Native American Art at the Brooklyn Museum

Exhibition Spotlight: “Life, Death and Transformation” Native American Art at the Brooklyn Museum

Native Americans have created and continue to create artwork for many reasons, taking many different forms. This is evident from the collection of paintings, carvings, masks, textiles, potteries and other works of art on display at the “Life, Death and Transformation” Exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, which highlights pieces made by indigenous North and South American artists.

Heiltsuk artist. Ladle with Skull, 19th century. Wáglísla, British Columbia, Canada - Nazmiyal

Heiltsuk artist. Ladle with Skull, 19th century. Wáglísla, British Columbia, Canada.

With 102 artworks culled from the Brooklyn museum’s Arts of the Americas permanent collection, the exhibition explores the concept of transformation as part of the religious beliefs and social practices of the indigenous cultures it includes. The themes explored include life, death, fertility, regeneration and spiritual transformation.

The Native American art exhibition is designed to illustrate the way in which the indigenous people of the Americas envision their relationship with nature and the supernatural realm.

The majority of the art works on display are from the pre Colombian era when indigenous life and art were untouched by European colonialism. Compared to later work of art, which are heavily influenced by Christian beliefs, these artifacts show the nature of indigenous life and art before it was influenced by western culture.

This makes a visit to the Native American art exhibition like a time traveled back to the past. At the same time, it gives an insight into the culture and traditions of the Native American people that have survived to this day.

Antique Native American Art - Coclé artist. Gold Plaque with Crocodile Deity, circa 700–900. Sitio Conte, Coclé Province, Panama - Nazmiyal

Antique Native American Art – Coclé artist. Gold Plaque with Crocodile Deity, circa 700–900. Sitio Conte, Coclé Province, Panama.

Among the masterpieces on display are twenty-one objects that have either not been displayed publicly for decades or are being displayed for the very first time.

The magnificent collection of Native American art at the Brooklyn Museum include:

  • A full-body bark-cloth mask made by the Pami’wa tribe of Colombia and Brazil.
  • Two contemporary kachinas by the Hopi carver Henry Shelton.
  • A Paracas painted textile mask that is believed to be a part of a mummy bundle.
  • The 2000 year old Paracas textile fragments from South America, the most famous piece in the museum’s Andean collection.
  • A Maya effigy vessel in the form of a hunchback wearing a jaguar skin.
  • A large elaborately painted Paracas jar.
  • Anasazi and Valdina clay figurine, the oldest types found in the Americas.
  • A Maya warrior figure with removable headdress.
  • An aquamarine grasshopper pendant from Mexico.
  • A large, woven Apache basket with spirit figures.

Other interesting objects on display at the exhibition include Aztec and Maya sculptures, masks from all over the Americas, pre-Columbian gold ornaments, and specimens from the museum’s extensive Hopi and Zuni kachina collection.

This art blog about the Native American Art at the Brooklyn Museum was published by Nazmiyal Antique Rugs in NYC.

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