Oceanic Art: At The Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET)

This is not the first time I visit the MET and dazzle on these magnificent pieces of art.

This gallery opened a while ago, in 2007 to be exact, and it is, in my opinion, one the most outstanding views inside the MET. I relate it to the magnificence of the hanging Blue Whale at the American Museum of Natural History. The monumentality of these works of art from Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia challenge the understanding of how these elaborate, complex and of a hounding, primitive beauty could have been made.

The curatorial work inside the space demonstrate care and knowledge in regards to handling these ancient pieces by Oceanic Indigenous people, offering a wide, vast view of countless samples, divided in three (3) interconnected galleries, to furnish enough room for the variety of pieces found. 

From large-scale totems and structures, to elaborate haired ritualistic masks, the collection offers an impressive view on the conviction held by Oceanic Indigenous populations, towards their religious beliefs, one that led an entire culture to develop a rich variety of artifacts and structures, complex in size, forms and existential nature. Definitely a place to make a stop during a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Here some pictures from the web, to illustrate the details, forms and scale of this grandiose exhibition:

Image courtesy of:
http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/fd/b7/fd/fdb7fd0cf47f4094f9c2f48ad359abfa.jpg

Image courtesy of:
http://www.marymaru.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/met-aboriginals.jpg

Image courtesy of:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Atingting_Kon_001.JPG