Oceanic Art - The exploration of the Pacific islands was an exceptional adventure undertaken by great travelers as early as the 16th century. Wallis, Cook, La Pérouse, Bougainville and Dumont d'Urville are among the best known of those who braved these unknown seas, and discovered what they thought was paradise: Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia. Oceania covers thousands of islands, large and small, from the immense New Guinea to simple coral atolls. Here, the natives developed complex and varied cultures. In most of them, art played a fundamental role as an integral part of religious and/or social life. These arts include not only architecture, painting and sculpture, but also music, dance, prayer and body adornment. Almost every available material is used, whether durable or ephemeral. For many reasons, mainly historical, Pacific art has been relatively neglected. While a large number of specialized, technical and anthropological publications exist, no major synthesis has been published in the last thirty years, despite the many important discoveries. - Citadelles & Mazenod - 1993