Albert Namatjira (1902- 1959), was born Elea Namatjira, in the Australian Aboriginal Arrernte (Aranda) tribe.
One of the most famous Australian artists, he achieved world-wide fame in the 1930s and '40s with his watercolour depictions of the distinctive Australian landscape.
Tragically, he became another victim of the clash between his Aboriginal culture and the racist and patronising laws of the day. As an Aborigine, he was legally barred from owning land. Public outrage at this forced the government to grant him Australian Citizenship in 1957, 10 years before the rest of his people. Convicted of supplying alcohol to his community, an act forbidden by white law, but mandated by tribal law, he spent two months in jail, emerging a broken man. He never painted again.
