Born and raised at the Hermannsburg Lutheran Mission outside Alice Springs , Namatjira showed interest in art from an early age , but it was not until 1934 ( aged 32 ) , under the tutelage of Rex Battarbee , that he began to paint seriously . Namatjira 's richly detailed , Western art-influenced watercolours of the outback departed significantly from the abstract designs and symbols of traditional Aboriginal art , and inspired the Hermannsburg School of painting . He became a household name in Australia and reproductions of his works hung in many homes throughout the nation . As the first prominent Aboriginal artist to work in a western idiom , at the time he was widely regarded as representative of successful assimilation policies . Namatjira was the first Northern Territory Aboriginal person to be freed from restrictions that made Aboriginal people wards of the State . In 1957 , he became the first Aboriginal person to be granted restricted Australian citizenship , which allowed him to vote , have limited land rights and buy alcohol . In 1956 his portrait , by William Dargie , became the first of an Aboriginal person to win the Archibald Prize . Namatjira was also awarded the Queen 's Coronation Medal in 1953 , and was honoured with an Australian postage stamp in 1968
Queen 's Coronation Medal
Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal
Albert Namatjira