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Images on Stone: Petroglyphs of the Southwest. Photographs by Salvatore Mancini

DATES September 07, 1988 through January 02, 1989
COLLECTIONS Photography
  • September 1, 1988 Images on Stone: Petroglyphs of the Southwest, an exhibition of 27 black-and-white photographs documenting a remarkable group of drawings engraved on the rocks and cliffs of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona, is on view in the Special Exhibition Gallery of the Department of African, Oceanic, and New World Art, located on the first floor. The photographs were taken by the American photographer Salvatore Mancini, who traveled 15,000 miles in four visits to record these images. The exhibition will be on view through February 13, 1989.

    Using rock as a surface, Indians in the Southwest have embellished the landscape with a variety of designs ranging from naturalistic depictions of local animals to abstract geometric forms. Although little is known about the exact date and meaning of these mysterious and poignant sketches,. they hold a universal appeal.

    The exhibition is supplemented with five Pueblo Indian pots with black-and-white painted designs. The ceramic pots were drawn from the Museum’s extensive holdings of Indian pottery to illustrate the close relationship between this portable art form and the monumental landscape designs captured in Mancini’s photographs.

    Brooklyn Museum Archives. Records of the Department of Public Information. Press releases, 1971 - 1988. 1988, 088.
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