Billy Stockman Tjapaltjarri

Billy Stockman Tjapaltjarri was a senior Anmatyerre artist and a founding member of the Papunya Tula movement. Born at Mount Denison Station, he survived the tragic Coniston Massacre as a child and later worked as a stockman before settling in Papunya. 

Billy began painting in the early 1970's alongside other men who established the Western Desert art movement. His works draw on men’s Dreamings, ceremonies, and sites around Mt Denison and Napperby, combining fine dotting and rhythmic patterns to preserve ancestral stories.

Beyond his own painting, Billy was a strong advocate for Aboriginal artists. He served as chairman of Papunya Tula and played a key role in ensuring artists had control over their work and cultural knowledge. Today, his art is held in major national and international collections, remembered for its cultural depth and for his leadership during a defining era of Aboriginal art.