Updated
The family of Indigenous artist Albert Namatjira are continuing their fight to have the copyright of his works returned to them, after a film highlighting their plight hit cinemas in Australia.
A timeline of Albert Namatjira's copyright
- 1957: Albert Namatjira entered into a copyright agreement with John Brackenreg of Legend Press, for the exclusive rights to reproduce his paintings.
- 1959: Namatjira passed away and the Public Trustee for the NT Government took on administration of his estate, with Legend Press continuing to manage copyright, paying 12.5 per cent royalty to the Namatjita family.
- 1983: Public Trustee NT sold Namatjira's copyright to Legend Press for $8,500 — ending the income stream to the family.
- 2017: The Public Trustee who oversaw the sale of Namatjira's copyright admits wrongdoing.
- 2029: Namatjira's copyright will expire.
The documentary Namatjira Project focuses on the decades-long push for the rights to be returned to the Namatjira family and will be shown on limited release in Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra from today.
Early versions of the film were shown in Namatjira's hometown of Hermannsburg in Central Australia last year, bringing to the fore the plight the family.
Relatives and followers of the water colourist want to maintain pressure on the current owner of the copyright - Legend Press - to return it back to them.
The Northern Territory public trustee sold the copyright to a Sydney-based private art collector 34 years ago for $8,500.
The former NT official who made the decision later admitted it was a mistake.
Legend Press was contacted by the ABC but refused to comment.
'It's a bit sad at the moment'
The documentary's producer Sophia Marinos said the decision meant Namatjira's descendents had not received any royalties for the use of his work.
"Any Namatjira works that you see reproduced anywhere have no connection to the Namatjira family neither financially or in terms of where it's placed," she said.
Lewina Namatjira is the granddaughter of the famous watercolourist and is learning to paint herself.
She said she hoped the new documentary would help put public pressure on the owner of the copyright to return it to the Namatjira family.
"It's a bit sad at the moment that it's been taken away for a long time and we want that copyright back," she said.
'Hope to keep the movement strong'
Namatjira became a household name after being trained in watercolours by two artists visiting Hermannsburg.
His work was admired by Queen Elizabeth II, whom he met in person.
He also started the Hermannsburg School art movement, which his relatives are hoping to continue.
Gloria Pannka is the daughter of one of Namatjira's contemporaries and a follower of the Hermannsburg School.
She said she wanted the royalty money returned to central Australia to help encourage younger generations to continue the unique painting style.
"We're hoping to keep this art movement going strong for our future kids and with the help of the copyright we can go forward," Ms Marinos said.
"People live with a lot of challenges in their lives and that means that this art movement is often tinkering at the edge of perhaps not having a future.
"[Namatjira was] one of our first Aboriginal citizens, introduced to the Queen all these things and yet suffered a great injustice and the family really continue to bare the brunt of that injustice," she said.
Topics: indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, arts-and-entertainment, hermannsburg-0872, alice-springs-0870
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