Primal Arts is divided into three broad geographical areas - Africa, Oceania and the Southeast Asian islands - which explore in thorough detail the history and cultural significance of the region’s art. It is magnificently illustrated throughout with photographs of the best pieces held in the world’s greatest museums. Uniquely, the book also carries previously unpublished documentary illustrations of the art ‘in action’, be it a photograph of a piece of jewelry adorning the neck of a tribal warrior or an engraving depicting the launch of a Maori canoe. With an extensive bibliography and maps of all the areas covered, this invaluable publication is an accessible introduction to a canon that was for years considered the preserve of ethnologists and cultural historians, but now, as never before, stirs the passion of art-lovers around the world.

ISBN 0500282587