Rover Thomas was one of the first Indigenous artists to represent Australia at the Venice Biennale (1990); was the subject of a major retrospective exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra (1994) and holds the highest sale price for an Indigenous work of art (2002).

Rover Thomas became known for his direct and powerful images of his country and its stories. His works are not literal representations of the landscape but conceptual abstractions of ancestral and modern events, ceremonies and Dreamings. Rover Thomas used locally sourced ochres (natural earth pigments) and gums so his paintings are imbued with the very essence of the land they depict.