This piece named Moai Mana‘u was carved by the artist Tomás Tuki Tepano, as part of his personal collection. This artist always carves a copy of his pieces to conserve one in his personal collection. He agreed to sell it to the museum because he was interested in keeping his work for the future. This piece won the seal of excellence for ‘Chilean handicrafts’ in 2012. It also received the UNESCO Artesanías del Mercosur recognition in 2012.

Further reading

Abarca Fariña, Sofía. 2015. Manos del Alma - Hands of the Soul. Arte Escultórico Rapanui, a través de la obra de Tomás Tuki Tepano - Rapanui Sculptural Art, through the work of Tomás Tuki Tepano. Santiago de Chile: Consejo Nacional de la Cultura y las Artes.

Museo Antropológico Padre Sebastián Englert (MAPSE).