Our Story

ALTYERRE ABORIGINAL ART

Altyerre Art is a collection of Aboriginal art, watercolour, contemporary and traditional works, gathered since the 1960s by Bartolomeo 'Jimmy/Jim' Del Giacco and Lori Ventura-Del Giacco.

Jim's passion for the art began with the watercolours. He would finish work in Alice Springs and drive out to Hermannsburg to see the artists and spend time out bush.

He liked seeing artists tell their story through their painting, and he liked that it gave them a chance to earn. We provided canvases and paints to artists who wanted to paint but could not afford them.

Artists who became family friends over the years would stay in the cottage next to the house when they were in town and needed somewhere. Lori and Jim were always accommodating that way.

The desert is where their hearts were. Ancient country, red earth and old ranges, and light that changes the whole place from one hour to the next. A long way from Italy with its busy roads and old buildings, but this was the land they loved and made home together.

As Jimmy's health declined and his passion for art took a back seat, many Aboriginal artists and old friends would still call in to say hello when they were in town. It was Lori who kept the collecting going.

The collection has grown over more than 55 years and the works have sat in storage all that time. They are now ready to be shared. Each piece carries the story in the painting itself, and the story of how it came to be in Jim and Lori's hands.

We hope you love these artworks and the stories behind them as much as we do.

About Lori and Jim

Lori and Jim are Italian immigrants who settled in Alice Springs after stints in other states. They met and fell in love and grew their family there, Lori working in hospitality and Jimmy as a painter and builder.

Jim built a reputation as a hard worker who would give anyone a go and a day's work, and he taught building and painting skills to plenty of people over the years.

They started numerous businesses together, including the first pizza and Italian restaurant in Alice Springs, Centre Restaurant, in 1965. Their business adventures continued with restoring the old Postmaster's home, now called 'The Residence' and part of the National Trust, constructing units and a hotel. Being Italian, they had a passion for growing their own food, and anyone who came by would leave with a bag of produce from the orchard when it was in season.

Throughout his time in Alice Springs, Jimmy worked tirelessly for the Italian community and in 1974 he was honoured by the Italian Prime Minister with a Knighthood, Cavaliere in Italian, for services to that community. Being a humble man, he was equally proud and modest about it.

Over the years, many artists coming into town would visit Lori and Jim at their property to say hello and bring work to sell. In the early days it was sometimes the only income a family had that week, and Lori and Jim were happy to help. Hundreds of friendships came out of it and some of them are still going today.

Sadly, Jimmy passed away on the 23rd of May 2021.

About Bridgette

Bridgette is the youngest of the two Del Giacco children. She lived in Alice Springs until she was 15, then went to boarding school in Adelaide. She has lived and travelled overseas extensively and eventually settled back in Australia.

Her working life has covered hospitality, business, real estate and marketing, and she has studied in business, real estate and photography. It has turned out to be a useful mix for running an online gallery, where one day might be spent photographing work and the next writing listings or looking after customers.

She now lives in Darwin with her partner and two children and manages the family business and the online gallery. It means a lot to her to be sharing the art and the stories that shaped her upbringing, and to know they are finally being seen.