The more than a hundred tribal masks in this publication are a selection of the extensive collection of the Dutchman Tom van Groeningen (1948) of the extraordinary masks from the Kullu Valley in the State of Himachal Pradesh in North-West India. Van Groeningen is not an average collector of tribal art. He chooses on the basis of beauty and provenance and focuses on the stories and people behind the masks. He puts the objects into the context of the religious and cultural settings of the region in India. ‘All my masks have danced,’ he says with a twinkling in his eye. What drives Van Groeningen? How did his collection grow? What makes his masks so appealing to the imagination? These are the questions that are answered in this rich publication.

All Masks Have Danced - Stephan Steinmetz Notes on Phagli Masks & The Phagli of Khun - Tom van Groeningen selected bibliography colophon

A selection of 100+ masks for the Phagli Festival in Himachal Pradesh (NW-India) from the collection of Tom van Groeningen with extensive notes of the socio-cultural context.