Member Account

Oceanic Art Society

Promoting the understanding and appreciation of Oceanic art.

Oceanic art: literature on particular types of artworks

Compiled by Harry Beran. Last revised: July 21, 2012.

At present, the bibliography includes mainly books and exhibition catalogues focussing on a particular category of objects

Let me know if you know of additions or corrections.

Architecture

  • Duly, Colin. 1979. The Houses of Mankind. London: Thames & Hudson.

Bark/tapa cloth.

  • Anati, Emmanuel. 2005. L’art du TAPA: Étoffe pour les Dieux Étoffe pour les Hommes. Paris: insolite.
  • Kooijman, Simon. 1988. Polynesian Barkcloth. Shire Ethnography.
  • Meyer, Anthony. 1998. Tapa: Etoffe d’écorce d’Océanie Bark Cloth of Oceania. Paris: Galerie Meyer
  • Musée de cahors henri-matin. 2009. Tapa: Étoffes cosmiques d’Océanie.
  • Neich, Roger and M. Pendergrast. 1997. Traditional Tapa Textiles of the Pacific. London: Thames & Hudson.

Betelnut-chewing utensils

  • Beran, Harry. 1988. Betel-chewing Equipment of East New Guinea. Shire Ethnography
  • Beran, Harry and Anthony JP Meyer. 2000. Spatules a chaux MASSIM Lime Spatulas. Paris: Galerie Meyer.

Body enhancements

  • Daalder, Truus. 2009. Ethnic Jewellery and Adornment: Australia Oceania Asia Africa. Adelaide: Ethnic Art Press and Melbourne: Macmillan.
  • Edmundson, Anna and Chris Boylan. Adorned: Traditional Jewellery and Body Decoration from Australia and the Pacific. Sydney: Macleay Museu, University of Sydney.
  • Heermann, Ingrid and Ulrich Menter. 1990. Schmuck der Südsee: Ornament and Symbol. Munich: Prestel-Verlag.
  • Neich, Roger and Fuli Pereira. 2004. Pacific Jewellery and Adornment. Auckland: Auckland Museum and David Bateman.

Canoes

  • Haddon, A.C. & Hornell, James. 1936-38. Canoes of Oceania. Honolulu: Bishop Museum. [Reprinted more recently in one volume.]
  • Koch, Gerd (ed.) Boote aus aller Welt. Berlin

Fishing utensils

  • Barton, Gerry and Stefan Dietrich. 2009. This Ingenious and Singular Apparatus: Fishing Kites of the Indo-Pacific. Printed on demand in association with the Völkerkundemuseum vPST, Heidelberg.
  • Maaz, Klaus and Daniel Blau. 2012. Fish Hooks of the Pacific Islands. Munich and London: Daniel Blau.

Headrests

  • Falgayrettes, Christiane. 1989. Supports des rêves. Paris: Foundation Dapper. [I think this includes some Oceanic headrests.]
  • Meyer, Anthony JP. 2005. Oceanic Headrests Appuie-Nuque Oceaniens. 2005. Paris: Galerie Meyer.

Masks

  • Mack, John (ed.) 1994. Masks and the Art of Expression. New York: Harry N. Abrams. [Includes a chapter Masks of Oceania by Dorota Starzecka.]
  • Murray, Thomas. 2009. Masks of Fabled Land. Masques des pays des fables. Mill Valley, Ca: Thomas Murray Asiatica — Ethnographica. [Includes two masks from New Guinea and a few from Indonesia.]

Pottery

  • May, Patricia and Margaret Tuckson. The Traditional Pottery of Papua New Guinea, Sydney: Bay Books. [Reissued later by Crawford House.]

Sound-producing Instruments

  • Fischer, Hans. 1983. Sound-producing Instruments in Oceania. Translated from German by Philip W. Holzknecht. Edited by Don Niles. Boroko: Institute of Papua New Guinea Studies. Originally published in 1958 as Schallgeräte in Ozeanien: Bau und Spieltechnik Verbreitung und Funktion. ??Strassbourg & Baden Baden: ???.
  • Moyle, Richard M. 1989. The Sounds of Oceania: An Illustrated Catalogue of the Sound Producing Instruments of Oceania in the Auckland Institute and Museum. Auckland: Auckland Institute and Museum.
  • Moyle, Richard. 1990. Polynesian Sound-producing Instruments. Shire Ethnography.

Weapons, offensive and defensive

  • Benitez-Johannet, P. and Jean Paul Barbier. 2000. Shields: Africa, Southeast Asia and Oceania. Munich: Prestel.
  • Beran, Harry and Barry Craig. 2005. Shields of Melanesia. Adelaide: Crawford House Publishing Australia.
  • Duuren, David van. 2001. De kunst van de verdediging: Schilden uit het Tropenmuseum. Amsterdam: KIT Publishers.
  • Feest, Christian. 1980. The Art of War. London: Thames and Hudson.
  • Fellacher, Johann. 2010. Shields.!: kunst aus neuguinea. St Pölten: Residenz Verlag.
  • Lagardère, Geneviève. 1995. Arts de la guerre en Nouvelle Guinée. Solutre: Musée Departmental de Solutre.
  • Tavarelli, A. (ed.) 1995. Protection Power and Display. Shields of Island Southeast Asia and Melanesia. Chestnut Hill: Boston College Museum of Art.
  • York, Robert and gigi York. ?2012. Slings and Slingstones: The Forgotten Weapons of Oceania and the Americas. Kent, OH.: Kent State University Press.