Bali: The Imaginary Museum: The Photographs of Walter Spies and Beryl de Zoete

This publication offers a compelling reassessment of Bali's representation in the Western imagination, focusing on the influential work of German artist Walter Spies and British writer and dance critic Beryl de Zoete. During the interwar period, Spies and de Zoete challenged the prevailing exoticized and often sensationalized portrayals of Balinese culture, offering a more nuanced and authentic perspective. Their collaborative masterpiece, Dance and Drama in Bali (1938), remains a cornerstone of Balinese studies.

Bali: The Imaginary Museum presents a collection of previously unpublished photographs from the Horniman Museum Library, providing a unique window into rural Balinese life, traditional dance-drama, and the research methodologies employed by Spies and de Zoete. These historically significant images, accompanied by insightful commentary, offer both aesthetic appreciation and a deeper understanding of the authors' contributions and their engagement with Balinese society.

Publication Details:

• Authors: Michael Hitchcock and Lucy Norris
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, New York (1995)
• Language: English
• Format: Hardcover with dust jacket
• Pagination: 205 pages
• Dimensions: 22.5 x 26 cm
• ISBN: 9676531014

Condition:

• Book: Very Good. Light shelf wear is evident on the covers. Foxing is present on the top edge of the text block, and a few initial and terminal leaves exhibit mild foxing spots. The edges of some pages show subtle age-toning, a natural discoloration of the paper over time. The binding remains sound. Internally, the pages are clean and free of markings, except for the aforementioned foxing.
• Dust Jacket: Very Good. Light shelf wear is visible. The inside of the dust jacket shows evidence of light dust soiling and scattered foxing spots, consistent with the age of the book.