Pioneers of Balinese Painting

Book excerpt: The Balinese works of art featured in this catalogue were collected between 1929 and 1958 by the Dutch artist Rudolf Bonnet (1895-1978) while he lived and worked in the Balinese village, Ubud. Bonnet befriended the prince of Ubud, Cokorda Gede Agung Sukawati (d.1978) and lived in the palace grounds in Ubud during his early years on Bali. For centuries the kings of Ubud were the protectors and patrons of architecture, sculpture, painting, dance and music. Ubud was one of the areas renowned for the development of 'modern' Balinese painting from the 1930s. The works in this catalogue are owned by Leiden University in the Netherlands. The National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden has maintained this collection since its acquisition from Rudolf Bonnet in 1961. These paintings are arranged here according to four geographical areas: Tampaksiring (chapter I), Ubud (chapters II and III), Batuan (chapter IV) and Sanur (chapter V). The specific characteristics, style and content of the works by artists from these towns and villages are examined. The Leiden University collection of modern Balinese art supplements the permanent exhibition of similar works in the Puri Lukisan Museum in Ubud, which were also selected by Rudolf Bonnet. Both are included in this book.