Encompassing the arts and cultures of the Pacific Islands, The Met’s collection of Oceanic art comprises over 2,800 works that reflect the rich history of creative expression and innovation that is emblematic of the region.
the Oceania collection include monumental artworks from the large island of New Guinea
“The Moroccan invasion at the end of the sixteenth century destroys the Songhai empire and creates a period of social and political instability that provides an opportunity for the formation of other states such as Ségou. Increased contact with European merchants along the Atlantic coast draws trade away from traditional routes in the interior, and increased slave trading causes hardship among the local populations. The continuing spread of Islam throughout the region results in two waves of militant Muslim reform leading to the creation of several theocratic states.”
2003) Related Map Encompasses present-day Burkina Faso, eastern Chad, Gambia, Guinea
carved temple drums of the Austral Islands or the imposing sacred slit gongs of New Guinea
The art of the Solomon Islands is characterized by its intricate designs which utilize inlays of pearl shell.
chain of seven large and more than thirty small islands, located just east of New Guinea
The fabrication of iron tools and weapons allowed for extensive systematized agriculture, efficient hunting, and successful warfare necessary to sustain large urban centers.
the growth of significant centralized kingdoms in the western Sudan and along the Guinea
„Irving Penn: Centennial,“ the most comprehensive retrospective to date of the work of the great American photographer, marks the centennial of the artist’s birth.
children in Cuzco, Peru; portraits of urban laborers; female nudes; tribesmen in New Guinea
“The European demand for slaves encourages chronic warfare. Portugal contributes to the instability as it clashes with neighboring kingdoms to establish and expand Angola, a small colony at the northwestern tip of the present country of Angola. The eastern savanna witnesses the rise of the Kuba kingdom and the Luba and Lunda empires, three multi-ethnic states with advanced political systems and rich courtly cultures.”
, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo, Equatorial Guinea
Search art at the Metropolitan Museum.
Piano German early 19th century Square Piano John Preston 1790–1800 Proof guinea
“Cairo remains the capital of the Egyptian province of the Ottoman empire, one of its greatest sources of tax income and an important center for the production of carpets. Turkish governors are posted there for three-year terms, and the architecture they sponsor is an interesting mix of local and Istanbul influences. These governors, though, have an uneasy relationship with the Egyptian population, and their position is challenged early in this period. Napoleon invades in 1798, and the French control Egypt until 1801.”
Guinea Coast, 1600–1800 A.D. Southern Africa, 1600–1800 A.D.
The Robert Goldwater Library is part of the Museum’s Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. It is a noncirculating research library dedicated to the documentation of the visual arts of sub-Saharan Africa, the Pacific Islands, and Native and Precolumbian America.
Subject strengths include the art and material culture of West Africa, Papua New Guinea
