California Indian baskets are considered by many to be among the world's most beautiful, sophisticated, and cherished art objects. This full-color book brings together 62 of the finest baskets ever created, each carefully chosen for their aesthetic value from museums and private collections all over the United States, including the Field Museum in Chicago, the Smithsonian, and Harvard's Peabody Museum.
Even baskets of everyday use, such as cooking baskets and seedbeaters, exhibit an astoundingly sophisticated level of design, while specially made gift baskets adorned with bird feathers and beads are objects of pure exuberance. Some of them are over 150 years old, while others were made within the last few years.
Color photographs of each basket are accompanied by insightful commentary not only from art historians and knowledgeable academic scholars, but also from prominent native weavers and California Indian artists in other media. Their eye for native aesthetics shows us how to look at the baskets in a new and exciting way.
This strong combination of visual beauty and knowledgeable insight makes The Fine Art of California Indian Basketry one of the most important books ever published on the subject.
