from the Introduction:

Of the work of Australia's greatest traditional painter, Yirawala, Pablo Picasso said, 'That is what I have been trying to achieve all my life.'
In Yirawala's lifetime his ceremonial paintings were eagerly sought by museums and collectors all over the world. He was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to Aboriginal art, and also received the Interntaional Art Co-operation Award naming him the best artist in Australia for 1971. Despite all the honours and praise, he was disappointed that his paintings were regarded only as art.