Makinti Napanangka was a celebrated Pintupi artist and a leading figure in contemporary Indigenous Australian art. Born near Lake Macdonald on the border of Western Australia and the Northern Territory, she spent her early years living a traditional, nomadic lifestyle in the Western Desert. She later settled in Kintore following the establishment of government outposts in the region.
Makinti began painting in the mid-1990s, becoming one of the pioneering women at Papunya Tula Artists, a major hub for the Western Desert art movement. Encouraged by workshops and collaborations between Kintore and the Ikuntji Women’s Centre at Haasts Bluff, she helped lead a bold new wave of female expression in desert painting. Her style, marked by expressive brushwork, vivid colour, and dynamic composition, diverged from the more restrained works of her male counterparts, celebrating sacred stories, women’s ceremonies, and Country with striking energy.
In 1996, she formally joined Papunya Tula as a shareholder and independent artist. Her work quickly gained national and international recognition, featuring in major exhibitions such as Papunya Tula: Genesis and Genius (2000) and the Clemenger Contemporary Art Award (2003). In 2008, she won the prestigious Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award.
Makinti continued painting until her death in 2011. Her legacy endures as a powerful voice in Australian art, celebrated for her contribution to the evolution and visibility of First Nations women’s art on the world stage.