Indigenous Beauty: Masterworks of American Indian Art from the Diker Collection [Hardcover]

Accompanying a major exhibition, this stunning volume serves as an introduction to North American Indian art and a rare opportunity to see this comprehensive and superb private collection. A glorious testament to the infinite beauty, diversity, and historical significance of Native American culture, Indigenous Beauty presents outstanding examples of art made by tribes across the North American continent. This aesthetically rich and inclusive collection offers a broad view of American Indian art, including sculpture from the Northwest Coast; ancient ivories from the Bering Strait region; Yup’ik and Alutiiq masks from the Western Arctic; Katsina dolls from the Southwest Pueblos; Southwest pottery; sculptural objects from the Eastern Woodlands; Eastern regalia; Plains regalia and pictographic arts; and Western baskets. David Penney’s introduction and texts by other renowned experts offer insight into the visual and material diversity of the collection, providing a greater understanding of the social and cultural worlds from which these works came. This magnificent survey is both an invaluable resource and a visual pleasure. Make no mistake. [Indigenous Beauty] is not a vanity exhibition, showing off the holdings of a wealthy couple. According to experts, there are many “masterworks” here.Masterfulbecause they clearly manifest the highest levels of artistry but also because they were created by individuals and families who were — or are — highly respected within their communities as artists and as teachers of craft. -Seattle TimesDavid W. Penney is the associate director of museum scholarship at the National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, D.C. Janet Catherine Berlo is a professor of art history and visual and cultural studies at the University of Rochester. Bruce Bernstein is executive director of the Continuous Pathways Foundation, Pueblo of Pojoaque, New Mexico. Barbara Brotherton is the curator of lƒ½