Arts of Oceania

Encompassing the arts and cultures of the Pacific Islands and two neighboring regions of Australia and Island Southeast Asia, The Met's collection of Oceanic art comprises over 2,800 works that reflect the rich history of creative expression and innovation that is emblematic of the region. The collection spans more than 500 years of art from this expansive region that covers almost one-third of the earth’s surface. Highlights of the Oceania collection include monumental artworks from the large island of New Guinea and the coastal archipelagoes that stretch beyond its shores, as well as the finely carved, and compelling, sculptural works from island groups in the north, central, and eastern reaches of the Pacific, whose Indigenous communities all share a common ancestry.

These exceptional artworks tell a wealth of stories relating to origins and ancestral power, performance and initiation. They include some of the greatest achievements of Pacific Islanders in the realm of the visual arts: elaborately carved ancestral figures from ceremonial houses and spectacular ritual regalia such as towering slit drums, skull reliquaries, and dazzling turtle shell masks from the coastal regions. Voyaging and the arts of navigation are another important feature with decorated paddles, exquisitely carved canoe prows from the Solomon Islands, and a navigational chart from the coral atolls of the northern Pacific, evoking the extraordinary story of voyaging—both literal and metaphorical—across the vast landscape of Oceania.