Businessman Patrick Corrigan readily admits he didn’t start collecting art until his 40s. Forty years on he has amassed a collection in which indigenous art dominates.
Corrigan has just published his third art book, featuring the vibrant works of Queensland indigenous artist Sally Gabori. Mrs Gabori, who only started painting at the age of 81 in 2005, produced more than 6000 works that made her one of Australia’s leading modern artists of the past decade. Hers is a remarkable story, Corrigan says.
“She is a neglected artist who only started painting as an 81 year old. She only painted for five years and then stopped,” he says. “I thought it was time the world got to see her work.”
Corrigan says her works represent not only her heart but her soul. “And through this book I hope to provide a special window into Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda’s (Mrs Gabori) story and how she came to paint,” Corrigan says.
Mrs Gabori was born as part of the Kaiadilt people in 1924 on Bentinck Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland. In 1948, her family was relocated to Mornington Island where she lived and worked until her death on 13 February 2015. Her vibrant artworks capture her connection to her country, her family and her tribe, Corrigan says. His book, Gabori: the Corrigan Collection of paintings by Sally Gabori, celebrates her artwork that's included in his collection.
Throughout her early life Mrs Gabori produced traditional pandanus fibre and Hibiscus bark handicrafts. It was when she moved to painting on canvas in 2005 that her art came to national attention, Corrigan says. He first collected her works in 2006. "I came to her late but I am glad I did," he says. Her paintings are exhibited in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, US, Korea, the Netherlands and Italy.
“She had a short career, yet the cultural legacy she left behind will live on for a very long time,” Corrigan says.
