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ISSN 1039-3498 | no. 48| December 2000


Cook & Omai: The Cult of the South Seas

In 1774, the first Tahitian to visit London travelled to England with the crew of Captain Cook’s second voyage to the Pacific and became an overnight sensation. Seen as a living example of the Noble Savage, Omai, as he was known, was discussed by scientists and philosophers, celebrated in all the best circles and written about in everything from poetry to pornography. He proved a lightning rod for European sentiments and anxieties regarding imperialism, civilisation and the true nature of mankind. The artistic and literary legacy of Omai’s encounter with Europe provides a fascinating insight into European culture in a moment of transition, when old certainties were collapsing and new ones were yet to form. The exhibition, curated by the National Library in association with the Humanities Research Centre, Australian National University, draws strongly on the Library’s magnificent Rex Nan Kivell Collection and features the work of major eighteenth century artists

15 February–27 May 2001
Exhibition Gallery, National Library

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