Jimmy Pike

Jimmy Pike (1940 – 3 November 2002) was a Walmatjarri Aboriginal artist.

Early life Jimmy Pike was born around 1940 east of Japingka, an important jila or permanent waterhole in the Great Sandy Desert, and grew up as a hunter-gatherer. Like many of his people he drifted north toward the river valleys and the sheep and cattle stations where food was more plentiful. Living as a fringe-dweller around Cherrabun Station, he eventually joined relatives at the station camp and worked as a stockman. He was named Jimmy Pike, after Phar Lap's jockey, by a cattle station manager.

Career Pike learned to use western art materials while in Fremantle Prison.

He illustrated a book Jimmy and Pat meet the Queen with his wife Pat Lowe. Pike has collaborated on a number of other books with his wife.

He held exhibitions in United Kingdom, Philippines, China, Namibia, and Italy. He was the first Australian painter to show there.

Individual exhibitions Source: 1985 Aboriginal Artists Gallery, Melbourne 1986 Aboriginal Artists Gallery, Sydney 1986 Black Swan Gallery, Fremantle 1987 Ben Grady Gallery, Canberra 1987 Tynte Gallery, Adelaide 1987 Craft Centre Gallery, Sydney 1987 Seibu Shibuya, Tokyo 1988 Birukmarri Gallery, Fremantle 1988 Capricorn Gallery, Port Douglas 1988 Tynte Gallery, Adelaide 1988 Blaxland Gallery, Sydney and Melbourne 1991 Rebecca Hossack Gallery, London 2000 Museo d'arte contemporanea AM International Bivongi, provincia di Reggio Calabria, Italy 2000 Museo dell'Aeronautica G. Caproni, Trento, Italy

Group exhibitions Source: Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth Flinders University Art Museum, Adelaide Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Surfers Paradise Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin Museum Victoria, Melbourne National Gallery of Australia, Canberra National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne National Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney Parliament House Art Collection, Canberra Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane Queensland University of Technology Collection Queensland Museum The Holmes a Court Collection, Perth BHP Collection Christensen fund Collection Oodgeroo Collection