriginal artists selected to have their artwork incorporated into the Musee du quai Branly. Ningura’s depiction of her ancestral homeland adorns the ceiling of an entire floor of the museum, forming one of its main attractions.

Artworks are sourced directly from established Aboriginal Art Centres - and in some cases, directly from the artists themselves. This involves visits to remote outback Australian locations, where entry to the land is by invitation only. Robert Norris is working closely with West-Eleven for this event and recently held a major exhibition of his artists in London.

Like many art dealers, Robert began as a collector, but was soon hooked. “I’ve been a collector of contemporary aboriginal art for a few years now, and immediately fell in love with its vibrancy, cultural significance and investment potential. The whole movement has only really taken off in the last 10-15 years, so from my viewpoint, and from an Australian standpoint, you could say that it’s comparable to being alive during the French renaissance period. The styles and contrasts of colours are so appealing, that these works wouldn’t look out of place in any other contemporary art collection.”

The paintings range from being quite small in size to rather large, with the biggest work measuring in at 200cm x 200cm.   

”We specialise in paintings of all sizes, with our stockroom in Australia containing works that measure over three metres in length, so, we’re talking about some pretty significant works!" he exclaims. “All of our artworks are also represented by complete documented and authenticated provenance, which is a must these days.”

The works in this collection are certainly vibrant, but with their seemingly simple form, I was curious to know how rare and collectable they were likely to be.

"These artists are all the originators." says Robert. "They have all had great success with their own particular style of painting or story telling. Because of their success, they now have up-and-coming artists trying to copy their work, but with any art, the greatest appeal always lies with the artists that are first to create, or establish a particular artistic style - whether it be in the use of a brush stroke, or dotting with sticks, or simply the way they interpret their ancestral dreamings and homeland. There is also quite a strict code amongst aboriginal people, where only certain members of families or communities through generations are ‘authorised’, or empowered to tell their ancestors stories. This makes each work even more unique."

It’s hard not to be impressed by the historic evolution and growth of this art movement and the aesthetic appeal of the works that it has produced. Whether they are naturally contemporary in conception, or have been guided that way by art industry people over the years, may be subject to debate. But it is definitely something that is new and exciting, which may just answer the calls of what many in the local and global contemporary art scene have been crying out for.

Sarah Kendall