A'a: a Deity from Polynesia (Objects in Focus)

Adams, Julie; Hooper, Steven; Nuku, Maia

ISBN 10: 0714151157 / ISBN 13: 9780714151151

Verlag: British Museum Press, 2016

pp. 64. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 18374704006

Inhaltsangabe:

This world-renowned sculpture is a unique figure in Polynesian art. An image of a deified ancestor, A’a was created sometime before 1821 on the island of Rurutu. Thirty dynamic figures stud his body, and the excellence of his craftsmanship suggests that his hollow interior once contained something of great cultural importance. Research undertaken ahead of the forthcoming exhibition revealed a small red feather lodged inside the statue and encouraged the curators to begin a range of scientific tests that had been unavailable to previous generations. Their revelations about the meaning and function of A’a are published here for the first time.
A’a has been inspiring visitors since its arrival at the Museum in 1890, as much for its dramatic backstory as for its workmanship. The missionary John Williams saved the statue from being burned, but met an untimely end himself in the course of his work. The statue was a sensation when it arrived in England and inspired artists and poets for decades – Picasso was so struck by it that he had a copy made for himself. A’a is an idol in every sense of the word, and this book aims to inspire a new audience with his story.

Über die Autorinnen und Autoren: Curator, Oceania, British Museum

Director, Sainsbury Research Unit, University of East Anglia

Associate Curator for Oceanic Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Bibliografische Details

Titel: A'a: a Deity from Polynesia (Objects in ...
Verlag: British Museum Press
Erscheinungsdatum: 2016
Einband: Softcover
Zustand: New