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Abelam bark painting
Abelam
20th century
Object Place: Papua New Guinea
Medium/Technique
Bark, paint
Dimensions
Overall: 150 x 79 cm (59 1/16 x 31 1/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Geneviève McMillan in memory of Reba Stewart
Accession Number2009.2643
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsContemporary Art, Africa and Oceania
ClassificationsPaintings
The Abelam of the Sepik region of Papua New Guinea are known for their bark paintings. This flat painting may represent an nggwalndu, an ancestor spirit. The arms and legs are typically represented with W or M forms and pointed ovals are used to render the head. Various iconographic symbols associated with the nggwalndu may also be incorporated into the painting.
ProvenanceGeneviève McMillan (b. 1922 - d. 2008), Cambridge, MA; 2008, to the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation, Cambridge; 2009, gift of the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 17, 2009)