Traditionally books on Maori art have described the work as either 'traditional' (as in the arts of carving, weaving, painting) or 'contemporary', that is work produced post-1950s. This book presents a unique focus on Maori art by exploring the connection between the traditional and contemporary, and the place of aaori art within an international context. In doing so, it provides a framework for looking at Maori art in a new way. While there are many books on Maori art, these tend to be surveys and there is currently very little critical writing on Maori art and artists. As described by academic and author, the late Professor Roger Neich, "It leads to thought-provoking criticism of current art historical approaches to Maori art and constitutes probably the first sustained critique of the modern development of Maori art from an authentic Maori point of view." The book is extensively illustrated with 300 art works, landscapes and meetinghouses, with many never before published images, including 90 specially commissioned photographs from renowned New Zealand photographers Mark Bentley Adams and Haruhiko Sameshima.