Is Aboriginal Art Just a Style?

The Australian catches an art dealer in the act of passing works off as Aboriginal art when they were fabricated by someone who is not an Aboriginal Australian:

Adelaide dealer Tony Antoniou and his company, Australian Dreamtime Creations, were yesterday found by the Federal Court to have breached the Trade Practices Act by selling artworks by a non-Aboriginal man under the name of Ubanoo Brown.

Australian Indigenous Art Trade Association president Ian Plunkett was perplexed as to why an art dealer would use a non-indigenous person to create Aboriginal art.

“Either something’s done by an Aboriginal artist or it’s not,” said Mr Plunkett, who is also a director of Fremantle’s Japingka indigenous fine art gallery. “It’s bitterly disappointing. I can’t see the point. There are a lot of Aboriginal artists looking for work as well and are willing to paint.”

Dealer Guilty of Artwork Deceit (The Australian)

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One Response to “Is Aboriginal Art Just a Style?”

  1. meisart says:

    Not just a "style" . I recommend MUTANT DOWN UNDER by Marla Morgan. The Aboriginal people are deeply spiritual. After reading Morgan's books I came to understand that the Aborigine are in tune with nature on a level that only a handful of souls will fathom in this lifetime.

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