Harry Tjutjuna (c.1930–2019), Dickie Minyintiri (c.1915–2014) and Tiger Palpatja (c.1920–2012) are the most significant Pitjantjatjara artists of their generation; their traditional lands, when combined, spanned the length of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands (APY Lands).
All three men shared parallel lives and experience: they were born in the bush, and all lived a traditional life before moving to Ernabella Mission; they were senior lawmen and respected ngangkari – traditional healers. They all started painting at a late age during the mid-2000s, each developing a unique painterly style, and, at the peak of their careers, their cultural authority was unmatched, except by each other.
It is an honour for D’Lan Contemporary to present Clever Men: Harry Tjutjuna, Dickie Minyintiri and Tiger Palpatja, a powerful single-owner collection of enormous cultural value and aesthetic beauty.