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b1415. New Guinea Art: Masterpieces from Jolika Collection of Marcia and John FriedeJohn Friede, Greg Hodgins, Philippe Peltier, Dirk Schmidt, and Robert L. Welsch. photographs by John Bigelow Taylor and Dianne Duble 5 continents editions. 852 pp., hardback, 91/2 x 113/4 in. 2 volumes with slipase 680 colour ills. and 600 duotone ills. ISBN 88-7439-229-X. Co-edition with the De Young Museum, San Francisco. The appeal of New Guinea art lies in its extraordinary resourcefulness and creativity. For centuries, the people there have made objects in order to communicate and interact with the spirit world. The objects, based on myths and ancient religious themes, are the equal of any of the worlds great sculptural masterpieces. Some were made in response to health, or fertility, or rites of passage; others signified an individual stature in a village; and others invoked the end of a mourning ritual, or warded off evil and sickness. The range of media widely reflected the natural world available to the New Guinean: shell, rock, feathers, bone, wood, bark, cloth, sago-leaf, nuts and seeds, human hair, and brilliant colours from natural pigments. And though these objects were never intended to last beyond their immediate need or use, they have in fact survived hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of years. The masterworks come from the collection of John and Marcia Friede, who have devoted decades to the study and pursuit of these works. $250 |
