Many have been discussing the need for a single, consistent, go-to Oceanic Art book thread for some time.
After a few recent personal finds and the realization that others were very interested as well, here we go...
I think bigbro summed it up best...
“Research CAN be fun, and...if you were a primitive art connoisseur in the 60’s, you had nekkid chicks
hanging out around your pad.”
While the subject of various Tiki and related books has been approached throughout several different threads...
JohnnyP’s “Reference Books for Oceanic Carving Inspiration”
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=26061&forum=7
jtiki’s “Oceanic Art - Books (going to the source)”
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=1135&forum=1
Tom Slick’s “Polynesian/Oceanic Culture...Keeping it REAL(image heavy)”
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=23526&forum=1
Haole Jim’s “Tiki Books, Commmon and Obscure"
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=34808&forum=1
sputnikmoss’s “Tiki Collector and ID Guide Refernce Books”
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=23359&forum=5
teaKEY’s “Read any good books lately [Book Club]”
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=20987&forum=5
Patron Zero’s “Tiki Reference Guide Sought”
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=29857=1
Jungle Trader's "Book Review Thread"
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=17724&forum=6
Robb Hamel's "Tiki: the real thing library"
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=32953&forum=1
pali-uli’s “Tiki Literature! What are you reading?”
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=35492&forum=1&19
...they tend to get derailed off topic and buried early. There is so much great information, but
sometimes it gets overlooked because it is so spread out.
How about a thread completely dedicated to Oceanic art books and other publications for the bibliophiles
that are interested in them--collections, new or newly discovered publications, recommended reading,
possible trading, requests, reviews, and of course, finds in the wild, etc. Sort of an ‘everything under one
thread’ if you will, relating to Oceanic art books, catalogs, magazines and other printed materials.
NOT Polynesian Pop, collecting Pop Tiki, books solely for specific purposes (ie. carving or painting reference),
comic books, subject-related fiction, or travelogues, etc. And, if something is found in the wild, why not
post it in one thread, here, for easy reference rather than having to hunt through “Tiki Finds.”
Here’s what I’m talkin’ about....
This was included in bigbro’s “Origin of early Trader Vic’s logo Tiki found!” thread...
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=24081&forum=1
Here are some other highlights of the aforementioned threads...
JohnnyP
tikimecula
Paipo
Tamapoutini
Creative Chimp
Here's the one that always gets mentioned, The 1946 Museum of Modern Art Arts of the South Seas by
Ralph Linton, Paul S. Wingert and Rene D'Harnoncourt with color illustrations by Miguel Covarrubias
Did anyone ever notice that the subject in Shag's Sepik Explorer is holding this book???
And here's another frequently referenced volume, Pantheon's 1954 Oceanic Art by Herbert Tischner with
the iconic, large black and white photographs by Friedrich Hewicker that usually come up when discussing
PNG drums or the Mauna Loa Detroit Menu...
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=34254&forum=1&start=0
Here are some of the recent finds we made in the wild on our Northern California road trip:
Ethnic Arts Council, ed., Jay D. Frierman, foreword. Art of New Guinea: Sepik, Maprik and Highlands.
UCLA: The Ethnic Art Galleries, 1967.
Hamson, Michael and Richard Aldridge. Art of the Massim & Collingwood Bay. Palos Verdes: Self
Published, 2009.
This is a very interesting self-published paperback--a labor of love, if you will--of long-time Southern
California Oceanic Art collector and dealer Michael Hamson. There is not an abundance of written material
out there on the art of the Massim or Collingwood Bay areas of Northeastern New Guinea, but this one
certainly fills a gap. Most pieces in the book receive their own dramatically photographed, full-page
presentation.
Lincoln, Louise. Assemblage of Spirits: Idea and Image in New Ireland. New York: George Braziller, 1987.
This paperback is essentially the catalog that accompanied the very first United States exhibition of traditional
sculpture from New Ireland at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. For those interested in the malagan ceremony,
this is like dying and going to heaven! It’s just about everything you could want or need to know in a very
thorough and heavily illustrated package.
Gathercole, Peter, Adrienne L. Kaeppler and Douglas Newton. The Art of the Pacific Islands. Washington,
D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 1979.
This inch-thick paperback was produced as a catalog for a 1979 exhibition at the National Gallery of Art,
Washington, D.C., that included many pieces borrowed and assembled from private collections and other
museums worldwide. It’s an excellent illustrated overview of art of the entire Pacific, with some excellent
essays, bibliographic references and very helpful margin cross-referencing to the catalog illustrations.
Dwyer, Jane Powell and Edward Bridgman Dwyer. Traditional Art of Oceania. San Francisco: The Fine
Arts Museums of San Francisco, 1973.
This thin paperback is the Oceania section of the original de Young Museum publication that included
traditional art of Africa and the Americas as well. It presents a very brief overview and highlights of the
collection, including an Abelam ancestor figure gifted by Vic Bergeron and the legendary Trader Vic’s logo
inspired Maori figure.
Rainer, Chris. Where Masks Still Dance: New Guinea. Boston: Bulfinch Pr., 1996.
This is a large format coffee table book of fine art black and white photographs depicting aboriginal tribes
of Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya. The photographs are absolutely stunning and many of them show the
art in its natural habitat: spirit masks, spirit houses, crocodile canoes, crocodile costumes, wooden effigies,
spirit house posts, war shields, drums, orator’s chairs and more.
Here's one from a recent estate sale
And, here are some of our most prized possessions--a selection of books from Florian Gabriel's personal reference library...
Here's to all the bibliophiles and book nerds out there!!!
