Kwanga Sago Spathe Painting-Dr. George Kennedy-New Guinea Art
This beautiful Abelam or Kwanga sago spathe painting, Bai was part of the façade of a ceremonial house. It was collected by Dr. George Kennedy in the late 1950s/early 1960s and was exhibited and published in Art of New Guinea: Sepik, Maprik, and Highlands, Ethnic Art Galleries, University of California Los Angeles, 1967, fig. 242. It also is illustrated in my Art of the Abelam catalog of 2015, no. 148, p. 250. The piece dates to the early/mid 20th century and is 61¼” (155.5 cm) in height.