Pioneers of Balinese Painting: The Collection of Rudolf Bonnet

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.
These paintings are arranged here according to four geographical areas: Tampaksiring (chapter 1), Ubud (chapters 2 and 3), Batuan (chapter 4) and Sanur (chapter 5). The specific characteristics, style and content of the works by artists from these towns and villages are examined.