Tribal Sculpture: Masterpieces from Africa, South East Asia and the Pacific in the Barbier-Mueller Museum - Hardcover

Collection Barbier-Muller; Newton, Douglas; Waterfield, Hermione; Ferrazzini, Pierre-Alain

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9780865659629: Tribal Sculpture: Masterpieces from Africa, South East Asia and the Pacific in the Barbier-Mueller Museum

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0865659621 ISBN 13: 9780865659629

Publisher: Vendome Pr, 1995

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The quality and variety of the Barbier-Mueller collection of ethnic sculpture are astonishing, and only the finest pieces were selected for this all-color, oversize book. These striking pieces came from a vast number of small local cultures, of almost infinite variety, from an enormous expanse of the Old World, more specifically from Africa, Indonesia, especially the tribal areas - today known as Irian Jaya and New Guinea. Due to their ritual use, the rigors of tropical climates and the depradations of missionaries and conquerors, fine pieces have always been a rarity, as they were generally linked to the universal requirements of statehood and religion. Some remarkable pieces, however, did make up part of daily life.

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From Library Journal:

The Northern Hemisphere has long looked at the art of the Southern Hemisphere and equatorial regions as a collection of curios or travel trophies illustrating the essentially barbarous nature of its creators. Slowly such views are changing as more effort is put to understanding the individual works of art and their context in the societies that produced them. Art historian Meyer has attempted to integrate over 200 color photos together with a general text giving an overview of the role of the arts in various African cultures. Although her choppy text (translated from the French) will provide a basis for interested readers to start research, the bibliography is dated and leads mostly to French sources. Rather than present an overview, Newton, the former director of New York's Museum of Primitive Art, has produced a catalog of suberb photographs with scholarly explanatory captions. The objects, mostly of wood, are drawn from Geneva's Barbier-Mueller Museum, considered one of the best collections in the world. Photographed with great depth of field and subtle lighting designed to accentuate texture, the sculptures are brought to life by a fine-grain printing process. Meyer uses some photos that also appear in Newton's book, but the two works complement each other rather than overlap. The Newton book is the better choice for general collections, but the differences in explaining societal context and the different scope of coverage warrant placement of both books in comprehensive collections.
David McClelland, Temple Univ. Lib., Philadelphia
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

Located in Geneva, the Barbier-Mueller Museum specializes in artwork from smaller African nations and East Asian and Pacific Island cultures. Documenting the tribal sculptures originally collected by Josef Mueller and pieces later acquired by relatives who founded the museum, this finely produced book offers stunning illustrations and authoritative commentaries. Newton and his coauthors endow the text with vital background to aid in understanding the diverse societies represented by these awe-inspiring objects. Masks, figurative statues, and functional implements are among the various types of objects pictured; still, even a brisk perusal allows readers to glean elements held in common--powerfully rendered imagery melded with profoundly realized forms. A visual feast for art lovers and cultural anthropology buffs. Alice Joyce

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