Archives: Art For Sale

Art For Sale

A Fine Old New Guinea Gourd Mask Eastern Highlands Province Papua New Guinea

A Fine Old New Guinea Gourd Mask Eastern Highlands Province Papua New Guinea

This beautiful bright yellow Gourd Mask is from the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea, Gourd Masks like this example were used in traditional ceremonies and they were repainted for each time they were danced.  In some cases, gourd masks replaced old masks made from their ancestor’s skulls.  This Mask I bought in Goroka in 1986 and it has been a favourite of mine for 35 years.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic Art 

Exhibited & Published in Oceanic Arts Pacifica: Artworks from The Todd Barlin Collection at the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre Sydney 2016. 

I first went to Papua New Guinea in 1985 for an adventure & what I found was that I really enjoyed being with the people of New Guinea, over the next 38 years I spent extensive time spent collecting and documenting traditional art & ceremonies in remote areas of Papua New Guinea & West Papua, The Solomon Islands & Vanuatu & the other Pacific Islands countries. During these travels, I made major collections of New Guinea & Oceanic Art for major Museums and Public Art Galleries

I was honoured by being in the prestigious Louvre Museum Magazine for the collections I made for The Museum of African & Oceanic Art Paris in 1996 (now the Musee Quai Branly) for the exhibition “Asmat et Mimika d’ Irian Jaya April 1996 At THE MUSEE NATIONAL des ARTS D’AFRIQUE et d’ OCEANIE, Paris

See all of the links & photos in my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY and there is the link to the article in the prestigious Louvre Magazine 1996

I have artwork for Museums & Art Galleries but also for collectors at every stage of their collecting. I want to encourage people to explore the fine art of New Guinea & West Papua and the Pacific Islands and to be able to see and touch the artworks in a relaxed and friendly manner in my Sydney Gallery.  I would like to invite you to visit my gallery and see the artworks in person and also look at my website www.oceanicartsaustralia.com  where there are many Galleries & Sub Galleries to explore.

My Gallery of nearly 40 years is the last physical gallery in Sydney that specialises in New Guinea & Oceanic Art. Sydney is just a couple hours’ flight to New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbours.

INQUIRE HERE

 

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

A Fine Old New Guinea Moka Kina Western Highlands Province Papua New Guinea

A Fine Old New Guinea Moka Kina Wealth Plaque Western Highlands Papua New Guinea

This superb Moka Kina Wealth Plaque is from the Melpa People in the Mount Hagen area of the Western Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea.

This beautiful old Shell Pectoral Ornament is called Moka Kina , the shell is made from the Gold Lip Pearl Shell or Pinctada Maximums and is covered in red ochre and set into a plaque of hard tree resin and then given a decorated woven band for wearing over the chest.

Shells, in general, were highly valued as traditional wealth by the people in the interior of New Guinea where they had to travel through trading from the coast where they were collected to hundreds of kilometers through some of the most rugged terrain on the planet.  These were used as a traditional currency during a traditional ceremony where Moka Kina and pigs were exchanged

The moka is an exchange system where it is a system of reciprocal exchange in which the donor gives shells and pigs as outright gifts and later is he is obligated to give a larger amount back to the original donor.

The return payment is not made at the same time. Each recipient of shells and or pigs make a note of the debt he owes so that he can make the appropriate return payment later. The exchange of wealth means friendship, and friendship means alliances. Moka is made between clans, the purpose of which is to cement alliances. Clans will not support clans with which they do not do moka. Therefore moka is not done indiscriminately. Those doing moka will ensure that the clans they are dealing with will be their allies forever. A clan needs a number of other clans it can rely on in times of war for survival. Clan warfare has been and still is endemic throughout the highlands of Papua New Guinea. The moka still has a role to play in the lives of the Melpa as a means of exchanging wealth to maintain social relationships,  After receiving the pearl shells in a moka, the owner may do what he likes with them. He does not have to give them away immediately in exchange, but he must at some time in the future repay his debts with the correct number of pearl shells. Therefore he cannot disburse them indiscriminately. He can use them to pay bride’s wealth, buy pigs or buy land.

Provenance: The Gabriela Roy Collection. The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic Art 

Exhibited and Published :  Adorned: Traditional Body Decorations from Australia & the Pacific 1999 at The Macleay Museum at The University of Sydney Page 29

I first went to Papua New Guinea in 1985 for an adventure & what I found was that I really enjoyed being with the people of New Guinea, over the next 38 years I spent extensive time spent collecting and documenting traditional art & ceremonies in remote areas of Papua New Guinea & West Papua, The Solomon Islands & Vanuatu & the other Pacific Islands countries. During these travels, I made major collections of New Guinea & Oceanic Art for major Museums and Public Art Galleries

I was honoured by being in the prestigious Louvre Museum Magazine for the collections I made for The Museum of African & Oceanic Art Paris in 1996 (now the Musee Quai Branly) for the exhibition “Asmat et Mimika d’ Irian Jaya April 1996 At THE MUSEE NATIONAL des ARTS D’AFRIQUE et d’ OCEANIE, Paris

See all of the links & photos in my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY and there is the link to the article in the prestigious Louvre Magazine 1996

I have artwork for Museums & Art Galleries but also for collectors at every stage of their collecting. I want to encourage people to explore the fine art of New Guinea & West Papua and the Pacific Islands and to be able to see and touch the artworks in a relaxed and friendly manner in my Sydney Gallery.  I would like to invite you to visit my gallery and see the artworks in person and also look at my website www.oceanicartsaustralia.com  where there are many Galleries & Sub Galleries to explore.

My Gallery of nearly 40 years is the last physical gallery in Sydney that specialises in New Guinea & Oceanic Art. Sydney is just a couple hours’ flight to New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbours.

 

INQUIRE HERE

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

A Fine Old New Guinea Massim Shell Money Necklace Milne Bay Province Papua New Guinea

A Fine Old New Guinea Massim Shell Money & Boars Tusk Necklace From the Milne Bay Province in Papua New Guinea

This beautiful old Necklace is from the Massim Culture in The Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea.  The necklace is made of large pink shell money discs with an old Boars Tusk as the centerpiece. The back of the necklace has a white egg cowrie shell and two pearl shell dangles. It is a Kula Ornament

Personal Ornaments in New Guinea and the Pacific Islands are some of the most beautiful objects made by the indigenous people of the Pacific Islands.  Ornaments made from shells or animal teeth are not only decorations to wear but they are part of the traditional wealth and currency used by native people.  They are used to pay for bridal dowries by a young mans family or as compensation for different types of disputes like over land for gardens or used in traditional ceremonies where giving wealth to others creates future obligations or debts.

Kula valuables are traded purely for the purpose of enhancing one’s social status and prestige. Carefully prescribed customs and traditions surround the ceremonies that accompany the exchanges which establish strong, ideally lifelong relationships between the exchange parties (karayta’u, “partners”). The act of giving is a display of the greatness of the giver, accompanied by shows of exaggerated modesty in which the value of what is given is actively played down. Such a partnership involves strong mutual obligations such as hospitality, protection and assistance.  Kula valuables never remain for long in the hands of the recipients; rather, they must be passed on to other partners within a certain amount of time, thus constantly circling around the ring. However, even temporary possession brings prestige and status. Important chiefs can have hundreds of partners while less significant participants may only have fewer than a dozen.

Provenance: the late David Baker (1943-2009 ) was the president of The Oceanic Arts Society of Australia and was a great collector, expert & supporter of Oceanic Art & Cultures.   The Todd Barlin Collection of  New Guinea Oceanic  Art

I first went to Papua New Guinea in 1985 for an adventure & what I found was that I really enjoyed being with the people of New Guinea, over the next 38 years I spent extensive time spent collecting and documenting traditional art & ceremonies in remote areas of Papua New Guinea & West Papua, The Solomon Islands & Vanuatu & the other Pacific Islands countries. During these travels, I made major collections of New Guinea & Oceanic Art for major Museums and Public Art Galleries

I was honoured by being in the prestigious Louvre Museum Magazine for the collections I made for The Museum of African & Oceanic Art Paris in 1996 (now the Musee Quai Branly) for the exhibition “Asmat et Mimika d’ Irian Jaya April 1996 At THE MUSEE NATIONAL des ARTS D’AFRIQUE et d’ OCEANIE, Paris

See all of the links & photos in my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY and there is the link to the article in the prestigious Louvre Magazine 1996

I have artwork for Museums & Art Galleries but also for collectors at every stage of their collecting. I want to encourage people to explore the fine art of New Guinea & West Papua and the Pacific Islands and to be able to see and touch the artworks in a relaxed and friendly manner in my Sydney Gallery.  I would like to invite you to visit my gallery and see the artworks in person and also look at my website www.oceanicartsaustralia.com  where there are many Galleries & Sub Galleries to explore.

My Gallery of nearly 40 years is the last physical gallery in Sydney that specializes in New Guinea & Oceanic Art. Sydney is just a couple hours’ flight to New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbors.

\INQUIRE HERE

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

A Fine Old New Guinea Drum Middle Sepik River Papua New Guinea

A Fine Old Drum Middle Sepik River Papua New Guinea

This beautiful old Drum is from the Iatmul People in the Middle Sepik area of the East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea.  This hourglass-shaped drum is often referred to as a Kundu which is the Papua New Guinea pidgin English term for this type of drum.  Old drums like this fine example were family heirlooms often used over several generations of a family.  The whole drum is finely incised with ancestors’ faces in high relief along with clan designs that were later highlighted with ochre . The lug handle and whole drum have an old deep patina from use and storage in the men’s ceremonial house.  The use of drums is very important to all traditional ceremonies where drumming and singing relate stories of ancient ancestral beings who are invoked for protection & fertility.

Provenance: Collected in 1965-1966  by the Geologist Peter Austin. Much of Austin’s collection was sold to the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto and published in a book  “New Guinea: Big Man Island”  by  ES Rogers, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto Canada 1970.   The collection remains in the Toronto Museum today.  His best objects were kept for 50 years until the collection was sold to me. 

The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic Art 

I first went to Papua New Guinea in 1985 for an adventure & what I found was that I really enjoyed being with the people of New Guinea, over the next 38 years I spent extensive time spent collecting and documenting traditional art & ceremonies in remote areas of Papua New Guinea & West Papua, The Solomon Islands & Vanuatu & the other Pacific Islands countries. During these travels, I made major collections of New Guinea & Oceanic Art for major Museums and Public Art Galleries

I was honoured by being in the prestigious Louvre Museum Magazine for the collections I made for The Museum of African & Oceanic Art Paris in 1996 (now the Musee Quai Branly) for the exhibition “Asmat et Mimika d’ Irian Jaya April 1996 At THE MUSEE NATIONAL des ARTS D’AFRIQUE et d’ OCEANIE, Paris

See all of the links & photos in my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY and there is the link to the article in the prestigious Louvre Magazine 1996

I have artwork for Museums & Art Galleries but also for collectors at every stage of their collecting. I want to encourage people to explore the fine art of New Guinea & West Papua and the Pacific Islands and to be able to see and touch the artworks in a relaxed and friendly manner in my Sydney Gallery.  I would like to invite you to visit my gallery and see the artworks in person and also look at my website www.oceanicartsaustralia.com  where there are many Galleries & Sub Galleries to explore.

My Gallery of nearly 40 years is the last physical gallery in Sydney that specializes in New Guinea & Oceanic Art. Sydney is just a couple hours’ flight to New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbours.

INQUIRE HERE

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

A Superb Old New Guinea Stone Wealth Axe Massim Culture Milne Bay Province Papua New Guinea

A Superb Old New Guinea Stone Wealth Axe Massim Culture Milne Bay Province Papua New Guinea

This fine old and used ceremonially Wealth Axe is from the Massim Culture in the Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. This beautiful old Presentation or Wealth Axe was made solely to show off the Stone Axe Head which is a type of important traditional wealth.

This Wealth Axe was used in the complex Kula trading circle that built lifetime trading partners & commitments between a large group of small islands in the Milne Bay Province.

Carved from a single piece of hardwood in an elegant form, the handle has a round butt with pierced holes and the rounded finial at the top is finely incised with birds designs, the stone is secured with bush fibre rope and the whole object is in good original condition with an old crusty brown patina.  The Wealth Axe dates from the late 19th to early 20th Century though the stone might be much older.

Kula valuables are traded purely for the purpose of enhancing one’s social status and prestige. Carefully prescribed customs and traditions surround the ceremonies that accompany the exchanges which establish strong, ideally lifelong relationships between the exchange parties (karayta’u, “partners”). The act of giving is a display of the greatness of the giver, accompanied by shows of exaggerated modesty in which the value of what is given is actively played down. Such a partnership involves strong mutual obligations such as hospitality, protection and assistance.  Kula valuables never remain for long in the hands of the recipients; rather, they must be passed on to other partners within a certain amount of time, thus constantly circling around the ring. However, even temporary possession brings prestige and status. Important chiefs can have hundreds of partners while less significant participants may only have fewer than a dozen.

Provenance:  Ex John Friede Collection New York. His collection is known as the JOLIKA Collection most of which is now in the collection of The De Young Fine Art Museum in San Francisco.

The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic Art

I first went to Papua New Guinea in 1985 for an adventure & what I found was that I really enjoyed being with the people of New Guinea, over the next 38 years I spent extensive time spent collecting and documenting traditional art & ceremonies in remote areas of Papua New Guinea & West Papua, The Solomon Islands & Vanuatu & the other Pacific Islands countries. During these travels, I made major collections of New Guinea & Oceanic Art for major Museums and Public Art Galleries

I was honoured by being in the prestigious Louvre Museum Magazine for the collections I made for The Museum of African & Oceanic Art Paris in 1996 (now the Musee Quai Branly) for the exhibition “Asmat et Mimika d’ Irian Jaya April 1996 At THE MUSEE NATIONAL des ARTS D’AFRIQUE et d’ OCEANIE, Paris

See all of the links & photos in my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY and there is the link to the article in the prestigious Louvre Magazine 1996

I have artwork for Museums & Art Galleries but also for collectors at every stage of their collecting. I want to encourage people to explore the fine art of New Guinea & West Papua and the Pacific Islands and to be able to see and touch the artworks in a relaxed and friendly manner in my Sydney Gallery.  I would like to invite you to visit my gallery and see the artworks in person and also look at my website www.oceanicartsaustralia.com  where there are many Galleries & Sub Galleries to explore.

My Gallery of nearly 40 years is the last physical gallery in Sydney that specialises in New Guinea & Oceanic Art. Sydney is just a couple hours’ flight to New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbours.

 

INQUIRE HERE

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

 

A Fine Vanuatu Old Food Platter Santo Island Vanuatu

A Fine Vanuatu Old Food Platter Santo Island Vanuatu

This beautiful old food platter from Vanuatu was used during ceremonial occasions to share food between families and clans. I am guessing it is from Espiritu Santo Island in Samna Province in Northern Vanuatu. (if I am wrong on this can you please let me know what Island in Vanuatu it is from ? )

Carved from a single piece of hardwood the bowl or platter is in an oval form with a forked finial, the bottom of the platter has two legs that run horizontally across the bowl. During special ceremonies, the shallow bowl was used to prepare and serve a traditional food called Nalot a pudding made from Yam, Taro & breadfruit, and other ingredients.  I had this on a few occasions while in Vanuatu and it was very delicious.

Many of Vanuatu cultures have complex men’s secret societies, which involve a series of ritual “grades” through which individuals pass, by means of initiation rites, festivals, and pig sacrifices, in order to achieve increasing religious and social status. Special ritual objects were made & used for these secret men’s societies.

Provenance:  From the collection of the late David Baker (1943-2009 ) who was the president of The Oceanic Arts Society of Australia and was a great collector, expert & supporter of Oceanic Art & Cultures.

The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Vanuatu Oceanic Art 

I made several trips to Vanuatu in the 1980’s visiting Pentecost Island, Malekula Island, Vao & Actin Islands and Ambrym, everywhere I went people were so friendly warm kind and hospitable when staying with families. Above are a couple of field photos from those visits.

I first went to Papua New Guinea in 1985 for an adventure & what I found was that I really enjoyed being with the people of New Guinea, over the next 38 years I spent extensive time spent collecting and documenting traditional art & ceremonies in remote areas of Papua New Guinea & West Papua, The Solomon Islands & Vanuatu & the other Pacific Islands countries. During these travels, I made major collections of New Guinea & Oceanic Art for major Museums and Public Art Galleries

I was honoured by being in the prestigious Louvre Museum Magazine for the collections I made for The Museum of African & Oceanic Art Paris in 1996 (now the Musee Quai Branly) for the exhibition “Asmat et Mimika d’ Irian Jaya April 1996 At THE MUSEE NATIONAL des ARTS D’AFRIQUE et d’ OCEANIE, Paris

See all of the links & photos in my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY and there is the link to the article in the prestigious Louvre Magazine 1996

I have artwork for Museums & Art Galleries but also for collectors at every stage of their collecting. I want to encourage people to explore the fine art of New Guinea & West Papua and the Pacific Islands and to be able to see and touch the artworks in a relaxed and friendly manner in my Sydney Gallery.  I would like to invite you to visit my gallery and see the artworks in person and also look at my website www.oceanicartsaustralia.com  where there are many Galleries & Sub Galleries to explore.

My Gallery of nearly 40 years is the last physical gallery in Sydney that specialises in New Guinea & Oceanic Art. Sydney is just a couple hours’ flight to New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbours.

INQUIRE HERE

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

A Fine Old Polynesian Headrest or Neckrest from Tonga Islands 19th Century

A Fine Old Polynesian Headrest or Neckrest is from Tonga Islands dating from the late 19th Century

This elegant form Headrest or Neckrest is from the Tonga Islands which is a group of Islands that is part of Polynesia in the Southern Pacific Ocean.  This type of Headrest is traditionally called “kali hahapo”, they are carved from a single piece of hardwood. This old and well used Headrest dates from the late 19th Century

Headrests that were used by people of chiefly descent were tapu or sacred because the head is considered sacred and should not be touched.  Headrests were also used to help keep a man’s elaborate hairstyle from being disturbed while sleeping.

The headrest is imbued with an especially significant spirituality because of its association with the mystical aura of sleep. Sleep was recognized as the most intimate relationship with the spirit realm, therefore the decoration on headrests was especially intertwined with their spiritual beliefs, and the human head is associated with concepts of power, therefore anything that was created to support this power was subsequently revered.

These beautiful form headrests are highly regarded by collectors for their elegant shape

Headrests like this one are prominent across diverse cultures and eras. From the dark vaults of Ancient Egyptian tombs to the banks of the Sepik River, headrests were utilized to support sleepers lying on their sides and preserve intricate hairstyles during the night. Many people from ancient civilizations slept on mats, therefore headrests were emblematic status symbols and were generally reserved for prominent figures in such cultures. Though they might look uncomfortable in comparison with our Western accommodations, their structure actually supports proper spine alignment.

Provenance: The Nicolai Michoutouckine Collection (1929-2010) Nicolai was an artist of international repute, Russian-born, and French he lived in Vanuatu for most of his life. A keen collector and promoter of Pacific arts for many decades, his collection was exhibited in a traveling exhibition that went around the world. He and his lifetime partner Aloi were also my good friends

Exhibited:  Art of the Pacific: The Nicolai Michoutouckine Collection:  in Russia, Sweden Japan Australia

The Todd Barlin Collection of Polynesian Oceanic Art

I first went to Papua New Guinea in 1985 for an adventure & what I found was that I really enjoyed being with the people of New Guinea, over the next 38 years I spent extensive time spent collecting and documenting traditional art & ceremonies in remote areas of Papua New Guinea & West Papua, The Solomon Islands & Vanuatu & the other Pacific Islands countries. During these travels, I made major collections of New Guinea & Oceanic Art for major Museums and Public Art Galleries

I was honoured by being in the prestigious Louvre Museum Magazine for the collections I made for The Museum of African & Oceanic Art Paris in 1996 (now the Musee Quai Branly) for the exhibition “Asmat et Mimika d’ Irian Jaya April 1996 At THE MUSEE NATIONAL des ARTS D’AFRIQUE et d’ OCEANIE, Paris

See all of the links & photos in my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY and there is the link to the article in the prestigious Louvre Magazine 1996

I have artwork for Museums & Art Galleries but also for collectors at every stage of their collecting. I want to encourage people to explore the fine art of New Guinea & West Papua and the Pacific Islands and to be able to see and touch the artworks in a relaxed and friendly manner in my Sydney Gallery.  I would like to invite you to visit my gallery and see the artworks in person and also look at my website www.oceanicartsaustralia.com  where there are many Galleries & Sub Galleries to explore.

My Gallery of nearly 40 years is the last physical gallery in Sydney that specialises in New Guinea & Oceanic Art. Sydney is just a couple hours’ flight to New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbours.

INQUIRE HERE

 

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

A Fine Old New Guinea Neckrest or Headrest Eastern Highlands Papua New Guinea

A Fine Old New Guinea Neckrest or Headrest Eastern Highlands Papua New Guinea

This old and well-used Headrest or Neckrest is from the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. In the form of a Zoomorphic animal that used the natural shape of the tree branch, it was made from. In this example, the artist added a small mouth which creates a further reading of it as an animal rather than a natural shape.

Three-legged headrests are found in other areas like East Africa and it must be a pleasing & functional manner in which to make a Headrest sturdy to lay one’s neck on when resting.  In New Guinea many of the cultural groups the men had elaborate hairstyles that took time and effort to maintain. The headrests kept their hair from touching the ground and getting flat while sleeping. We have a hard time understanding how this could be comfortable enough to be able to sleep but it must be okay since cultures around the world made & used wood headrests like this example.

I collected this Headrest from people near the area of Kainantu in the Eastern Highlands in 1986.  I have enjoyed looking at it ever since because any way you look at it its moving, it looks like an animal stretching its back as dogs do when the lean forward

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic Art 

I first went to Papua New Guinea in 1985 for an adventure & what I found was that I really enjoyed being with the people of New Guinea, over the next 38 years I spent extensive time spent collecting and documenting traditional art & ceremonies in remote areas of Papua New Guinea & West Papua, The Solomon Islands & Vanuatu & the other Pacific Islands countries. During these travels, I made major collections of New Guinea & Oceanic Art for major Museums and Public Art Galleries

I was honoured by being in the prestigious Louvre Museum Magazine for the collections I made for The Museum of African & Oceanic Art Paris in 1996 (now the Musee Quai Branly) for the exhibition “Asmat et Mimika d’ Irian Jaya April 1996 At THE MUSEE NATIONAL des ARTS D’AFRIQUE et d’ OCEANIE, Paris

See all of the links & photos in my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY and there is the link to the article in the prestigious Louvre Magazine 1996

I have artwork for Museums & Art Galleries but also for collectors at every stage of their collecting. I want to encourage people to explore the fine art of New Guinea & West Papua and the Pacific Islands and to be able to see and touch the artworks in a relaxed and friendly manner in my Sydney Gallery.  I would like to invite you to visit my gallery and see the artworks in person and also look at my website www.oceanicartsaustralia.com  where there are many Galleries & Sub Galleries to explore.

My Gallery of nearly 40 years is the last physical gallery in Sydney that specialises in New Guinea & Oceanic Art. Sydney is just a couple hours’ flight to New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbours.

INQUIRE HERE

 

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

A Fine Old New Guinea Imunu Spirit Figure Papuan Gulf Area Papua New Guinea

A Fine Old New Guinea Imunu or Bioma Spirit Figure Papuan Gulf Papua New Guinea

This amazing sculpture was made by an artist from the Bamu River Area of the Papuan Gulf on the South Coast of Papua New Guinea. These figures are carved from the roots of the mangrove trees where the natural form is found in the tree and only small carved designs are added to represent powerful spirits that dwell in the bush and in isolated swamps. Imunu representing these spirits in their visible form is originally used to cajole or coax supernatural beings into attending to human needs and protection.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of  New Guinea Oceanic Art

I first went to Papua New Guinea in 1985 for an adventure & what I found was that I really enjoyed being with the people of New Guinea, over the next 38 years I spent extensive time spent collecting and documenting traditional art & ceremonies in remote areas of Papua New Guinea & West Papua, The Solomon Islands & Vanuatu & the other Pacific Islands countries. During these travels, I made major collections of New Guinea & Oceanic Art for major Museums and Public Art Galleries

I was honoured by being in the prestigious Louvre Museum Magazine for the collections I made for The Museum of African & Oceanic Art Paris in 1996 (now the Musee Quai Branly) for the exhibition “Asmat et Mimika d’ Irian Jaya April 1996 At THE MUSEE NATIONAL des ARTS D’AFRIQUE et d’ OCEANIE, Paris

See all of the links & photos in my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY and there is the link to the article in the prestigious Louvre Magazine 1996

I have artwork for Museums & Art Galleries but also for collectors at every stage of their collecting. I want to encourage people to explore the fine art of New Guinea & West Papua and the Pacific Islands and to be able to see and touch the artworks in a relaxed and friendly manner in my Sydney Gallery.  I would like to invite you to visit my gallery and see the artworks in person and also look at my website www.oceanicartsaustralia.com  where there are many Galleries & Sub Galleries to explore.

My Gallery of nearly 40 years is the last physical gallery in Sydney that specialises in New Guinea & Oceanic Art. Sydney is just a couple hours’ flight to New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbours.

INQUIRE HERE

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

A Fine Old New Guinea Bowl Tami or Siassi Island Huon Gulf Morobe Province Papua New Guinea

A Fine Old New Guinea Bowl Tami or Siassi Island Huon Gulf Morobe Province Papua New Guinea

This very old Food Bowl is from Tami or Siassi Island in the Huon Gulf Area of Morobe Province in Papua New Guinea. Carved from a single large piece of hardwood in the form of a Bird.  The outside rim of the bowl is the bird’s wings which act as handles they are incised with designs that make it look like feathers, the front of the bowl is finely carved with the bird’s head & the other end is the tail of the bird.

Old bowls like this example are family heirlooms that are kept through generations and used on ceremonial occasions. Important old bowls are also used in traditional dowry payments made by a young man’s family.  This old bowl dates from the late 19th Century.

Tami bowls were carved from a type of hardwood known as kwila. The process of hand-hollowing was a long and tedious process considering that nearby islands had mastered the much-expedited process of hollowing with fire. The incredible hardwood used for Tami-style bowls also made working with traditional Papua New Guinean tools like stone or shell adzes and animal teeth all the more difficult.

Designs were chosen with great care. Especially before production moved from Tami to Siassi, each bowl was marked by a design serving as the kinship group’s trademark. To copy the design of another carver was enough to start a feud, and it was often avoided. This is one of the reasons why the region’s bowl production was localized on Tami Island for as long as it was.  Birds which for the Tami were also representative of powerful spirits feature heavily in their art.

Provenance: Collected in 192os by  Dr Edwin Archibald Holland who was in New Guinea working from 1927 to 1933.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic Art 

I first went to Papua New Guinea in 1985 for an adventure & what I found was that I really enjoyed being with the people of New Guinea, over the next 38 years I spent extensive time spent collecting and documenting traditional art & ceremonies in remote areas of Papua New Guinea & West Papua, The Solomon Islands & Vanuatu & the other Pacific Islands countries. During these travels, I made major collections of New Guinea & Oceanic Art for major Museums and Public Art Galleries

I was honoured by being in the prestigious Louvre Museum Magazine for the collections I made for The Museum of African & Oceanic Art Paris in 1996 (now the Musee Quai Branly) for the exhibition “Asmat et Mimika d’ Irian Jaya April 1996 At THE MUSEE NATIONAL des ARTS D’AFRIQUE et d’ OCEANIE, Paris

See all of the links & photos in my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY and there is the link to the article in the prestigious Louvre Magazine 1996

I have artwork for Museums & Art Galleries but also for collectors at every stage of their collecting. I want to encourage people to explore the fine art of New Guinea & West Papua and the Pacific Islands and to be able to see and touch the artworks in a relaxed and friendly manner in my Sydney Gallery.  I would like to invite you to visit my gallery and see the artworks in person and also look at my website www.oceanicartsaustralia.com  where there are many Galleries & Sub Galleries to explore.

My Gallery of nearly 40 years is the last physical gallery in Sydney that specialises in New Guinea & Oceanic Art. Sydney is just a couple hours’ flight to New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbours.

INQUIRE HERE

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

 

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Oceanic Arts Australia

64 Elizabeth Street, Paddington NSW 2021 Sydney Australia

T (+61) 409 560 316
E: info@oceanicartsaustralia.com

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