LOS ANGELES, CA.-Thousands of years of ethnographic history will meet for a museum quality show and sale at the Santa Monica Civic auditorium from September 29 through October 2, 2004. The Asian and Tribal Arts Show is the first of its kind in Los Angeles to combine the intricate details of Asian art with the artistic accomplishments of tribal societies. Collectors and the public may view and purchase historic and rare indigenous art from around the world, including: folk art, sculpture, masks, ceramics, blankets, beadwork, basketry, jewelry and textiles from the diverse cultures of Africa, Central and South America, Mexico, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, New Guinea and Native America.

At this unique show, visitors will find a Pre-Columbian silver necklace from the 9th century next to a Chinese cloisonné opium pipe from the 19th century. Visitors will also find strikingly influential 18th century Japanese woodblock prints displayed beside masterfully carved Hopi Pueblo Kachina dolls.

Japanese Woodblock Prints Make an Impression
On display this year will be a substantial collection of 19th century Japanese woodblock prints, or Ukiyo-e, from the collection of Roger Dunn from Scottsdale, Arizona. Ukiyo-e, which, translated literally, means, “pictures of the floating world,” is characterized by its poetic representations of Japanese landscapes. Hiroshige was the last great name in the Ukiyo-e school and a prolific figure in 19th Japanese art—at the time of his death in 1858, he had produced nearly 5400 prints.

In the late 18th century, Hiroshige’s work was widely seen across Europe, due in part to the inclusion of a Japanese pavilion at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1867. His use of odd shapes and black contours, and his emphasis on planar surfaces influenced Impressionists such as Degas, Gaugin and Toulouse-Lautrec. The impression was so great that Van Gogh actually painted copies of two Hiroshige works.

Kachina Dolls Teach a Lesson - Also on display at the Los Angeles Asian & Tribal Arts Show will be an offering of Hopi Kachina dolls by dealer Philip Garaway from Philip Garaway Native Arts in Venice, California. Meticulously carved from cottonwood root to represent the ancestral spirits—or Kachina—in Hopi Pueblo mythology, these dolls have been used for centuries to pass Pueblo legend down to Hopi children. Over the last century, Kachina dolls have enjoyed immense popularity among Western scholars and art collectors.. In addition to the Hopi Kachina dolls, Garaway will also be exhibiting 19th century Navajo blankets and early 20th century Southwestern baskets.

Benefit the Southern Asian Arts Council at LACMA - A special preview of the show benefiting the Southern Asian Arts Council of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art will be held on Thursday, September 29, 2005 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets are $50 per person and include return admission throughout the weekend. For more information about the preview, the public should call (310) 455-2886. The Southern Asian Arts Council is a study and support group for LACMA’s South and Southeast Asian Art Department. Proceeds from ticket sales will support the Council's annual acquisition fund.

Public hours for the Los Angeles Asian and Tribal Arts Show are Thursday, September 29, 2005 from 6-9 p.m.; Friday, September 30, 11 a.m.- 7 p.m.; Saturday, October 1, 11 a.m.- 7 p.m.; and Sunday, October 2, noon-5 p.m. There will be no admittance after 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. General admission is $10 per person. For more information, the public should call (310) 455-2886, or visit .