Mary Brown Napangardi (born c.1953) is a senior Warlpiri artist from the Central Desert of the Northern Territory. Born near Mandarine, south-west of Yuendumu, she spent her early childhood living traditionally on Country, where she learned bush foods, bush medicine, ceremonial practices and the Jukurrpa (Dreaming) stories passed down through her family before relocating to the Yuendumu community.

Mary began painting in the early 1990s and has worked regularly with Warlukurlangu Artists since 2005. Her paintings depict women’s ceremonies and the ancestral stories of her father’s Country, using traditional Warlpiri iconography to represent important sites, flora, fauna and the enduring connection between people and land. Her vibrant palette and confident compositions bring a contemporary energy to these ancient cultural narratives.

Mary comes from a distinguished family of Aboriginal artists. She was married to acclaimed Western Desert artist Ronnie Tjampitjinpa and is also related to artists Dorothy Napangardi, Jeannie Napangardi Lewis and Margaret Napangardi Brown, among others.

Her work has been exhibited throughout Australia and internationally and is represented in significant public and private collections. Mary Brown Napangardi is recognised as an important contemporary Warlpiri artist whose paintings preserve and celebrate the cultural traditions of the Central Desert.