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Aboriginal Art > Aboriginal Art Styles > Western Desert Art > Pintupi Art > Turkey Tolson > Turkey Tolsen Values

Turkey Tolson Value and Auction results

Works Offered at Auction: 413
Sale Rate: 58%
Highest Sale: $150,000 AUD
Median Sale Price: $3,250 AUD

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula produced some of the most important paintings of the Western Desert movement. His finest Straightening Spears paintings rank among the masterpieces of Papunya Tula Artists and are highly sought after by collectors for their remarkable visual restraint, historical importance and museum-quality abstraction. Exceptional examples have achieved six-figure auction results, while smaller or less significant works can vary considerably depending on size, subject, provenance and condition.

The purpose of this page is to help owners identify genuine Turkey Tolson paintings, understand the factors that influence value and compare examples sold through Australia’s major auction houses over the past three decades. Rather than relying on isolated record prices, the aim is to show how his work developed over time and why some paintings are considerably more desirable than others.

As an Aboriginal art dealer and collector, I have selected representative paintings that illustrate the breadth of Turkey Tolson’s career rather than simply the highest prices achieved. There is inevitably some selection bias towards historically important, visually distinctive or well-documented works. A second limitation is that many paintings never reach the open market, while others are passed in or sold privately, meaning publicly available auction results represent only part of the market.

What makes a Turkey Tolson painting valuable?

Several factors have the greatest influence on value:

  • Date – Mature Straightening Spears paintings from approximately 1995–2001 are generally the most sought after.
  • Subject – Large Straightening Spears and Men’s Ceremony paintings usually command stronger prices than more common subjects.
  • Size – Monumental Belgian linen paintings are typically more desirable than smaller canvases.
  • Provenance – Papunya Tula Artists documentation, original certificates, exhibition history and photographs of the artist painting the work can significantly increase collector interest.
  • Condition – Original, unrestored paintings with minimal wear are generally preferred.
  • Publication and exhibition history – Works illustrated in important books or exhibited by major museums often attract stronger demand.

Do you own a Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula painting?

If you own a painting by Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula and would like to know its approximate value or are considering selling it, I would be pleased to have a look.

Please send:

  • a clear photograph of the front
  • a photograph of the back
  • the dimensions (without the frame)
  • any certificates of authenticity
  • any provenance or purchase history

I buy selected Aboriginal paintings outright and can also advise whether your painting may be better suited to auction, private sale or another selling method. There is no obligation, and I am always happy to provide an informal opinion based on more than thirty years of following the Aboriginal art market.

EMAIL ME

For more about the biography painting style and importance of this artist please Read Turkey Tolon straightening spears

Turkey Tolson Value 1973-1975

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Napaltjarri Dreaming 1973 early Papunya board painting with concentric circles, connecting bars and Porcupine Dreaming motifs.

Napaltjarri Dreaming, 1973

Size
61.5 × 41 cm

Medium
Synthetic powder paint on composition board (Papunya Board)

Auction
Lawson~Menzies, Aboriginal Fine Art, Sydney, 23 May 2007, Lot 164

Provenance
Painted for Papunya Tula Artists in May 1973. Private Collection, Victoria.

Price Realised
$18,000 AUD

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Untitled 1973 early Papunya board painting with concentric circles, parallel lines and ceremonial pathways.

Untitled, 1973

Size
46 × 15 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer/powder paint on composition board (Papunya Board)

Auction
Sotheby’s, Fine Aboriginal and Contemporary Art, Melbourne, 17 June 1996, Lot 198

Provenance
Acquired by a resident worker at Papunya in 1973.

Price Realised
$7,500 AUD

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Women at Mitukatjiri 1973 early Papunya board painting depicting women's ceremonial body paint designs and breast motif.

Women at Mitukatjiri, 1973

Size
46 × 13 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer powder paint on composition board (Papunya Board)

Auction
Sotheby’s, Aboriginal, African & Oceanic Art, Sydney, 9 November 1998, Lot 171

Provenance
Probably painted at the Pintupi outstation of Yai Yai in 1973. Private Collection, Adelaide.

Price Realised

$4,000 AUD 

 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula A Camp on the Way to Mitukatjirri 1974 early Papunya board painting with concentric circles, ceremonial camps and travelling routes.

A Camp on the Way to Mitukatjirri, 1974

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas board

Auction
Sotheby’s, Fine Aboriginal and Contemporary Art, Melbourne, 17 June 1996, Lot 56

Provenance
Painted at Yai Yai, the Pintupi outstation near Papunya. Accompanied by Papunya Tula certificate TT74979 with Peter Fannin’s diagram and story explanation.

Price Realised
$3,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Untitled c.1974 early Papunya board painting with concentric circles connected by ceremonial pathways.

Untitled, c.1974

Medium
Synthetic polymer powder paint on composition board

Auction
Sotheby’s, Important Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 29 June 1998, Lot 38

Provenance
Painted at Yai Yai, the Pintupi outstation west of Papunya. Given to the vendor as a wedding present in 1974.

Price Realised
$2,600 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Value 1976-1980

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Dreamtime July 1976 early Papunya painting with ceremonial designs and connected ancestral sites.

Dreamtime (1976)

Size
162 × 74 cm

Medium
Oil on canvas

Auction
Leonard Joel, Australian, British, New Zealand & European Historical and Contemporary Paintings, Melbourne, 31 July 1990, Lot 304

Price Realised
$5,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Untitled 1978 Papunya painting with concentric circles, connecting pathways and Tingari ceremonial designs.

Untitled, 1978

Size
71 × 55.5 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas board

Auction
Theodore Bruce Auctioneers & Valuers, Indigenous Fine Art Auction, Sydney, 5 May 2026, Lot 96

Provenance
Papunya Tula Artists Pty Ltd, Alice Springs, Northern Territory (Cat. No. TT781222). Private Collection, New South Wales. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.

Price Realised
$7,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Wati Kutjara at Lampintja (Pintupi) 1979 Papunya painting depicting the Two Men Dreaming with ceremonial symbols and footprints.

Wati Kutjara at Lampintja (Pintupi), 1979

Size
50 × 40 cm

Medium
Acrylic on canvas board

Auction
Davidson Auctions, Australian & International Art, Sydney, 12 October 2025, Lot 192

Provenance
Lawson~Menzies, 23 November 2004, Lot 268. Ken Hinds Cultural Heritage Collection, Queensland.

Price Realised
$4,200 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Untitled 1979 Papunya Tula painting with concentric circles, connecting pathways and Tingari ceremonial designs

Untitled, 1979

Size
60 × 76 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas board

Auction
Joel Fine Art, Important Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 5 June 2007, Lot 231

Provenance
Commissioned in 1979 by Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs. Private Collection, Brisbane.

Price Realised
$3,800 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Snake Dreaming July 1979 Papunya painting depicting a striped ancestral snake surrounding a sacred site.

Snake Dreaming, July 1979

Size
45 × 60 cm

Medium
Acrylic on canvas

Auction
Elder Fine Art, Australian & International Paintings, Adelaide, 17 June 2018, Lot 169

Price Realised
$1,700 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Value 1981-1985

Aboriginal painting showing a horizontal composition of large concentric circles connected by winding parallel lines. White, black, ochre and pink dots create interconnected pathways across a reddish-brown background.

Rockholes at Mankerinpirri, 1982

Size
165 × 47 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on linen

Auction
Lawson~Menzies, Aboriginal Fine Art, Sydney, 23 May 2007, Lot 216

Provenance
Papunya Tula Artists (Cat. No. TT820212). Private Collection, Victoria. Sold with original art centre documentation.

Price Realised
$14,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Rockhole Site at Willinya, 1982. Aboriginal painting with long horizontal bands of ochre, red, white and black separated by three evenly spaced concentric circles across the centre.

Rockhole Site at Willinya, 1982

Size
150 × 87 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on linen

Auction
Lawson~Menzies, Fine Aboriginal Art, Sydney, 31 May 2005, Lot 63

Provenance
Papunya Tula Artists Pty Ltd, Alice Springs (Cat. No. TT820610). Private Collection, Sydney. Sold with the original Papunya Tula Artists certificate of authenticity.

Price Realised
$13,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Men's Initiation Ceremony, 1982. Aboriginal painting showing four elongated ceremonial forms, two concentric circles, U-shaped figures, spears and dense ochre dotting on a pale yellow background.

Men’s Initiation Ceremony, 1982

Size
30.5 × 61 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas board

Auction
Art Leven (formerly Cooee Art), Indigenous Fine Art Auction, Sydney, 20 October 2020, Lot 21

Provenance
Field collected, Northern Territory. Private Collection, Northern Territory. The Anne and Adrian Newstead Collection, New South Wales.

Exhibited
Black Art White Walls – The Anne and Adrian Newstead Collection (touring exhibition, 2014–2016) and O Tempo Dos Sonhos – The Time of Dreaming (Brazil).

Price Realised
$4,200 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Brown Snake Dreaming, 1982. Aboriginal painting showing a banded snake coiled around a central concentric circle, surrounded by flowing dotted bands in ochre, white, black and reddish-brown.

Brown Snake Dreaming, 1982

Size
101 × 147 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas

Auction
Sotheby’s, Fine Contemporary and Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 28 November 1995, Lot 632

Provenance
Painted at Papunya in 1982. Sold with a photograph of the artist beside the painting.

Reference
Steele, Mr Sandman Bring Me a Dream, 1981.

Price Realised
$4,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Decorated Coolamon, c.1983. Wooden coolamon painted with black panels, wavy ochre bands, concentric circles and fine dotting on a pale ochre background.

Decorated Coolamon, c.1983

Size
65 × 21 cm

Medium
Natural earth pigments on wood Coolamon

Auction
Lawson~Menzies, Aboriginal Art Auction, Sydney, 23 November 2004, Lot 269

Price Realised
$2,500 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Untitled, 1983. Aboriginal painting with two concentric circles, elongated ceremonial forms, curved boomerang-shaped motifs and black horizontal bands on a yellow dotted background.

Untitled, 1983

Size
61.5 × 45.5 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas board

Auction
Sotheby’s, Contemporary and Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 18 June 1995, Lot 444

Provenance
Papunya Tula Artists (Cat. No. TT831005).

Price Realised
$2,200 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Untitled (Perentie Dreaming), 1985. Aboriginal painting showing a large spotted perentie beneath concentric circles, oval ceremonial designs and seated figures on a pink dotted background.

Untitled (Perentie Dreaming), 1985

Size
121 × 182 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on linen

Auction
Mossgreen Auctions, The Alan Boxer Collection of Australian Indigenous Art, Melbourne, 17 March 2015, Lot 14

Provenance
Papunya Tula Artists, Northern Territory. Chapman Gallery, Canberra. The Alan Boxer Collection, Canberra. Accompanied by a Papunya Tula Artists certificate.

Price Realised
$13,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Snake Dreaming, 1985. Aboriginal painting with a large central oval enclosing a concentric circle and wavy line, flanked by two smaller semicircular motifs on a yellow dotted background.

Snake Dreaming, 1985

Size
31 × 41 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas board

Auction
Lawson~Menzies, Aboriginal Fine Art, Sydney, 23 May 2007, Lot 160

Provenance
Collected by a medical officer in the field at Papunya. Private Collection, New South Wales.

Price Realised
$2,800 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Value 1986-1990

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Two Women Travelling at Putja, 1986. Aboriginal painting with three horizontal bands of linked concentric circles connected by parallel lines on a pink, ochre and brown dotted background

Two Women Travelling at Putja, 1986

Size
182.5 × 181.5 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on linen

Auction
Christie’s, Australian Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 30 August 2005, Lot 19

Provenance
Papunya Tula Artists Pty Ltd, Alice Springs. Corporate Collection, Melbourne.

Price Realised
$35,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Mitukatjirri, 1986. Aboriginal painting with a large concentric circle and paired U-shaped motifs at the left connected to long horizontal bands of ochre, white and brown extending across the canvas.

Mitukatjirri, 1986

Size
181.5 × 121.5 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on linen

Auction
Sotheby’s, Important Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 24 July 2007, Lot 107

Provenance
Papunya Tula Artists (Cat. No. TT860938).

Price Realised
$30,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Men's Ceremonies, 1986. Aboriginal painting with three horizontal wavy bands linked by concentric circles in red, ochre and cream on a deep red dotted background.

Men’s Ceremonies, 1986

Size
122 × 140 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas

Auction
Sotheby’s, Important Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 29 June 1998, Lot 134

Provenance
Papunya Tula Artists (Cat. No. TT860604).

Exhibited
Hugh Williamson Prize Exhibition, Ballarat Fine Art Gallery, Victoria, 1986.

Price Realised
$5,500 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Two Travelling Women, 1986. Aboriginal painting with a single horizontal chain of concentric circles connected by layered parallel bands across a finely dotted ochre background.

Two Travelling Women, 1986

Size
165 × 48 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on linen

Auction
Deutscher and Hackett, Contemporary + Aboriginal + Modern Art: D+H Online, Melbourne, 17 May 2022, Lot 49

Provenance
Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs. Private Collection, Melbourne.

Price Realised
$4,800 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Untitled, 1989. Aboriginal painting showing three standing figures walking across broad horizontal bands towards a concentric circle on a cream, ochre and brown striped background.

Untitled, 1989

Size
122 × 183 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on Belgian linen

Auction
Art Leven (formerly Cooee Art), Indigenous Fine Art Auction, Sydney, 23 June 2020, Lot 46

Provenance
Papunya Tula Artists, Northern Territory (Cat. No. TT890292). Hogarth Gallery, New South Wales. Patrick Corrigan Collection, New South Wales. Private Collection, Victoria.

Price Realised
$7,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Untitled (Two Mythological Tingari Women), 1990. Aboriginal painting with nine large concentric circles arranged in a grid and linked by angular ochre and red pathways on a dotted background.

Untitled – Two Mythological Tingari Women, 1990

Size
152 × 122 cm

Medium
Acrylic on linen

Auction
Mossgreen Auctions, The Sydney Sale; Various Estates, Sydney, 30 August 2009, Lot 10

Provenance
Papunya Tula Artists. Aboriginal Dreamtime Gallery (Cat. No. TT900939). Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.

Price Realised
$19,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Tingari Cycle, 1990. Aboriginal painting with large concentric circles connected by flowing parallel lines on a purple, blue, pink and yellow dotted background.

Tingari Cycle, 1990

Size
112 × 55 cm

Medium
Acrylic on linen

Auction
Evans Hastings Valuers & Auctioneers, Art: Dr. John Flynn and Other Vendors (Unreserved), Online, 29 November 2018, Lot 41

Provenance
Papunya Tula Artists (Cat. No. TT900948). Ex Chapman Gallery (1990). Includes Papunya Tula certificate of authenticity.

Price Realised
$1,200 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Value 1991-1994

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Straightening Spears at Ilyingaugau, 1991. Aboriginal painting composed of hundreds of fine horizontal ochre, brown and yellow lines stretching across the entire canvas with subtle bands of lighter colour.

Straightening Spears at Ilyingaungau, 1991

Size
152 × 122 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on linen

Auction
Sotheby’s, Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 26 June 2000, Lot 122

Provenance
Papunya Tula Artists (Cat. No. TT910702).

Price Realised
$22,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Straightening Spears at Ilyingaugau, 1991. Aboriginal painting with three large concentric circles linked by horizontal wavy bands in ochre, cream, pink and brown across the canvas.

Straightening Spears at Ilyingaugau, 1991

Size
128.5 × 101 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas

Auction
Leonard Joel, The Kelton Collection – Indigenous Art, Melbourne, 11 April 2022, Lot 91

Provenance
Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs. Sotheby’s, Melbourne, Important Aboriginal Art, 29 June 1998, Lot 133. The Kelton Foundation, USA.

Price Realised
$4,600 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Munni Munni Dreaming, 1992. Aboriginal painting with a central concentric circle surrounded by eight elongated oval forms on a background of fine vertical ochre and brown lines.

Munni Munni Dreaming, 1992

Size
91 × 91 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on linen

Auction
Leonard Joel, The Kelton Collection – Indigenous Art, Melbourne, 11 April 2022, Lot 89

Provenance
Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs. Gallerie Australis, Adelaide. The Collection of Mr. Kelton, United States of America, acquired 1993.

Exhibited
The Evolving Dreamtime: Contemporary Art by Indigenous Australians – Part I, Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, California, 3 August 1994 – 22 January 1995.

Price Realised
$8,500 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Straightening Spears, 1992. Aboriginal painting composed of closely spaced horizontal ochre and brown lines extending across the entire canvas with a subtle lighter band through the centre.

Straightening Spears, 1992

Size
31 × 41 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas

Auction
Deutscher and Hackett, The Ainsworth Collection – Contemporary & Aboriginal Art; Important Aboriginal + Oceanic Art, Melbourne, 26 March 2014, Lot 143

Provenance
Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs. Private Collection, South Australia.

Price Realised
$2,600 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Men's Ceremony, Kintore, 1993. Aboriginal painting composed of dense horizontal ochre, yellow and reddish-brown lines with a lighter vertical band near the centre.

Men’s Ceremony, Kintore, 1993

Size
124 × 80 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas

Auction
Lawson~Menzies, Aboriginal Art Auction, Sydney, 23 November 2004, Lot 179

Provenance
Private Collection, South Australia.

Price Realised
$17,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Straightening Spears, c.1993. Aboriginal painting composed of hundreds of fine horizontal ochre, orange and brown lines extending across the canvas with subtle vertical shifts in tone.

Straightening Spears, c.1993

Size
100 × 139 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas

Auction
Sotheby’s, Contemporary and Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 18 June 1995, Lot 259

Provenance
Sold with an accompanying photograph of the artist with the painting.

Price Realised
$5,500 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Snake Dreaming, 1994. Aboriginal painting showing a striped snake winding across an orange field of fine parallel lines towards a concentric circle at the left.

Snake Dreaming, 1994

Size
126 × 195 cm

Medium
Acrylic on canvas

Auction
Gaia Auction, Aboriginal Art, Paris, 25 October 2009, Lot 39

Provenance
Formerly in the collection of artist Malcolm Jagamarra.

Price Realised
$20,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Tingari Painting, 1994. Aboriginal painting with two large nested rectangular motifs in ochre, orange, yellow and grey on a warm earth-coloured background.

Tingari Painting, 1994

Size
136 × 91 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on linen

Auction
Joel Fine Art, Important Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 5 June 2007, Lot 175

Provenance
Purchased directly from Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs in 1995. Private Collection, Melbourne.

Price Realised
$9,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Untitled, 1994. Aboriginal painting showing a large concentric circle surrounded by radiating blue-grey strokes on a densely dotted white background with footprints and a spear at the left.

Untitled, 1994

Size
60 × 91 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas

Auction
Christie’s, Modern Aboriginal Art, Sydney, 12 October 2004, Lot 24

Provenance
Painted in 1994. Papunya Tula Artists Pty Ltd, Alice Springs. Private Collection, Sydney. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Papunya Tula Artists.

Price Realised
$6,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Value 1995-1996

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Spear Straightening, 1995. Aboriginal painting composed of hundreds of fine horizontal ochre and brown lines with three thin white bands running across the canvas.

Spear Straightening, 1995

Size
125 × 199 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on linen

Auction
Lawson~Menzies, Australian Aboriginal Art, Sydney, 14 November 2007, Lot 64

Provenance
Collected by the vendor while teaching at Watiyawanu Primary School (1994–1996). Private Collection, Victoria.

Exhibited
Desert Dreaming: The Arthur Papadimitriou Collection, Benalla Art Gallery, Victoria, 15 December 2001 – 28 February 2003.

Price Realised
$52,500 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Spear Straightening, 1995. Aboriginal painting composed of dense horizontal ochre, brown and cream lines with subtle lighter rectangular passages emerging across the surface.

Spear Straightening, 1995

Size
198 × 135 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas

Auction
Lawson~Menzies, Aboriginal Art Auction, Sydney, 23 November 2004, Lot 50

Provenance
Private Collection, Queensland.

Price Realised
$48,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Straightening Spears Ceremony, 1995–96. Aboriginal painting composed of dense horizontal ochre, yellow and reddish-brown lines with subtle shifts in tone across the canvas.

Straightening Spears Ceremony, 1995–96

Size
109 × 189 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas

Auction
Phillips Auctioneers, 20th Century Art & Design, Sydney, 26 October 1998, Lot 25

Provenance
Depicts the artist’s father’s Spear Dreaming from Country beyond Kiwirrkura.

Price Realised
$5,300 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Untitled (Spear Dreaming), 1995. Aboriginal painting composed of parallel horizontal bands in ochre, cream, red, brown and black stretching across the entire canvas.

Untitled (Spear Dreaming), 1995

Size
137 × 87 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on Belgian linen

Auction
 The Rod Menzies Estate | Indigenous and Oceanic Art Collection 

Provenance
Aboriginal Galleries of Australia, Victoria (Cat. No. AGA6387). 

Exhibited
Icons of Australian Aboriginal Art, Australian High Commission, Singapore, 2001; The Art Centre of Christchurch, New Zealand, 2003.

Price Realised
$3,200 AUD

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Straightening Spears at Illyingaungau, 1996. Aboriginal painting composed entirely of fine horizontal ochre, yellow and brown lines extending across the canvas with subtle tonal variations.

Straightening Spears at Illyingaungau, 1996

Size
151.5 × 183 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on linen

Auction
Sotheby’s, Important Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 25 July 2005, Lot 87

Provenance
Painted at Kintore during 1996 for Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs. Private Collection, Melbourne. Accompanied by a Papunya Tula Artists certificate of authenticity.

Price Realised
$70,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Straightening the Spears at Illingaugau, 1996. Aboriginal painting formed from hundreds of finely painted horizontal ochre, yellow and brown lines creating a subtle shimmering abstract surface.

Straightening the Spears at Illingaugau, 1996

Size
140 × 171.5 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas

Auction
Lawson~Menzies, Contemporary, Modern Australian and Important Aboriginal Art, Sydney, 19 June 2008, Lot 261

Provenance
Arthur Papadimitriou, Melbourne. Private Collection, Melbourne.

Price Realised
$40,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Value Untitled (Secret Cave Site of Mitukatjirri), 1996. Aboriginal painting composed of thousands of fine horizontal ochre, cream and brown lines with subtle bands of lighter colour across the canvas.

Untitled (Secret Cave Site of Mitukatjirri), 1996

Size
153 × 183 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on linen

Auction
Bonhams, Aboriginal Art – The Superannuation Fund of William Nuttall and Annette Reeves, Sydney, 28 May 2012, Lot 26

Provenance
Painted in 1996 for Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs. Superannuation Fund of William Nuttall and Annette Reeves. Accompanied by Papunya Tula Artists documentation.

Price Realised
$22,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Straightening Spears at Ilyingaungau, c.1996. Aboriginal painting composed of finely painted horizontal ochre, yellow and brown lines stretching across a wide panoramic canvas.

Straightening Spears at Ilyingaungau, c.1996

Size
136 × 268 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas

Auction
Sotheby’s, Important Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 29 June 1998, Lot 132

Provenance
Commissioned by a school teacher working at Mt Liebig in 1996. Sold with two photographs of the artist creating the work and two spears made by the artist.

Price Realised
$14,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Spear Dreaming, 1996. Aboriginal painting composed of thousands of finely painted horizontal ochre, cream and brown lines creating a shimmering minimalist abstract surface.

Spear Dreaming, 1996

Size
140 × 220 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas

Auction
Gibson’s, Australian & International Art, Melbourne, 24 October 2021, Lot 91

Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist. Arthur Papadimitriou Collection, Melbourne. Private Collection, Melbourne.

Price Realised
$13,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Value 1997

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Spear Straightening, 1997. Monumental Aboriginal painting composed entirely of finely painted horizontal ochre, cream and brown lines creating a shimmering minimalist abstract surface.

Spear Straightening, 1997

Size
211 × 364.5 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on linen

Auction
Menzies, Australian & International Fine Art, Sydney, 25 March 2010, Lot 68

Provenance
Kimberley Art, Melbourne. Private Collection, Victoria. Lawson~Menzies, Sydney, 22 November 2006, Lot 110. Company Collection, Melbourne. Lawson~Menzies, Sydney, 19 March 2008, Lot 229. Private Collection, Melbourne. Sold with original gallery documentation and a folio of photographs of the artist creating the work.

Price Realised
$150,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Spear Straightening, 1997. Monumental Aboriginal painting composed of thousands of fine horizontal cream, ochre and brown lines creating a luminous minimalist abstract surface.

Spear Straightening, 1997

Size
350 × 200 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on linen

Auction
Lawson~Menzies, Aboriginal Art, Sydney, 22 November 2006, Lot 110

Provenance
Kimberley Art. Private Collection, Victoria. Sold with original gallery documentation 

Price Realised
$120,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Spear Straightening, 1997. Monumental Aboriginal painting composed of thousands of finely painted horizontal cream, ochre and brown lines across a panoramic linen canvas.

Spear Straightening, 1997

Size
211 × 364.5 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on Belgian linen

Auction
Art Leven (formerly Cooee Art), The Rod Menzies Estate | Indigenous and Oceanic Art Collection | Part I, Sydney, 8 November 2023, Lot 46

Provenance
Kimberley Art, Victoria (Cat. No. KATT004/97). Private Collection, Victoria. Lawson~Menzies, Sydney, March 2008, Lot 229. 

Price Realised
$22,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Straightening Spears at Illyingaugau, 1997. Aboriginal painting composed of thousands of finely painted horizontal ochre, cream and brown dots forming shimmering parallel bands across the canvas.

Straightening Spears at Ilyingaungau, 1997

Size
152 × 183 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on linen

Auction
Mossgreen Auctions, Spinifex and Sand: The Tony Norton and Jann Williams Collection of Aboriginal Fine Art, Melbourne, 4 April 2016, Lot 28

Provenance
Papunya Tula Artists, Northern Territory (Cat. No. TT970975). Private Collection, Melbourne. 

Price Realised
$20,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Straightening Spears at Illyingaugau, 1997. Aboriginal painting of densely packed horizontal rows of ochre, yellow, cream and dark brown dots forming a shimmering abstract field.

Straightening Spears at Illyingaugau, 1997

Size
152 × 183 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas

Auction
Sotheby’s, Important Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 28 June 1999, Lot 191

Provenance
Papunya Tula Artists (Cat. No. TT970317).

Price Realised
$14,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Straightening the Spears, 1997. Aboriginal painting with a central band of horizontal ochre, blue-grey and brown lines framed by broad fields of white dotted rows above and below.

Straightening the Spears, 1997

Size
92 × 46 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on linen

Auction
Lawson~Menzies, Australian Aboriginal Art, Sydney, 14 November 2007, Lot 337

Provenance
Papunya Tula Artists (Cat. No. TT970831). Aboriginal Gallery of Dreamings. Private Collection, Victoria. Sold with original art centre documentation.

Price Realised
$8,500 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Untitled, 1997. Aboriginal painting composed of broad horizontal bands of white, ochre, red and blue-grey stretching across the entire canvas.

Untitled, 1997

Size
121.5 × 183 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas

Auction
Lawson~Menzies, Contemporary Aboriginal & Tribal Art, Sydney, 12 December 2001, Lot 332

Provenance
Mbantua Gallery, Alice Springs (with documentation). Private Collection, Melbourne.

Price Realised
$3,200 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Woman's Dreaming, 1997. Aboriginal painting with two mirrored rectangular ceremonial designs enclosing three concentric circles on a white background.

Woman’s Dreaming, 1997

Size
61.5 × 91 cm

Medium
Acrylic on linen

Auction
Bonhams & Goodman, Fine Aboriginal Art, Sydney, 17 November 2004, Lot 208

Provenance
Mbantua Gallery, Alice Springs. Private Collection, New South Wales.

Price Realised
$1,500 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Value 1998

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Straightening Spears at Illyingaugau, 1998. Aboriginal painting of densely layered horizontal dotted bands in ochre, red, orange and brown representing ceremonial spear straightening.

Straightening Spears at Illyingaugau, 1998

Size
183 × 152 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on linen

Auction
Sotheby’s, Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 26 July 2004, Lot 107

Provenance
Painted at Kintore in 1998 for Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs. Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne. Private Collection, Melbourne. Accompanied by a Papunya Tula Artists certificate.

Price Realised
$63,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Straightening Spears 1998 Aboriginal painting with finely painted horizontal dotted bands representing ceremonial spear making traditions.

Straightening Spears, 1998

Size
150 × 183 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on Belgian linen

Auction
Art Leven (formerly Cooee Art), Indigenous Fine Art, Sydney, 8 March 2022, Lot 61

Provenance
Papunya Tula Artists, Northern Territory (Cat. No. TT980706). Private Collection, Victoria.

Price Realised
$40,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Straightening Spears 1998 Aboriginal painting with finely painted horizontal dot bands creating a minimalist Pintupi composition inspired by ceremonial spear straightening.

Straightening Spears, 1998

Size
150 × 183 cm

Medium
Acrylic on linen

Auction
Leonard Joel, Fine Art Auction, Melbourne, 15 September 2015, Lot 131

Provenance
Papunya Tula Artists Pty Ltd, Alice Springs (Cat. No. TT980706, accompanied by certificate of authenticity). Private Collection, Melbourne.

Price Realised
$24,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Spear Ceremony 1998 Aboriginal painting with finely painted horizontal dotted bands in ochre, yellow and brown representing a Pintupi ceremonial design.

Spear Ceremony, 1998

Size
90 × 152 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on Belgian linen

Auction
Lawson~Menzies, Quarterly Fine Art Auction, Sydney, 8 August 2013, Lot 85

Provenance
Yapa Artists, Northern Territory. Private Collection, New South Wales. Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery, Sydney. Private Collection, Sydney.

Price Realised
$7,500 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Straightening Spears 1998 Aboriginal painting with finely painted horizontal dotted lines in warm ochre and brown representing a Pintupi spear ceremony.

Straightening Spears, 1998

Size
128 × 184 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas

Auction
Leski Auctions, Australian & Historical, Day 2 (Art Lots Only), Melbourne, 28 November 2021, Lot 1321

Provenance
Deutscher-Menzies Auction, November 1998, Lot 236.

Price Realised
$6,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Value 1999-2001

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Untitled 1999 Aboriginal painting with flowing horizontal white lines across a rich ochre ground in the artist's distinctive minimalist Pintupi style.

Untitled, 1999

Size
152.5 × 122 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on linen

Auction
Deutscher and Hackett, Important Aboriginal and Oceanic Art, Melbourne, 24 March 2010, Lot 133

Provenance
Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs. Utopia Art Sydney (label verso). Private Collection, Sydney.

Price Realised
$14,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Kungka Kuntjarra (Two Women) 1999 Aboriginal painting with paired concentric rectangular designs in ochre, red, brown and white representing two women in Pintupi tradition.

Kungka Kuntjarra (Two Women), 1999

Size
122 × 92 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on linen

Auction
Sotheby’s, Aboriginal Art, Sydney, 29 July 2003, Lot 280

Provenance
Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Northern Territory. William Mora Galleries, Melbourne. Sold with the original Papunya Tula Artists certificate.

Price Realised
$8,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Straightening Spears 1999 Aboriginal painting with broad horizontal bands of fine dotting separated by pale ceremonial lines in warm desert ochres.

Straightening Spears, 1999

Size
152 × 182 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on Belgian linen

Auction
Art Leven (formerly Cooee Art), Indigenous Fine Art Auction, Sydney, 11 October 2022, Lot 41

Provenance
Papunya Tula Artists, Northern Territory (Cat. No. TT990801). Private Collection, Victoria. Accompanied by a Papunya Tula Artists certificate.

Price Realised
$34,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Illyingaungau / Straightening Spears 1999 Aboriginal painting with flowing horizontal red lines across a golden ochre ground in the artist's signature minimalist Pintupi style.

Illyingaungau / Straightening Spears, 1999

Size
61 × 91 cm

Medium
Acrylic on Belgian linen

Auction
Mossgreen Auctions, Fine Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 13 October 2008, Lot 38

Provenance
Papunya Tula Artists Pty Ltd, Alice Springs. Scott Livesey Gallery, Melbourne. Private Collection, Melbourne. Catalogue No. TT9910195. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.

Price Realised
$4,400 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Straightening Spears at Illyingaugau 1999 Aboriginal painting with vertical dotted bands in rich ochre, red and black representing ceremonial spear straightening.

Straightening Spears at Illyingaugau, 1999

Size
122 × 122 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on linen

Auction
Sotheby’s, Aboriginal Art, Sydney, 29 July 2003, Lot 281

Provenance
Painted at Kintore in June 1999. Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs. Private Collection, Melbourne.

Price Realised
$12,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Straightening of the Spears 1999 Aboriginal painting with finely painted horizontal dotted bands in ochre and brown reflecting the artist's minimalist Pintupi style.

Illyingaungau / Straightening Spears, 1999

Size
61 × 91 cm

Medium
Acrylic on Belgian linen

Auction
Mossgreen Auctions, Fine Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 13 October 2008, Lot 38

Provenance
Papunya Tula Artists Pty Ltd, Alice Springs. Scott Livesey Gallery, Melbourne. Private Collection, Melbourne. Catalogue No. TT9910195. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.

Price Realised
$4,400 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Straightening Spears at Illyingaugau 2000 Aboriginal painting with finely painted horizontal dotted bands in ochre and black representing the ceremonial straightening of hunting spears.

Straightening Spears at Illyingaugau, 2000

Size
183 × 152 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on linen

Auction
Sotheby’s, Aboriginal Art, Sydney, 29 July 2003, Lot 179

Provenance
Painted at Kintore in 2000. Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs. Private Collection, Perth. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Papunya Tula Artists.

Price Realised
$74,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Straightening Spears at Illyingaungau 2000 Aboriginal painting with flowing horizontal bands in vibrant red, orange and black representing the ceremonial straightening of hunting spears.

Straightening Spears at Illyingaungau, 2000

Size
122.5 × 152.5 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on linen

Auction
Sotheby’s, Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, 26 July 2004, Lot 194

Provenance
Painted at Kintore in July 2000 for Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs. Private Collection, Alice Springs. Accompanied by a Papunya Tula Artists certificate.

Price Realised
$60,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Straightening Spears 2000 Aboriginal painting with finely painted horizontal dotted bands in ochre and brown representing the ceremonial straightening of hunting spears.

Straightening Spears, 2000

Size
151.5 × 183 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on linen

Auction
Deutscher and Hackett, Important Australian Indigenous Art, Melbourne, 26 March 2025, Lot 42

Provenance
Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs, Northern Territory. Liverpool Street Gallery, Sydney (label verso). Private Collection, Sydney.

Price Realised
$34,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Straightening Spears at Illyingaugau 2000 Aboriginal painting with finely painted horizontal dotted bands in cream, ochre and brown representing the ceremonial straightening of hunting spears.

Straightening Spears at Ilyingaugau, 2000

Size
122 × 137 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas

Auction
Deutscher and Hackett, The Ainsworth Collection – Contemporary & Aboriginal Art; Important Aboriginal + Oceanic Art, Melbourne, 26 March 2014, Lot 117

Provenance
Papunya Tula Artists, Alice Springs. Alison Kelly Gallery, Melbourne. Private Collection, Melbourne.

Price Realised
$6,500 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Tingarri 2000 Aboriginal painting with paired geometric ceremonial designs in ochre, cream, pink and brown representing the Tingari ancestors.

Tingarri, 2000

Size
117 × 36.5 cm

Medium
Acrylic on linen

Auction
Lawson~Menzies, Quarterly Fine Art Auction, Sydney, 23 February 2012, Lot 263

Provenance
Accompanied by a Jinta Desert Art certificate of authenticity.

Price Realised
$4,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Spear Straightening 2000 Aboriginal painting with bold horizontal red bands separated by white lines in the artist's minimalist Pintupi style.

Spear Straightening, 2000

Size
50.5 × 96.5 cm

Medium
Acrylic on linen

Auction
Bonhams & Goodman, Fine Aboriginal Art, Sydney, 17 November 2004, Lot 145

Provenance
Painted for Peter Los in Kintore. Private Collection, Victoria.

Price Realised
$3,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Men's Ceremony 2001 Aboriginal painting with shimmering horizontal dotted bands in ochre, red and brown representing ceremonial spear straightening at Illyingaungau.

Men’s Ceremony, 2001

Size
122 × 213 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on linen

Auction
Lawson~Menzies, Aboriginal Fine Art, Sydney, 23 May 2007, Lot 119

Provenance
Aboriginal Gallery of Dreamings (Cat. No. 8543). Private Collection, Victoria. 

Price Realised
$60,000 AUD 

Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula Spear Dreaming at Illyingaungau 2001 Aboriginal painting with flowing bands of vivid blue, red and black representing the Spear Dreaming at Illyingaungau.

Spear Dreaming at Ilyingaungau, 2001

Size
125 × 88 cm

Medium
Synthetic polymer paint on linen

Auction
Lawson~Menzies, Aboriginal Art, Sydney, 22 November 2006, Lot 79

Provenance
Aboriginal Galleries of Australia. Private Collection, Sydney. Sold with original gallery documentation and exhibition catalogue.

Price Realised
$28,000 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.

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