Author(s): National Gallery of Australia

Art History

Papua New Guinea's mighty Sepik River has been home to many communities for over a thousand years and yet how much do we, as outsiders, as Australians with our long history of involvement with PNG, really know and understand the culture and visual arts of this region? Myth + magic: art of the Sepik River, Papua New Guinea provides a rare opportunity to encounter masterpieces from the Sepik, works of art that speak of a time and place where spirits and ancestors were integral to daily life. These works come from the rich collections of the National Gallery of Australia, other Australian museums and art galleries, and the Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery. This publication celebrates the unique cultures of a country that has been so closely linked to ours, a country that is now celebrating its fortieth anniversary of independence.