Ada Andy Napaltjarri Sold at Auction Prices

b. 1954 -

Ada Andy Napaltjarri (born c. 1954) is a Warlpiri– and Luritja–speaking Indigenous artist from Australia's Western Desert region. Ada was born near Haasts Bluff, Northern Territory, and has lived in several Northern Territory communities, she began painting in the early 1980s at Alice Springs and probably played a role in the development of interest in painting in the communities in which she has lived.

Ada Andy was born in 1954 at Narwietooma Station, near Haasts Bluff, Northern Territory, west of Alice Springs. 'Napaljarri' (in Warlpiri) or 'Napaltjarri' (in Western Desert dialects) is a skin name, one of sixteen used to denote the subsections or subgroups in the kinship system of central Australian Indigenous people. These names define kinship relationships that influence preferred marriage partners and may be associated with particular totems. Although they may be used as terms of address, they are not surnames in the sense used by Europeans, thus 'Ada Andy' is the element of the artist's name that is specifically hers.

Her mother is artist Entalura Nangala who painted for major Indigenous art company Papunya Tula, and her father is Old Andy (Walpa) Tjungarrayi who is from Karrinyarra Mount wedge station and spoke Warlpiri and Anmeterrye. Her mother Entalura's later traditionally married husband Don Tjungarrayi, her father how ever did not marry but did still lived with Don and Intalura at Karrinyarra outstation until he's death in 2000.

Ada grew up at Haasts Bluff, and then lived at Kintore from around 1955 to around 1964;[5] as of 1981, Ada was married to Alistair Burns, a school teacher from New Zealand, with whom she had lived in several different Northern Territory communities.She has three daughter Maggie Burns, Laati Burns and Sharon Burns. Ada's sisters Nora Andy Napaltjarri(DEC), Emily Andy Napaltjarri and Sallene Andy Napaltjarri(DEC) are also artists, she Also has three brother Nigel Andy, Evans Andy(DEC) and Randell Andy(DEC).