. >> albert namatjira captured the. mysticism of the central australian desert. pivotal to his work was the ghost gum tree. it's quite dark clothes in the moonlight. its whit bark glows. the trees are regarded as living spirits in indigenous culture. they were burned. >> it is the two trees that brought this man to prominence and the northern territory and central australia to prominence and put us on the world map. cracks are distortions have said that if the trees were deliberately set on fire, it would be an appalling and tragic act of cultural vandalism. albert and madeira's stunning watercolors brought the harsh beauty of the central desert to the world and helped make it a symbol of australian identity. the renowned artist died in 1959. -- albert namatjira. >> we have all the main stories on our website, bbc.com. thanks for watching. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding for this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank. >> at union ba