Ancestors of the Lake examines the distinctive art of the Lake Sentani and Humboldt Bay regions on the island of New Guinea, including their highly stylized wood sculptures and barkcloths painted with abstract designs (maro). Gathering together many important pieces for the first time, this volume includes examples from the landmark collections assembled in the 1920s by the French writer and art dealer Jacques Viot and Swiss explorer, anthropologist, and collector Paul Wirz. It reproduces a number of their contemporaneous in situ photographs, and the authors profile these men as well as other collectors, scholars, and curators who brought this art to the attention of Europeans and Americans; explore how Surrealist artists encountered and found inspiration in it; and examine the significance of the works to the peoples, both the past and present, of Lake Sentani and Humboldt Bay.
Details: Hardcover 136 pages 9 1/4 x 11 1/2 inches Published in 2011
