Mbantua Aboriginal Art Gallery

and Cultural Museum

Mission Statement

'Our Mission is to continue to promote Aboriginal art and culture, to learn as much as possible, to assist where possible and to work in harmony with the traditional aboriginal people in Central Australia to keep their culture alive'.

 History

On the 1st June 1992 Mbantua Gallery first opened its doors at 71 Gregory Terrace, right in the heart of Alice Springs. Today it is arguably the largest privately owned aboriginal art gallery in the world.

The Gallery began as an offshoot of Mbantua Store, a small general store situated at 55 Gap Road in Alice Springs. Established by the Finke River Mission way back in the 1950’s Mbantua Store still caters for traditional Aboriginal people and has done so since well before any of the major supermarket chains ever came to town. It is now part of Alice Springs history.

Mbantua Store also had a small Aboriginal Art section for many years and so Mbantua Gallery was created. The close affiliation it had with traditional Aboriginal people, the long  history of dealing in Aboriginal Art, and the increased demand for and production of art, made it a forgone conclusion that Mbantua Gallery was destined to evolve. 

Specialising in art of the Utopia region, north east of Alice Springs, from an early stage, Mbantua played a key role in the history and evolution of Utopia art. The emergence of the Utopia artists is considered to be the largest art movement in the world.  Many renowned Australian artists come from this region including Barbara Weir, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Minnie Pwerle and Gloria Petyarre. The first Leaves painting by Gloria Petyarre belongs in the Mbantua Cultural Museum as well as one of the earliest known Emily Kame Kngwarreye paintings.

Traditional Aboriginal life is lived in the Utopia Region. The native languages, mainly Alyawarr or Anmatyerre, are the first spoken, with English a second, third or fourth language or sometimes not spoken at all. Traditional ceremonies, hunting and business are still carried out, kadaicha men (tribal assassins) exist, and sacred sites are maintained. The Utopia art is known widely for its vibrant colours and contemporary appeal, yet in knowing its origin, the art of Utopia becomes even more intriguing.

In conjunction with Mbantua Store, Mbantua Gallery visits the remote Utopia region fifty-one weeks of the year, and has done so since 1986. The round trip is in excess of 600 kilometers. During these years, a wonderful rapport has developed between the people of Utopia and Mbantua Gallery. More than 250 different artists from Utopia paint for Mbantua Gallery with new artists signing up every month.

A founding member of Art Trade, Mbantua Gallery strongly supports good ethics and is highly recognised Australia and world wide as being reputable, having also been chosen as the sole Aboriginal art representative for HRH the Prince of Wales’ 2004 Australia tour. Mbantua Gallery is also regarded as having the utmost quality in customer service.

Promotion of Aboriginal art and culture is also a very important mission. Mbantua gallery travels nationally and internationally, for those who cannot visit Alice Springs. This includes private Utopia art viewing, presentations on the art & culture, public exhibitions, fundraising exhibitions and school seminars. Please check our latest news and events for our upcoming touring. Mbantua Gallery works with film crews from many countries, including France, Spain, Japan, USA and Australia, on aboriginal life and art from Utopia. You’ll also catch the Gallery and Cultural Museum on in-flight entertainment on all QANTAS flights arriving into Alice Springs .

In May 2007 we officially opened our second Gallery, the Mbantua Aboriginal Fine Art Gallery, which is located in the Darwin Mall, 2/30 Smith St.

In November 2010 we opened our third gallery, Mbantua Gallery Mornington, in Mornington Vic.

Mbantua Gallery intends to continue to promote Aboriginal art and culture, to learn as much as possible, to assist where possible, and to work in harmony with the traditional Aboriginal people of Central Australia to help keep their culture alive.

View more Gallery photos >>

Artist Resale Royalties:

Mbantua Gallery continues to appreciate the Utopia artists and their contribution to the Australian arts and economy. Though the droit de suite (a royalty for visual artists on the resale of artworks) does not exist in Australia, Mbantua Gallery has a resale royalty scheme. Since 2004, all artists receive a 1% resale royalty paid twice yearly on their artwork sold through Mbantua Gallery, based on selling price.

Money Back Guarantee:

Buying a piece of artwork is a very personal matter.  It is important to us that any art that you buy is something you will enjoy.  Though we take every step to ensure our art work images have the exact likeness to the paintings, we understand it is not always the case and images are not the same as viewing the artwork in person.

Our guarantee is that we will fully refund the cost of the artwork if you decide not to keep it within 10 days of receiving it.  Please return it to us within the 10 day period, upon receipt of the artwork we will issue you the refund.