Portrait Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri Clifford was born around 1932 at Napperby station in the Western Desert. He belongs to the Anmatyerre / Arrente language group. His father came from the Mt. Allen region, his mother from Warlugulong south-west of Yuendumu. The name ‘Possum’ was given to Clifford by his paternal grandfather. Clifford grew up ‘in the bush’ and later at Jay Creek during the late 40’s and worked at various stations around Glen Helen, Mt. Wedge and Mt. Allan as a stockman. He received no formal education. During the early 70’s his brother Tim Leura encouraged Clifford to paint with Geoffrey Bardon’s group of ‘painting men’. Being a renowned wood carver Clifford was one of the last men to join this group of painters. He had been employed at Papunya teaching wood carving to the children. From the mid 80’s he and his family lived at Papunya, Napperby station, near Glen Helen and Alice Springs in the Northern Territory’s Western Desert area. Clifford is a forefather of the contemporary Aboriginal art movement originated by Geoffrey Bardon who encouraged the local Indigenous people to put their dreaming stories on canvas using acrylic paint. Previously, the stories had been depicted on the ground, which made them ephemeral. Clifford joined this group of ‘dot and circle’ painters in 1972 and he immediately distinguished himself as one of its most talented members. He created some of the largest and most complex paintings ever produced. In the late 70’s and early 80’s he was Chairman of Papunya Tula Artists. He pursued a groundbreaking career and was amongst the vanguard of Indigenous Australian artists and internationally recognised. Like Emily Kngwarreye and Albert Namatjira, Clifford Possum blazed a trail for future generations of indigenous artists, bridging the gap between Aboriginal art and contemporary Australian art. His subjects and themes include Men’s Ceremony, Man’s Love Story, Lightning, Goanna, Water, Possum, Fire, Kangaroo, Snake, Fish. Clifford’s works were exhibited in countless museums and galleries worldwide. He is represented in all major collections in Australia and overseas and his works are highly sought after. He was also awarded numerous prestigious prizes. Clifford’s majestic painting Warlugulong was auctioned by Sothebys in July 2007. This work was expected to make art history as the most expensive Aboriginal painting at auction. The work sold for $2.4 million, double the then-record for Aboriginal art. Shortly afterwards, it was revealed that the National Gallery of Australia was the buyer in order to prevent the loss of significant indigenous art to a possible overseas buyer. Clifford spent most of his time either in Alice Springs or in Melbourne and Adelaide with his daughters Gabriella Possum Nungurayyi and Michelle Possum Nungurayyi, who are renowned artists in their own right. On the day he was scheduled to receive the Order of Australia for his contribution to art and to the indigenous community, he died in Alice Springs. He was buried at Yuelamu several weeks after his death, on a site that had been the preference of his daughters and his community. Copyright 2012-2013 The Aboriginal Art House