142 Art of the Arctic: Refl ections of the Unseen Edited by Donald Ellis Published in English by Black Dog Publishing, London, 2015 26 x 30.5 cm, 256 pages, fully illustrated in color and black and white ISBN-10: 1910433829 Hardcover, $65 Specializing in high-end Native American art, the Donald Ellis Gallery has been producing annual catalogs for many years. The present book, while nominally this year’s edition, is in fact far more. Divided into two sections, one serves as a permanent record of the Arctic masks that the gallery has handled over the course of Ellis’ forty years as an art dealer, while the second documents prehistoric Bering Sea ivories, in part from the Bill Wolf Collection and in part from the gallery’s offerings over the same span of years. In both sections, each object is illustrated full page with striking photography. Descriptive details follow in a separate section so the text doesn’t clutter the imagery. For the mask section, three essays address different aspects of the Arctic masking traditions. In them, Dawn Ades describes Arctic art in context in as concise and cogent terms as have ever been published, Marie Mauzé expands on her already excellent essay that appeared in the 2006 catalog for the Robert Lebel sale, and Colin Browne provides a personal perspective as an art enthusiast grappling with his relatively recent discovery of these remarkable masks. In the Bering Sea section, both Ellis’ and Wolf’s short essays expound upon how little is actually known about these remarkable artworks. This is a beautifully designed and executed book that documents some of the fi nest examples of Arctic masks and Bering Sea ivories that have passed through private hands. BOOKS Indonesian Tribal Art The Rodger Dashow Collection By Bruce W. Carpenter, with contributions by Andrew Gurevich and Robert Walter Published in English by Éditions Didier Millet, Singapore, distributed by Éditions du Pacifi que, 2015 30 x 28 cm, 332 pages, 400 illustrations in color ISBN: 978-981-4610-10-0 Hardcover, 75 euros Growing interest in recent years in the tribal art traditions of Southeast Asia —especially those of Indonesia—has been refl ected in the publication of numerous specialized books. A prolifi c author in this area is Bruce W. Carpenter, to whom we owe this book. Indonesian Tribal Art is distinguished by its holistic approach through which it seeks to identify the threads that unite the artistic productions of diverse peoples, each with their own traditions and myths, that are spread over a vast territory and throughout varied landscapes. Following the essays that open the book, the main vector of Carpenter’s effort showcases some 400 artworks from the private collection of Rodger Dashow and photographed mostly by Marc Assayag. These are accompanied by explanatory notes that point out their formal qualities and discuss the context of their use. Excellent representations of their various types, the statues, architectural elements, masks, musical instruments, ritual containers, weapons, etc., that appear in the book are united by the quality of their artistry. Whether sculptures in the round or objects decorated with animal or plant motifs rendered in relief, these works refl ect an aesthetic sensibility that is as subtle as it is refi ned, and the book itself reveals the puzzle-like interlocking traditions that make up the cultures of Indonesia. Master Weavers of the Altiplano: The Ancestral Artistry of Highland Women By Robert Magregor Duff Published in English by La Paz Publications, Ann Arbor, 2015 (for orders, contact lapaz97@aol.com) 9.5 x 13.5 inches, 216 pages, more than 200 images with 72 featured textiles in full-page plates. ISBN: 978-0-9966501-4-4 Hardcover, $49.95 In the mid 1970s, Bradley Cross spent three years in Colombia as a Peace Corps volunteer. This was the beginning of what was to prove a long-term engagement with South America, both professionally and as an art collector. This exquisite book documents many fi ne examples of Andean Highland textiles drawn from his extensive collection. Primarily largescale costume items such as ponchos skirts and mantles, these fi fteenth- to twentieth-century textiles are heirlooms that maintain links to ancestors as well as striking works of minimalist visual art, where seemingly simple stripes and patterned insets vibrate with unusual strength against a subtly variegated background fi eld in a manner that many associate more with abstract expressionism than tribal textiles. The object images, which were created using the revolutionary technology of a 4’ x 6’ scanner, are effectively counterpointed with Cross’ own photography, comprised of more than fi fty forty-year-old Kodachrome slides of Andean life. The text by Robert Duff, who has been a key dealer in this area, is both entertaining and educational, providing perspectives on technique and context. This is an excellent and welcome contribution to a sadly underpublished fi eld.
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