Tribal Collection

Asia & Oceania Trbal Collection
Tribal art is to be found throughout most parts of the world and is generally so termed because it is the product of group cultural systems rather than the art of individuals who have shaped a particular culture. Formerly characterized and referred to as "primitive" art, tribal art has taken on a new meaning in the twenty-first century. African art, which used to be called primitive art, but now is placed in a category of its own; nevertheless it is unquestionably “tribal art” since it is the product of tribal cultures and it is the specific African tribes that define how it looks. We have featured African Art collections elsewhere on this web-site, under theme headings such as "Masks", "Maternity" as well as specific featured tribes such as the Fang, the Dogon, and Yoruba.

This collection of Tribal Art derives from parts of Asia and Oceania and is the product of different so-called primitive cultures. Tribal regions of the Himalayas, Nepal, are represented by a group of fine Magar examples as well as a sophisticated mother-and-child sculpture from the Gond people of the Nepal Terai that reminds of a Picasso, and small Himalayan tribal erotic sculptures that are refreshingly direct in their “Tantric” approach to the subject. Then there are unusual and powerful examples from the Naga former-head-hunters of Assam; from the Batak of Indonesia; from sophisticated Bali; a rare tribal sculpture from Taiwan; several impressive items from New Guinea, including from the Blackwater, Bowat, Mindimbit, Asmat and Sepik areas and people; from aboriginal Australia; Maori New Zealand; the Marquesas Islands; and a rare group from mysterious Easter Island which includes the classic Moai Kavakava, various other sculptures and artifacts and two rare Rongo-rongo tablets. This collection of Asian and Oceanic tribal art is diverse yet there are many common themes, styles and techniques used which repeat and remind us that "tribal" can also mean "inspired", "original", as well as "archaic", "cultural", and "primitive". A contradiction, maybe. But masterful art, certainly!