Art of the Pacific

by Brian Brake (Photographer), James McNeish (Contributor), David R. Simmons (Contributor)

Cloth. First Edition. Photographs by Brian Brake. With commentary by David Simmons. 239 pp. with 174 illustrations, including 84 plates in full color. This book presents for the first time a stunning treasury of masterpieces of Maori, Polynesian, and Melanesian ethnographical art. Fine condition in fine dust jacket.

Genres: Art, Art History

239 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Born in Wellington in 1927 and educated in Christchurch, Brian Brake gained an affinity with the camera at a young age. After working with the National Film Unit in Wellington, he based himself in London during the 1950s and worked internationally as a freelance photographer, before being invited by Henri Cartier-Bresson to join the exclusive Magnum Photos agency in 1955. His 1961 photo essay Monsoon propelled him to world acclaim; in that year he moved to Hong Kong, where he was based until the mid-1970s, contributing regularly to magazines such as National Geographic and Life, and later making films. In 1974 he was commissioned by the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council of New Zealand to photograph indigenous art and artefacts from museums around the South Pacific. He returned to New Zealand to live in 1976, and his on-going involvement in exhibitions and publications helped Maori art to reach an international audience. Brian Brake died in Auckland in 1988.

Reviews

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part art book, part ethnography of Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia.