Paddy Jaminji Value and Auction results
Works Offered at Auction: 98
Sale Rate: 64%
Highest Sale: $140,000 AUD
Median Sale Price: $15,000 AUD
For Paddy Jaminji’s biography, relationship with Rover Thomas, role in the Kurirr-Kurirr ceremony, painting style and importance in the emergence of East Kimberley art, see the main Paddy Jaminji Aboriginal artist page.
This page focuses specifically on Paddy Jaminji painting values and auction results. His works are comparatively rare at auction, with the strongest prices generally achieved by important early ochre paintings from the late 1970s and 1980s. Kurirr-Kurirr ceremonial works, paintings of Bedford Downs Country and culturally significant subjects such as Tawurr, the ancestral “half-one” kangaroo, are particularly important within his market.
Large paintings with strong early provenance can command substantially higher prices than smaller boards and less significant examples. Provenance connected with early collectors and dealers such as Mary Macha can also be important.
The auction records below document individual works, dates, dimensions, provenance, estimates and sale information. Auction catalogues sometimes record the artist under variant spellings including Paddy Jamanji, Jampinji, Jamintji, Tjamintji and Tjamatji.
Paddy Jaminji Value 1978-1980
Moon, Sun and Stars (1978/79)
Size
122 × 122 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments on board
Auction
Lawson~Menzies (now trading as Menzies), Fine Aboriginal Art, Sydney, 31 May 2005, Lot 54
Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist in 1978 by the owner, who was a member of the original Argyle Diamond mine site survey team. Private Collection, Western Australia.
$87,500 AUD
Bedford Station (1979)
Size
40 × 115.2 cm
Medium
Ochre on board
Auction
Art Leven (formerly Cooee Art), First Nations & Australian Fine Art Auction – Featuring the Collection of Dame Marie Bashir AD CVO & Sir Nicholas Shehadie, Sydney, 19 May 2026, Lot 23
Provenance
The artist, painted at Warmun, Western Australia. The Collection of Dame Marie Bashir AD CVO and Sir Nicholas Shehadie AC OBE, Sydney, New South Wales.
Price Realised
$11,000 AUD
Old Tracks to Dreaming Place (1979)
Size
120 × 60 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments on construction ply
Auction
Art Leven (formerly Cooee Art), Aboriginal & Oceanic Art, Sydney, 29 May 2018, Lot 23
Provenance
Purchased at Warmun in 1981, Western Australia. Robin Beesey Collection, Victoria. Thence by descent.
Price Realised
$7,500 AUD
Krill Krill Ceremony Dance Board (Cyclone Tracy) (1979)
Size
40 × 69 cm (irregular)
Medium
Natural earth pigments on construction board
Auction
Art Leven (formerly Cooee Art), Indigenous Fine Art Auction, Sydney, 23 June 2020, Lot 81
Provenance
Neil McLeod, field collected, Kimberley, Western Australia. Burrinja Gallery, Victoria. Private Collection, Tasmania.
Price Realised
$5,500 AUD
Bedford (1979)
Size
60 × 74 cm
Medium
Earth pigments on board
Auction
Deutscher~Menzies, Fine Aboriginal Art and a Collection of New Ireland Malagan Sculptures, Melbourne, 27 June 2000, Lot 81
Provenance
Purchased directly.
Price Realised
$4,600 AUD
Bedford Hills (1979)
Size
40 × 77 cm (irregular)
Medium
Natural earth pigments on construction plywood
Auction
Art Leven (formerly Cooee Art), Aboriginal Works of Art, Sydney, 3 December 2019, Lot 78
Provenance
Neil McLeod, field collected, Kimberley, Western Australia. Burrinja Gallery, Dandenong Ranges, Victoria. Private Collection, Tasmania.
Price Realised
$3,000 AUD
Paddy Jaminji Value 1981-1983
Tunnel Creek Dreaming Place (1981)
Size
60 × 120.5 cm
Medium
Earth pigment on board
Auction
Deutscher~Menzies, 19th and 20th Century Australian & International Paintings, Sculpture and Works on Paper, Melbourne, 20 April 1998, Lot 7
Provenance
Kimberley Art, Melbourne. Private Collection, Melbourne.
Price Realised
$12,000 AUD
Dreaming Place (1982)
Size
213.5 × 91 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments on board
Auction
Art Leven (formerly Cooee Art), Indigenous Fine Art Auction, Sydney, 11 October 2022, Lot 24
Provenance
Neil McLeod Fine Art, Victoria. Private Collection, Victoria. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Neil McLeod Fine Art.
Price Realised
$44,000 AUD
The Spirits, Jimbi and Manginta (pre-1983)
Size
62 × 122 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments and natural binders on plywood
Auction
Sotheby’s, Important Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 24 July 2007, Lot 32
Price Realised
$85,000 AUD
Turkey Creek Junction, Warmun Hole (1983)
Size
71.5 × 111.5 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments and natural binder on composition board
Auction
Sotheby’s, Aboriginal Art, Sydney, 29 July 2003, Lot 163
Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist at Warmun (Turkey Creek), Western Australia, in 1983. Private Collection, Western Australia.
Price Realised
$30,000 AUD
Ngumurli Warra (Cyclone Tracy) (1983)
Size
92 × 92 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments and natural and synthetic binder on plywood
Auction
Sotheby’s, Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 9 July 2001, Lot 5
Provenance
Acquired from Rover Thomas in Darwin after the work was used in a public performance of the Krill-Krill Ceremony on 9 May 1983. Private Collection, Sydney.
Price Realised
$22,000 AUD
Untitled – Bedford Station (c. 1983)
Size
72 × 123 cm
Medium
Ochre pigment on plywood
Auction
Mossgreen Auctions, Fine Australian Art, Melbourne, 16 November 2010, Lot 46
Price Realised
$4,000 AUD
Paddy Jaminji Value 1984
Hills of Turkey Creek (c. 1984)
Size
182.5 × 149.5 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments and bush gum on canvas
Auction
Bonhams, The Grundy Collection, Sydney, 26 June 2013, Lot 41
Provenance
Mary Macha, Perth. Private Collection, Melbourne. Sotheby’s, Important Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 29 July 1998, Lot 14. The Reg Grundy AC OBE and Joy Chambers-Grundy Collection, acquired in 1998.
Price Realised
$140,000 AUD
Untitled (1984)
Size
126 × 190 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments and synthetic binder on canvas mounted on board
Auction
Sotheby’s, Important Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 24 June 2002, Lot 235
Provenance
Acquired by the vendor during a painting expedition to Warmun (Turkey Creek) in 1984.
Price Realised
$62,500 AUD
Half Kangaroo at Elgee Cliffs (1984)
Size
131 × 198 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments and natural binder on canvas
Auction
Sotheby’s, Important Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 24 June 2002, Lot 178
Provenance
Commissioned by the vendor at Warmun in 1984. Private Collection, Perth.
Price Realised
$50,000 AUD
Untitled (Men’s Ceremonial Ground, Springvale) (1984)
Size
94.5 × 180.5 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments and bush gum on canvas
Auction
Bonhams, The Laverty Collection: Contemporary Australian Art, Sydney, 24 March 2013, Lot 137
Provenance
Painted at Warmun (Turkey Creek), Western Australia. Purchased from Mary Macha, Perth, in May 1994. The Laverty Collection, Sydney.
Price Realised
$25,000 AUD
Eight Hills on Bedford Downs Station (1984)
Size
96 × 181 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments and bush gum on canvas
Auction
Sotheby’s, Important Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 30 June 1997, Lot 2
Provenance
Painted in 1984 and purchased directly from the artist by Mary Macha, Perth. Lord McAlpine, London. L. Waddington, Waddington Gallery, London. Mary Macha, Perth. Private Collection, Melbourne. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Mary Macha.
Price Realised
$22,000 AUD
Untitled (late 1984)
Size
61 × 118 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments and natural binders on plywood
Auction
Sotheby’s, Aboriginal Art, Sydney, 20 October 2008, Lot 157
Provenance
Painted at Warmun (Turkey Creek) in late 1984. Gifted to the vendor in early 1985 in Kununurra. Private Collection.
Price Realised
$18,000 AUD
Fitzroy Crossing (1984)
Size
61 × 122 cm
Medium
Earth pigments on board
Auction
Deutscher~Menzies, Fine Aboriginal Art and a Collection of New Ireland Malagan Sculptures, Melbourne, 27 June 2000, Lot 287
Price Realised
$15,000 AUD
Cloud, Krill Krill Ceremony (1984)
Size
60 × 90 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments on board
Auction
Lawson~Menzies (now trading as Menzies), Aboriginal Art Auction, Sydney, 23 November 2004, Lot 25
Provenance
Kimberley Art, Melbourne. Private Collection, Melbourne.
Price Realised
$12,000 AUD
Kanmanturr (c. 1984)
Size
45.5 × 61 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments and natural binders on canvas board
Auction
Deutscher and Hackett, Important Australian + International Fine Art; The Ken & Joan Plomley Collection of Modernist Art, Sydney, 28 August 2019, Lot 126
Provenance
Painted at Warmun (Turkey Creek), Western Australia. Aboriginal Traditional Arts, Perth (Mary Macha). Private Collection, Tasmania.
Price Realised
$9,000 AUD
Manginta – Devil Devil (1984)
Size
130 × 82 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments on board
Auction
Lawson~Menzies (now trading as Menzies), Aboriginal Fine Art, Sydney, 9 November 2005, Lot 174
Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist by a construction worker. Private Collection, Canberra. Private Collection, Melbourne.
Price Realised
$7,000 AUD
Jiliyilli Country (c. 1984)
Size
79.5 × 89.5 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments and bush gum on hardboard
Auction
Sotheby’s, Aboriginal & Tribal Art, Sydney, 9 November 1997, Lot 75
Provenance
The Holmes à Court Collection.
Price Realised
$5,000 AUD
Paddy Jaminji Value 1985
Devil Devil – Manginta (1985)
Size
46 × 125 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments on board
Auction
Lawson~Menzies (now trading as Menzies), Aboriginal Fine Art, Sydney, 23 May 2007, Lot 123
Provenance
Field collected by McLeod in 1985. Neil McLeod Fine Arts. Private Collection, Victoria.
Price Realised
$12,000 AUD
Untitled – Dreamings on Bedford Downs (1985)
Size
89.5 × 152.5 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments and natural binder on canvas
Auction
Sotheby’s, Aboriginal and Oceanic Art, Sydney, 25 November 2007, Lot 78
Provenance
Commissioned by Chips Mackinolty at Warmun (Turkey Creek) in 1985. Private Collection, acquired from the above.
Price Realised
$30,000 AUD
Elgee Cliff, Half Kangaroo – Krilkril Country (1985)
Size
66 × 94 cm (irregular)
Medium
Natural earth pigments with bush gum on plywood
Auction
Deutscher and Hackett, Important Aboriginal Art from the Laverty Collection, Sydney, 8 March 2015, Lot 32
Provenance
Mary Macha, Subiaco, Perth. The Collection of Colin and Elizabeth Laverty, Sydney, purchased in July 1987. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.
Price Realised
$25,000 AUD
Kananganja – Mt King, Bedford Downs (c. 1985)
Size
62.5 × 122.5 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments and natural binders on plywood
Auction
Sotheby’s, Aboriginal Art, Sydney, 20 October 2008, Lot 55
Provenance
Painted at Warmun (Turkey Creek) circa 1985. Mary Macha, Perth. Private Collection.
Price Realised
$25,000 AUD
Roebuck Bay and Country (1985)
Size
92 × 183 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments on board
Auction
Lawson~Menzies (now trading as Menzies), Aboriginal Art, Sydney, 30 May 2006, Lot 117
Provenance
Collected in 1985 on a field trip to the Kimberley and purchased directly from the artist. Private Collection, Victoria.
Devil Devil Springs (c. 1985)
Size
82 × 122 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments and natural binder (bush gum) on plywood
Auction
Sotheby’s, Important Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 28 June 1999, Lot 90
Price Realised
$26,000 AUD
Pelican Dreaming (1985)
Size
84.5 × 84 cm
Medium
Natural pigments and binder on linen
Auction
Shapiro Auctioneers, Modern + Contemporary Art, Sydney, 10 June 2003, Lot 173
Provenance
The artist to the vendor, 1985.
Price Realised
$22,000 AUD
Palms at Bedford Downs (1985)
Size
114 × 111 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments and gum on plywood panel
Auction
Sotheby’s, Important Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 30 June 1997, Lot 53
Provenance
Purchased directly from the artist by Mary Macha at Warmun (Turkey Creek) in 1985.
Price Realised
$18,000 AUD
Untitled (1985)
Size
36 × 45.5 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments and synthetic binder on canvas board
Auction
Sotheby’s, Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 9 July 2001, Lot 218
Provenance
Painted in 1985. Waringarri Aboriginal Arts, Kununurra. Private Collection, Darwin.
Price Realised
$1,700 AUD
Devil Devil – Yulamangi (1985)
Size
123 × 45 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments on board
Auction
Lawson~Menzies (now trading as Menzies), Aboriginal Fine Art, Sydney, 23 May 2007, Lot 212
Provenance
Collected in the field in 1985 and purchased directly from the artist. Neil McLeod Fine Arts. Private Collection, Victoria.
Price Realised
$10,000 AUD
Kirr Kirr Ceremony (c. 1985)
Medium
Natural earth pigments and natural binder
Auction
Sotheby’s, Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 26 June 2000, Lot 80
Price Realised
$3,000 AUD
Untitled (1985)
Size
45.5 × 61 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments and synthetic binder on canvas board
Auction
Sotheby’s, Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 9 July 2001, Lot 183
Provenance
Painted in 1985. Waringarri Aboriginal Arts, Kununurra. Private Collection, Darwin.
Price Realised
$2,600 AUD
Untitled (Two Hills) (c. 1985)
Size
65 × 76.5 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments on composition board
Auction
Bonhams, Aboriginal Art; Aboriginal Art from The Superannuation Fund of William Nuttall and Annette Reeves, Sydney, 28 May 2012, Lot 31
Provenance
Painted circa 1985. Acquired by a nursing sister at Warmun (Turkey Creek) between 1984 and 1989. Sotheby’s, Important Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 28 June 1999, Lot 12. Superannuation Fund of William Nuttall and Annette Reeves.
Price Realised
$1,500 AUD
Paddy Jaminji Value 1986-1988
Tumpun at Tjiwurratjiwurra (1987)
Size
60 × 90 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments and natural binder (bush gum) on composition board
Auction
Sotheby’s, Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 26 June 2000, Lot 21
Illambul Country (1987)
Size
61 × 91.5 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments and natural earth binder (bush gum) on composition board
Auction
Sotheby’s, Important Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 25 July 2005, Lot 196
Provenance
Commissioned by Mary Macha in 1987. Purchased from Gary Anderson Gallery, Sydney. Private Collection, New South Wales.
Price Realised
$30,000 AUD
Lissadel Downs (1986)
Size
44 × 99.5 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments and natural binder (bush gum) on plywood
Auction
Sotheby’s, Important Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 25 July 2005, Lot 130
Provenance
Painted at Warmun (Turkey Creek), East Kimberley. Private Collection, New South Wales.
Price Realised
$15,000 AUD
Hills at Turkey Creek (c. 1986)
Medium
Natural earth pigments and bush gum on canvas
Auction
Sotheby’s, Important Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 29 June 1998, Lot 111
Provenance
Purchased from the artist by the vendor during a visit to Turkey Creek in 1986.
Price Realised
$9,500 AUD
Goomana Wangun (1986)
Size
94 × 174 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments and bush gum on canvas
Auction
Sotheby’s, Important Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 29 June 1998, Lot 34
Provenance
Painted at Warmun (Turkey Creek) in 1986. Lord McAlpine of West Green. Sotheby’s, Tribal Art, Melbourne, 29 July 1990, Lot 183. Private Collection, Sydney.
Price Realised
$22,000 AUD
Tawurr the Kangaroo at Kanmanturr (1987)
Size
60 × 59.5 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments and natural binder (bush gum) on plywood
Auction
Sotheby’s, Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 26 July 2004, Lot 28
Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist at Warmun (Turkey Creek), Western Australia. Private Collection, Adelaide.
Kimberley Ranges with White Fella’s Road (1987)
Size
60.5 × 120.5 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments on composition board
Auction
Sotheby’s, Aboriginal and Oceanic Art, Sydney, 25 November 2007, Lot 45
Provenance
Painted at Warmun (Turkey Creek) in 1987. Private Collection, acquired directly from the artist.
Price Realised
$30,000 AUD
Tawurr the Kangaroo at Kanmanturr (1987)
Size
60 × 59.5 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments and natural binder on plywood
Auction
Sotheby’s, Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 24 November 2009, Lot 74
Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist at Warmun (Turkey Creek), Western Australia, in 1987. Private Collection. Sotheby’s, Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 26–27 July 2004, Lot 28. The Austcorp Group Limited Art Collection.
Price Realised
$25,000 AUD
Untitled (1987)
Size
60 × 90 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments and natural binder (bush gum) on board
Auction
Deutscher and Hackett, Important Australian Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 18 March 2020, Lot 61
Provenance
Aboriginal Traditional Arts, Perth (Mary Macha). Private Collection. Sotheby’s, Melbourne, 26 June 2000, Lot 79 (as Untitled, 1997). Private Collection, Melbourne.
Price Realised
$16,000 AUD
Gunmudu Country – Near Bedford Downs (1988)
Size
70 × 110 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments and charcoal on composition board
Auction
Sotheby’s, Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 26 June 2000, Lot 135
Price Realised
$10,000 AUD
That Whitefella Kill Blackfella (1988)
Size
50 × 40 cm
Medium
Natural earth pigments and gum on canvas board
Auction
Sotheby’s, Important Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 30 June 1997, Lot 52
Provenance
Purchased directly from the artist by Mary Macha at Warmun (Turkey Creek) in 1988.
Price Realised
$5,500 AUD
About This Artist Value Page
The headline auction statistics at the top of this page — including the number of works offered, sale rate, highest recorded sale and median sale price — are calculated from the auction records reviewed for this artist.
Everything below those figures should be regarded as a curated and subjective selection rather than a complete record of the artist’s auction history.
This is not a database of works sold. For comprehensive Australian art auction records and market data, I recommend the Australian Art sales Digest
I select works primarily to show the variety, development and quality of an artist’s work. I favour works with good-quality images over those represented by small or poor auction photographs, and I naturally include paintings that I find particularly interesting or useful in understanding the artist. Although I try to choose representative examples from different periods, subjects, sizes and price levels, these choices inevitably introduce bias.
The highest auction results also require caution. An artist’s three, four or five strongest results may be for exceptional works that entered Australian or international public collections or attracted unusually strong institutional and collector competition. Such prices should not automatically be regarded as representative of the broader market for that artist.
These pages are part of my continuing education in Aboriginal art and are intended primarily for people who enjoy the art and want to explore the variety and evolution of an artist’s work. Apart from the headline auction statistics, the selection, commentary and interpretation on this page are subjective and should not be relied upon for valuation, investment, insurance, taxation or other commercial purposes.
All images featured in this article are presented strictly for educational and informational purposes.
This website may include copyrighted material for which specific authorization has not been obtained from the copyright owner.
All such images are presumed to be the intellectual property of the respective artist or their estate, and are used in accordance with principles of fair dealing or fair use under applicable copyright law.