Local artists
Many artists from the Hermannsburg community & region continue to practise using the watercolour & landscape style developed through the artist Rex Battarbee by Albert Namatjira, the best known of all Hermannsburg Aboriginal artists.
Originally a Lutheran Mission, Hermannsburg retains many of its national heritage listed buildings and is a major tourist attraction. It is located approximately 130 km west of Alice Springs and still is a place to find beautiful examples of Hermannsburg Art.
After Albert's death in 1959, the reputation of his paintings & painting style went through a period of neglect, and the Hermannsburg style of art suffered from this. Over the last decade, the reputation of Hermannsburg watercolour artists has blossomed once again, both nationally & internationally. The Hermannsburg style, landscape paintings imbued with a distinctively Aboriginal character, are once again being created by many of Namatjira’s descendants. These works are also achieving a rightful place in Australian art history.
Vanessa Inkamala
Vanessa Inkamala was born at Hermannsburg (Ntaria) in 1968. Related to the Pareroultja family she has inherited their artistic ability
Stephanie Ngala Ratara
Stephanie was born at Hermannsburg in 1969. Her early schooling was at a “bush school” near Palm Valley.
Roxanne Kenny
Roxanne was born at Hermannsburg in 1968. Her father was a Southern Aranda man from Horseshoe Bend (south of Alice Springs on the Finke River).
Martha Wheeler
Martha Wheeler was born on 7 February 1967. She is the second child of Betty and Marcus Wheeler.
Gloria Napurrurla Pannka
Gloria Pannka was born at Hermannsburg in 1953. She is a granddaughter of Albert Namatjira and daughter of Claude Pannka who was one of the first generation of Hermannsburg water colour artists.
Clarabelle Swift
Clarabelle was born in 1967, the daughter of Lloyd and Audrey Rubuntja and attended the mission school at Hermannsburg.
Andrew Ebatarinja
Andrew was born at Hermannsburg (Ntaria) on the 19th April 1968. He grew up in Hermannsburg, went to school here and now works here. He learnt to paint from his mother from an early age. He is married with four children and many grandchildren.
Hubert Pareroultja
Hubert has been painting water colours since he was a young boy. In those early years he learnt by watching Albert Namatjira, his father Reuben Pareroultja and his uncles Otto and Edwin. Hubert prefers to live on his traditional country west of Hermannsburg.
Betty (Namatjira) Wheeler
Betty was born at Hermannsburg (Ntaria) in 1949. Her father came from Haasts Bluff, north west of Hermannsburg. Her mother was Martha Namatjira, one of Albert Namatjira’s daughters.
