About

John Strusinski has been a collector and dealer of tribal art for more than thirty years. After extensive travels throughout the Americas, Europe, Southeast Asia and Oceania, he set up a base in Jogyakarta, Java in Indonesia in 1976. For many years, he searched throughout the Indonesian Archipelago for exceptional handicrafts, art objects, and heirloom textiles and furniture, selling to prestigious American dealers and collectors.

Primary Source was later established in 1989 as a gallery and warehouse in Los Angeles, as well as a workshop and warehouse in Bali, Indonesia. Primary Source has a broad and eclectic inventory, including masks, sculptures, jewelry, textiles, armaments, furniture and architectural elements from Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Africa. John Strusinski is known for his in-depth references and curations, providing a cultural and historical context for each item that passes through his hands.

In addition to his long, abiding interest and care for the Indonesian peoples and their cultures, John Strusinski is also knowledgeable in the arts of India, Nepal, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, New Guinea, Japan, China, and the metalwork of Africa. He has a special expertise in and understanding of Indonesian keris (sacred daggers), Indonesian textiles and Indonesian tribal art in general. He is often on the vetting committees of highly regarded tribal art shows, and has exhibited for many years at the major tribal arts shows on the East and West Coasts.

His clients include top experts, dealers, and collectors of tribal art. Specimens from Primary Source are included in many public and private collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the Boston Museum of Fine Art; The Fowler Cultural Museum in Los Angeles; the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California; the Mingei Museum in La Jolla, California; The Yale University Art Gallery in New York City; and the Dallas Museum of Arts.