Rare Papunya masterpieces – widely regarded as foundational works in the history of contemporary Australian art – will headline AUD $7 million/ USD $5 million sale of almost 60 museum-quality works in the 2026 edition of Significant, D Lan Galleries’ flagship exhibition of secondary-market Australian Indigenous art. Presented concurrently across the gallery’s spaces in Melbourne, Sydney and New York from 14 May to 27 June 2026, the exhibition reflects growing international demand for historically important First Nations works and the continued maturation of the global market for Australian Indigenous art.

Now in its second decade, Significant has become the leading annual presentation of secondary-market Australian First Nations art, offering collectors and institutions rare access to exceptional works by some of the most influential Australian First Nations artists, from the early Papunya movement to leading contemporary voices.

Leading the exhibition is the Carey Lyon and Jo Crosby Collection, an important private collection of 10 early Papunya paintings assembled over 15 years by architect Carey Lyon and psychologist Jo Crosby. These works on board were created during the seminal 1971–72 period, widely recognised as the genesis of the Western Desert art movement and a pivotal moment in the history of Australian art.

D’Lan Davidson, founder of D Lan Galleries and curator of the exhibition, said the annual exhibition reflects both the cultural significance of the works and the growing international recognition of Australian First Nations art.

“These works represent some of the most important artistic achievements in contemporary Australian art history. Bringing them together within Significant allows us to present not only extraordinary individual works, but a broader narrative about the strength and growing influence of Indigenous art both in Australia and internationally.”

The early Papunya paintings that anchor the exhibition mark one of the most significant turning points in Australian art history. Created by senior Aboriginal artists living in the remote Central Australian community of Papunya in 1971–72, these works translated ceremonial designs and ancestral narratives – traditionally drawn in sand or on the body during ritual – into permanent paintings on composition boards. Working with the assistance of schoolteacher Geoffrey Bardon, the artists laid the foundations for the Western Desert painting movement and the establishment of Papunya Tula Artists.

Among the most significant works presented is Shorty Lungkata Tjungurrayi’s Man Dreaming 1972, a rare early Papunya board appearing for sale for the first time since the late 1980s. The work has been on long-term loan to the Art Gallery of South Australia, where it has been on permanent exhibition.

Also included from the Carey Lyon and Jo Crosby Collection is Kaapa Mbitjana Tjampitjinpa’s Honey Ant Travelling Dreaming 1971, which depicts the Honey Ant Dreaming associated with the Papunya region and provides a rare material link to the now legendary Honey Ant mural, created by senior Papunya men in 1971.

Extending this history into later generations of Indigenous artists, the exhibition also includes major works by Emily Kam Kngwarray, Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori and Nyapanyapa Yunupiŋu, highlighting the continuing evolution of contemporary Indigenous art.

Highlights include Emily Kam Kngwarray’s Yam Story 1996, created just months before the artist’s passing and representative of her dynamic late style; Sally Gabori’s Dibirdibi Country 2012, a powerful example of the Kaiadilt artist’s celebrated chromatic abstraction; and Nyapanyapa Yunupiŋu’s monumental installation Djorra 2014, comprising 45 individual drawings and paintings created on discarded print proofs from the Yirrkala Print Space. The work was previously presented as the centrepiece of the artist’s survey exhibition the moment eternal: Nyapanyapa Yunupiŋu at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.

Davidson said the gallery’s annual Significant exhibition is also shaped by a long-term commitment to ethical market practice.

“A thriving secondary market must also deliver real benefits to artists and communities. Returning 30 per cent of our net profits to First Nations artists, artist-led initiatives and their communities  is central to how we understand our responsibility in supporting the future of Indigenous cultural practice.”

ENDS

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Exhibition Details
Significant 14 May – 27 June 2026