The impoverished family of Australia's most famous Aboriginal artist, Albert Namatjira, has been given copyright to his works after years of fruitless campaigning triggered the intervention of a philanthropist.
Queen Elizabeth II talks with Lenie Namatjira, the granddaughter of Albert Namajtira , during a private meeting with members of his family in 2013 Photo: AFP
Namatjira's vibrant water colours are internationally celebrated for the way he captured the hues of the Western Desert in the centre of the country.
One of his paintings was given to Britain's Queen Elizabeth in 1947 on her 21st birthday.
Dick Smith, the Australian businessman whose intervention secured the agreement, said it was the most satisfying philanthropic thing he had done.
"It's a just cause," Mr Smith said.
Albert Namatjira was born in 1902 in Hermannsburg, a remote Aboriginal community in central Australia's West MacDonnell ranges.
In 1957, he sold partial copyright for his works to a friend, John Brackenreg.
Two years later, Namatjira died and his will passed the copyright remainder to his widow, Robina, and their children. This gave his family a source of royalty income when reproductions of the images were used.
However, his estate executors gave the administration of his will to the public trustee of the state of the Northern Territory, which sold the copyright to Brackenreg's company, Legend Press, in 1983 without consulting the family.
All royalty payments to Namatjira's descendents ceased and when Mr Brackenreg died, he passed copyright to his children.
Eight years ago, arts organisation Big hART, began campaigning for the return of the copyright.
They put together a theatre show called "Namatjira" which toured Australia for three years before travelling to London where in 2013 Queen Elizabeth met two of Namatjira's grandchildren.
News reports caught the eye of Mr Smith, whose father once worked for Mr Brackenreg.
He persuaded Mr Brackenreg's children to give copyright to the Namatjira Legacy Trust, which represents the family, for $AU1 on Friday.
Smith also donated $AU250,000 ($NZ275,000) to the trust.
Namatjira Legacy Trust chair Sophia Marinos said the money would benefit the whole Aboriginal community with funds for language and cultural programmes.
