Harold Thomas (artist)

Last updated

Harold Joseph Thomas
Harold Thomas, creator of the Aboriginal Flag.JPG
Harold Thomas with Jane Lomax-Smith in Adelaide commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Australian Aboriginal Flag, 8 July 2001
Born1947 (age 7677)
Alma mater South Australian School of Art
Notable work Australian Aboriginal Flag

Harold Joseph Thomas (born 1947), also known as Bundoo, is an Aboriginal Australian artist and former activist, known for designing and copyrighting the Australian Aboriginal Flag. He claims to have designed the flag in 1971 as a symbol of the Aboriginal land rights movement, and in 1995 it was made an official "Flag of Australia". After this, his assertion of copyright over his design was upheld by the Federal Court, eventually transferring that copyright to the Commonwealth of Australia and making it freely available for public use in January 2022.

Contents

Early life and education

Harold Joseph Thomas (Bundoo) was born in 1947 to a Wombai father and Luritja mother in Alice Springs, Northern Territory. He remembers drawing and painting on pieces of paper from an early age. [1] At seven years old, he was removed from his family as part of the Stolen Generations and was raised in South Australia by a foster family. [2] [3] He attended an Adelaide independent school, Pulteney Grammar. [4]

In 1966, aged 17, Thomas won a scholarship to study at the South Australian School of Art, graduating with Honours in 1969, becoming the first Aboriginal person to graduate from an Australian art school. [3] It was while he was studying that he became involved in the civil rights movement. [1] In 1968 he held his first exhibition of watercolour paintings in Adelaide, which was opened by then premier Don Dunstan. [1]

Art practice and career

In 1970 he was the first Aboriginal person to be employed at the South Australian Museum, working as a survey artist. This gave him access to a huge collection of Aboriginal artefacts as well as a wide range of art. [1]

His main artistic influences include painters Caravaggio, Francisco Goya and Eugène Delacroix. [5] [6] [1]

In 1972 he moved to the "Top End", and started painting the landscape and wildlife, especially watercolours. He changed his subject matter and style dramatically in 2016, when he started painting representations of Aboriginal people's first and subsequent contact with European colonisers, including the frontier wars. [1]

In 2016 his painting Tribal Abduction, a scene of an Aboriginal baby being torn from their mother's breast by police, depicting a scene relating to the Stolen Generations (of which he is a member, [3] ) won the top prize of A$50,000, the Telstra Art Award, in the 33rd Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAAs). [5] [6] [7]

The Australian Aboriginal Flag as designed by Harold Thomas. Australian Aboriginal Flag.svg
The Australian Aboriginal Flag as designed by Harold Thomas.

Australian Aboriginal Flag

Thomas says he designed the flag in 1970 to lead a demonstration at the NADOC (now NAIDOC) march. [1] It was first flown at a land rights rally on 9 July 1971 [1] in Adelaide, South Australia, as a symbol of the Aboriginal land rights movement. In 1972 it was adopted by the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra. [3]

In 1991, he created a number watercolour paintings for a set of limited prints to celebrate 20 years of the flag.

On 14 July 1995 the flag was made an official "Flag of Australia". [8] [1] In 1997 Thomas was involved in a high-profile case in the Federal Court and the High Court, to assert copyright over his design. [9] [10] The outcome was that he was declared the copyright owner of the flag's design, according to Australian copyright law. [11] [12]

In 2010 Thomas was involved in a dispute with Google over its intended use of a 12-year-old Australian girl's artwork incorporating the Australian Aboriginal Flag into its logo. Thomas refused to allow Google to use the image featuring the flag after negotiations over compensation failed. Thomas claimed that Google had opened negotiations with a request for free use of the flag and, while he allowed free use to non-commercial operations that gave health, educational, legal and other assistance to Aboriginal people, he charged a fee to commercial operations. [13]

Thomas went on to give exclusive commercial rights to three companies, "one to reproduce flags, and the others to reproduce the image on objects and clothing". [14] One of these companies, WAM Clothing, issued infringement notices to various organisations, including the AFL, NRL, and Aboriginal non-profits. [15]

On 21 December 2021 Thomas created the authentic digital representation of the flag, minted as a non-fungible token (NFT) to commemorate the 50th year of the flag. [16] [15] On 25 January 2022, after three years of negotiation, Thomas assigned the copyright of the flag to the Commonwealth of Australia, in a deal that makes it free for public use by anybody. [17] He said he hoped that the democratisation of the flag would "provide comfort to all Aboriginal people and Australians to use the flag". [3] In February 2022 it was revealed that the Morrison government paid A$13.75m to Thomas to assume copyright. it also paid A$6.3m to two non-Indigenous businesses who held licences to use the flag. [18]

Other work

In 1972 Thomas illustrated Tales told to Kabbarli: Aboriginal legends collected by Daisy Bates (stories collected by author Daisy Bates, retold by Barbara Ker Wilson). [19] He also did the illustrations for Jagardoo: Poems from Aboriginal Australia (1977), by Jack Davis, and Kurkali the Lizard (1994), a children's picture book by Charlie Stream. [20]

In 1973-4 he produced and directed a mythological play called Pelicans Dream. [1]

In 1995 he was chair of the Northern Territory Stolen Generation Committee. [1]

Recognition and awards

Personal life

Thomas has lived in Humpty Doo in Northern Territory, near Darwin, since the 1990s. [3]

Selected exhibitions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Aboriginal Flag</span> Officially proclaimed flag representing Aboriginal Australians

The Australian Aboriginal Flag represents Aboriginal Australians. It is one of the officially proclaimed flags of Australia, and has special legal and political status together with the national flag and the Torres Strait Islander Flag, with which it is often flown.

Richard Bell is an Aboriginal Australian artist and political activist. He is one of the founders of proppaNOW, a Brisbane-based Aboriginal art collective.

The National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA) is Australia's longest running Indigenous art award. Established in 1984 as the National Aboriginal Art Award by the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory in Darwin, the annual award is commonly referred to as the Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award, the Telstra Award or Telstra Prize. It is open to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists working in all media.

Kathleen Petyarre was an Australian Aboriginal artist. Her art refers directly to her country and her Dreamings. Petyarre's paintings have occasionally been compared to the works of American Abstract Expressionists Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko, and even to those of J. M. W. Turner. She has won several awards and is considered one of the "most collectable artists in Australia". Her works are in great demand at auctions. Petyarre died on 24 November 2018, in Alice Springs, Australia.

Wandjuk Djuwakan Marika OBE, was an Aboriginal Australian painter, actor, composer and Indigenous land rights activist. He was a member of the Rirratjingu clan of the Yolngu people of north-east Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia, and the son of Mawalan 1 Marika.

Yanggarriny Wunungmurra (1932–2003) was an artist, yidaki player and leader of the Dhalwangu clan of the Yolngu people of northeast Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia.

Kumantje Jagamara, also known as Kumantje Nelson Jagamara, Michael Minjina Nelson Tjakamarra, Michael Nelson Tjakamarra and variations, was an Aboriginal Australian painter. He was one of the most significant proponents of the Western Desert art movement, an early style of contemporary Indigenous Australian art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Makinti Napanangka</span> Indigenous Australian artist from the Western Desert region (c. 1930 – 2011)

Makinti Napanangka was a Pintupi-speaking Indigenous Australian artist from Australia's Western Desert region. She was referred to posthumously as Kumentje. The term Kumentje was used instead of her personal name as it is customary among many indigenous communities not to refer to deceased people by their original given names for some time after their deaths. She lived in the communities of Haasts Bluff, Papunya, and later at Kintore, about 50 kilometres (31 mi) north-east of the Lake MacDonald region where she was born, on the border of the Northern Territory and Western Australia.

Danie Mellor is an Australian artist who was the winner of 2009 National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award. Born in Mackay, Queensland, Mellor grew up in Scotland, Australia, and South Africa before undertaking tertiary studies at North Adelaide School of Art, the Australian National University (ANU) and Birmingham Institute of Art and Design. He then took up a post lecturing at Sydney College of the Arts. He works in different media including printmaking, drawing, painting, and sculpture. Considered a key figure in contemporary Indigenous Australian art, the dominant theme in Mellor's art is the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian cultures.

Doreen Reid Nakamarra was an Australian Aboriginal artist and painter. Reid was considered an important artist within the Western Desert cultural bloc. She was a leading painter at the Papunya Tula artist cooperative in Central Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bardayal 'Lofty' Nadjamerrek</span>

Bardayal "Lofty" Nadjamerrek was a Kunwinjku Aboriginal artist of the Mok clan. He belonged to the Duwa moiety and spoke the Kundedjnjenghmi language. He is currently referred to by his skin and clan as "Wamud Namok", following the Kunwinjku custom of avoiding use of the name of deceased persons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darwin Festival</span> Annual arts festival in Darwin, Northern Territory of Australia

The Darwin Festival, founded as the Bougainvillea Festival in 1979 and named Festival of Darwin from 1996 to 2002, is an annual arts festival in Darwin, Northern Territory. It celebrates the multicultural aspects of the Northern Territory lifestyle. The festival is held over 18 days in August and comprises a series of events including outdoor concerts, workshops, theatre, dance music, comedy, cabaret, film and visual arts. The Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair is held under the umbrella of the festival, and the Garma Festival, NATSIAA art awards, and National Indigenous Music Awards are within the festival period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daisy Andrews</span> Australian artist (c. 1934 or 1935–2015)

Munmarria Daisy Andrews, known professionally as Daisy Andrews, was an Australian artist originally from the Walmajarri desert tribe. After taking up artwork later in life – initially illustrating the personal stories of fellow community members – Andrews began exhibiting her paintings in group and solo showings across Australia. She was known for her vividly red landscapes showcasing the mountain ranges of the Great Sandy Desert. In 1994, she received the main Telstra award from the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA) for her painting Lumpa Lumpa landscape.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabriel Maralngurra</span>

Gabriel Maralngurra is an Aboriginal Australian artist from the Ngalangbali clan in West Arnhem Land. He is well-known and respected within his community for the wide range of responsibilities he takes on. His artwork is displayed in various collections including the Australia Museum, Museum Victoria, and the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia.

Narputta Nangala Jugadai (1933–2010) was an Aboriginal Australian artist born at Karrkurutinytja, who later lived at Haasts Bluff (Ikuntji) in the Northern Territory. Her language group was Pintupi/Pitjantjatjara, and her Dreaming was "Snake", "Jangala, Two Men" and "Two Women". She was a senior artist in her community at Ikuntji and prominent among the Ikuntji Women's Centre painters. She was the wife of the painter, Timmy Tjungurrayi Jugadai, and mother of Daisy Jugadai Napaltjarri and Molly Jugadai Napaltjarri.

Malaluba Gumana is an Australian Aboriginal artist from northeast Arnhem Land, who has gained prominence through her work in painting and the production of larrakitj, the memorial poles traditionally used by Yolngu people in a mortuary ceremony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wukun Wanambi</span> Yirrkala Aboriginal artist (1962–2022)

Wukun Wanambi was an Australian Yolngu painter, filmmaker and curator of the Marrakulu clan of northeastern Arnhem Land, Northern Territory.

Dhambit Mununggurr is an Yolngu artist known for unique ultramarine blue bark paintings inspired by natural landscapes and Yolngu stories and legends. Her father Mutitjpuy Mununggurr and mother Gulumbu Yunupingu were both celebrated Aboriginal artists, each having won first prizes at the Telstra National Aboriginal & Torress Strait Islander Awards (NATSIAA). After a vehicular accident in 2005, Mununggurr was severely injured, but returned to painting in 2010.

Alick Tipoti, whose traditional name is Zugub, is a Torres Strait Islander artist, linguist, and activist of the Kala Lagaw Ya people, from Badu Island, in the Zenadh Kes. His work includes painting, installations, printmaking, sculpture and mask-making, and is focused on preserving the culture and languages of his people.

Jack Green is an Garrwa artist and environment activist from the Northern Territory of Australia. He uses his art to campaign for land rights and the protection of his traditional Country and region, particularly against the adverse impacts of mining.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 "Harold Thomas Aboriginal artist. Works in the Northern Territory Australia". Harold Thomas. 27 January 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  2. "Harold Thomas – Creator of the Aboriginal Flag". ABC. 25 March 2002. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Who is Harold Thomas?". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  4. Holderhead, Sheradyn (23 June 2013). "Search for Pulteney Grammar student Terry, subject of Jeffrey Smart painting". The Advertiser (Adelaide) . Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 Cuthbertson, Debbie (5 August 2016). "Harold Thomas wins $50,000 Indigenous art award with stolen generations painting". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  6. 1 2 Harmon, Steph (6 August 2016). "The truth hurts – Harold Thomas wins award with Aboriginal art that is raw and real". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  7. Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards 2016.
  8. "Official Status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags". CRW Flags Inc. 27 February 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  9. "Federal Court declares Aboriginal artist owner of copyright in Aboriginal flag" (PDF). Australian Copyright Council. May 1997. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  10. Harold Joseph Thomas v David George Brown & James Morrison Vallely Tennant [1997] FCA 215 (9 April 1997) Accessed 14 July 2013.
  11. "Federal Court declares Aboriginal artist owner of copyright in Aboriginal flag" (PDF) (Press release). Australian Copyright Council. 9 April 1997. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 June 2005. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  12. "The Work of the Court". Annual Report 1996-1997. Federal Court of Australia. Archived from the original on 28 March 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  13. Moses, Asher (26 January 2010). "Google Doodle For Australia Day Missing Aboriginal Flag". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  14. Higgins, Indigenous Affairs reporter Isabella (11 June 2019). "Football codes, Aboriginal designers told to stop using Aboriginal flag over copyright use". ABC News. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  15. 1 2 "Aboriginal flag quietly turns 50 amid last-minute date change and copyright dispute". the Guardian. 12 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  16. Thomas, Harold (25 January 2022). "I created the Aboriginal flag as a symbol of unity and pride". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  17. "Free use of Aboriginal Flag secured for all Australians". Prime Minister of Australia . Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  18. Allam, Lorena (18 February 2022). "Aboriginal flag 'colonised': senators in heated exchange over government's purchase of copyright". The Guardian . Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  19. Ker Wilson, Barbara. & Bates, Daisy. & Thomas, Harold. 1972, Tales told to Kabbarli: Aboriginal legends collected by Daisy Bates . Retold by Barbara Ker Wilson. Illustrated by Harold Thomas Angus and Robertson Sydney
  20. "Harold Thomas". AustLit . 10 April 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  21. Nicol, Emily (5 August 2016). "Harold Joseph Thomas (Bundoo) takes the 2016 Telstra Art Award". NITV . Retrieved 19 February 2022.