Changing designs in Arawe, New Britain
Resource type
Book chapter
Creator (person)
Knowles, Chantal
Date published
July 7, 2013
Abstract
The British Museum's collection is pre-eminent among early collections from Melanesia, and the 20,000 items it comprises are core to understanding the cultures of the western Pacific. The extraordinary art styles represented, from groups such as New Guinea, New Ireland and the Solomon Islands and relating to ancestors, family and clan, houses, feasting and festivals, for instance, are of interest not only in themselves but also for the way they have influenced European artists since the nineteenth century. This book surveys and responds to the collection from the point of view not only of the anthropologist but also of the people responsible for its creation, with contributions from a wide range of international scholars, anthropologists, indigenous peoples and artists, and illustrated with up to 300 colour images of objects and contextual photographs. This is the first time this important collection has been documented - the book is not only a visual feast but also a key reference work.
Book title
Melanesia: Art and Encounter
Editor
Adams, Julie
Bolton, Lissant
Bonshek, Elizabeth
Thomas, Nicholas
Burt, Ben
Pagination
130-132
Publisher
British Museum
Place of publication
London
Rights statement
In Copyright