The Development of the Market for Bark Paintings in Western Arnhem Land

Abstract

Abstract Analysis of contemporary Kunwinjku bark pamtmg must include an account of production with regard to the market. While the importance of bark painting as a means for gaining access to cash income has been examined elsewhere (Altman 1982a, 1983, 1987; Altman et al. 1989), I am concerned with how Kunwinjku have been able to strike a particularly favourable balance between their cultural proclivities and the influence of the market. In this chapter I trace the historical evolution of the market for Kunwinjku bark paintings from the earliest collections made by non Aborigines to the present-day organization of the international market. I focus on the way Kunwinjku have perceived the nature of the production of paintings for sale in terms of their more traditional contexts for painting, and how today’s painting draws on these established artistic forms.