Post #409663 by bigbrotiki on Tue, Sep 23, 2008 10:07 PM

Not cynical, just quoting facts: Generations of anthropologists have been sweeping the Melanesian islands for native art since the turn of the century. Remember Karl Woermann's quote about Oceanic art in the BOT ("Who ever has seen them.."), the Western world had the "Fever" since the late 1800s. The Hamburg South Sea Expedition of 1908-1910 alone brought home some 50 000 artifacts. I just heard in a lecture at the Hamburg Ethnology museum that their ship passed on some areas along the coast because they found out that these parts had been "cleaned up" (the lecturer used that expression) by an American expedition that came through before them. And that was in 1908! -Way before "primitive" art become popular in the 50s and 60s. By the 1970s, 98% percent of all ancient PNG art had wandered into museums and private collections, and had become quite expensive, and so a commercial trade and fabrication developed to fill the demand.

But there is no single, simple black and white truth, like in all aspects of cultural evolution. Of course there were and are still native carvers that did some work for their tribes, and still anthropologists that were/are collecting for whatever reason: Their research, their collection, or for commercial gain.

So I am not doubting your seller at all, I am just pointing out that the majority of that art available out there today is relatively new. Kind of like Polynesian pop Tikis. The difference is that one is not recognized as "authentic" art yet, while the other is sold as such.