Pintupi painters have been at the forefront of the Western Desert painting movement since its beginning at the tiny Indigenous community of Papunya in the early 1970s. The dynamism of their geometric shapes and lines, bursting with raw power, helped the fledgling movement to gain national prominence and international acclaim. Today Pintupi artists are still at the centre of the movement, continuing to innovate within a strong and proud tradition.

Works by early masters of the movement Uta Uta Tjangala, Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula and Mick Namerari Tjapaltjarri are seen together with works by leading artists of the current generation: Walangkura Napanangka, George Tjugurrayi and the late Doreen Reid Nakamarra. One recent innovation in Pintupi painting has been the introduction of an optical style. Many artists use dots, lines, layering, over-painting and a discord between colours to create a sense of movement in their paintings. The late Doreen Reid Nakamarra was a master of this style, using pulsating lines of dots to invoke the movement of sand across her desert country. Her Untitled (Marrapinti) 2008 is one of a handful of master works she produced before her untimely passing in 2009.