Art from the Land: Dialogues With the Kluge-Ruhe Collection of Australian Aboriginal Art

Rating:
Summary: Excellent introduction to Aboriginal art *****
Review: The Kluge-Ruhe collection, housed at the University of Virginia, is among the largest and most diverse Aboriginal art collections outside of Australia. This book, the first published guide to the collection, highlights many of the important works held by the Kluge-Ruhe, covering many Aboriginal cultures and regions with a strong focus on Arnhem Land and the central desert. Thought provoking essays by many of the top scholars in the field accompany beautiful color images of many sigificant pieces. Unlike many introductions to Aboriginal art, this guide discusses themes in depth, providing solid meaningful analysis which places the art in its social context, rather than the usual 'Bark Painting of a Bird' type annotation, which provides no insight into the culture which produced it. Highly recommended--you will not be disappointed.