Australian Aboriginal Art, The Kaplan and Levi Collection

The Margaret Levi and Robert Kaplan Collection was developed over many years of travel and research to seek out the best work by Aboriginal artists. Ranked as the preeminent collection of Australian Aboriginal art in the US, this collection reveals the diversity and aesthetic power of one of the most exciting areas in the field of art today. Although forms vary among Aboriginal communities, there are important commonalities: painting the body for ceremonies; scarification; and the use of symbols to represent key physical formations, events and stories. All the works reflect deep knowledge of and commitment to a rich spiritual heritage. Even in what appear to be abstract art works, the paintings and sculptures tell stories, which are suffused with “the Dreaming.” In particular, the paintings are maps of the mind linking one important site to another. The artist partakes in “Dreaming” which is an ongoing exchange between past and present landscapes, people and laws.