Primal Arts: Africa, Oceania and the Southeast Asian Islands

“Primal arts” is the term now used to describe traditional art from societies outside Western, Near Eastern and Oriental civilisations. For centuries this art was valued mainly for its ethnographic interest, and also, depending on materials used, monetary worth. During the early twentieth century avant‐garde artists found inspiration in what they called “primitive art”. Latterly, art historians and museum curators have studied and collected this art, now regarded as far from “primitive”, but rich in tradition and, spiritual and cultural meaning. Works previously placed in ethnographic collections are now held in art museums and held in high regard for their...