Museum New Collection | Museum Puri Lukisan Official Website

Anak Agung Gde Meregeg (1902-2001)
A.A. Gde Meregeg and his neighbor A.A. Gde Sobrat were the first two artists in Padangtegal that Walter Spies met in Bali. Spies’ influence can be seen in their early works prior to 1940?s. Meregeg was a village dancer and after the second world war he returned to Wayang style painting. It is in the paintings from this period that the influence of Bonnet can be recognized most. His wayang characters were drawn accurately following the wayang traditions, but the background is much more natural and realistic. His style of painting is continued by his eldest son, A.A. Gde Raka Pudja (b. 1932) and one of his grandsons, A.A. Gde Anom Sukawati (b. 1960)

Ida Bagus Made Poleng (1915-1999)
Ida Bagus Made Poleng was born in Tebasaya in 1915. His Father Ida Bagus kembeng (1897-1952) was a welknown painter who won the prestigious Silver Medal in 1937 at the International Colonial Art Exposition in Paris. Ida Bagus Made first learnt painting and carving from his father. He later studied painting under the guidance of Rudolf Bonnet. Bonnet once wrote that Ida Bagus Made was one of the most talented artist in Bali.

Ida Bagus Made was a prolific painter who had a profound distrust of art dealers and collectors. He scrutinized his admirers and only a handful of collectors passed his test. The late Indonesian President Sukarno was one of such collectors that Ida Bagus Made revered. His works are well sought after and are in the collection of many museums in the world.

He passed away after a long illness in 1999 and left more than one hundred paintings and sketches that are now at the Puri Lukisan Museum for safekeeping.

I Wayan Gedot (1914-2000)
I Wayan Gedot was mostly an autodidact. He started painting before he reached puberty in the village of Pengosekan just outside of Ubud. His landscape paintings covered by foliage of plants and their inhabitants: squirrels, monkeys and birds. He skillfully captured the mundane daily life in Bali such as gathering water and bathing in a stream in the forest. His choice of palettes was mostly yellowish green and light purple that ensued calmness and tranquility. There is a lyrical quality of his painting, as shown by the juxtaposition of the figures in his painting composition. His style is echoed by his student and son-in-law, I Ketut Gelgel.

I Nyoman Kayun (b. 1950)
I Nyoman Kayun first studied painting from I Wayan Lantur, and later he continued his study under the guidance of I Gusti Made Kwandji of Peliatan. The composition of his works reflects harmony and balance, so common in traditional Balinese paintings. This appears to be a representation of natural order in the universe; the balance between good and evil which is sought in daily life and religious practice in Bali. He prefers to work on a small scale and his coloring is subdued and controlled. His painstaking attention to details is evident in drawing geckos, squirrels, pigs, ducks and dogs, without which villages would scarcely recognizable.

Anak Agung Gde Anom Sukawati (b. 1966)
Anak Agung Anom is the third son of the noted Balinese painter, Anak Agung Gde Raka Pudja, and the grandson of the welknown Pitamaha artist, Anak Agung Gde Meregeg. He first learnt to paint from his father. His favorite subject matters are Balinese dances that he adored from watching them in the temples. Over the years, his works have matured with a more complex composition as shown in his latest work: Melasti ceremony (2008). He has mastered the color composition rivaling his grandfather. There is a touch of I Nyoman Meja style, especialy in his depiction of the eyes of his dancers and children.

Anak Agung Gde Sobrat (1912-1992)
A.A. Gde Sobrat and his neighbor A.A. Gde Meregeg were the first two artists in Padangtegal, Bali to meet Walter Spies. Spies’ influence can be seen in their early works (prior to 1940?s). Sobrat learned to carve leather puppets (Wayang) from his grandfather, and western style painting from Walter Spies and Rudolf Bonnet. From the latter, he learnt human anatomy. A fine example of this is a beautiful portrait of his daughter drawn in 1962. A.A. Gde Sobrat’s style of painting is continued by his sons, A.A. Gde Rai Kalam and A.A. Gde Anom Sobrat.

I Gusti Nyoman Lempad (1862–1978)
Gusti Nyoman Lempad, born in Bedulu around 1862, was already married and living and working in Ubud at the time of Krakatoa’s eruption in 1883. A multi-talented artist, acknowledged by his peers as a pre-eminent undagi(architect of temples and palaces) and stone sculptor, he was a founding member of Pita Maha, the association of Balinese artists that led the movement toward modern painting in Bali. He achieved global recognition for the drawings he created in the last 50 years of his long life. His architectural work in Ubud includes the Pura Taman Saraswati, the Pura Desa, and the Museum Puri Lukisan. He died in Ubud at 116 years old in 1978.

From 20 September to 24 November 2014, the Museum Puri Lukisan is holding the first major international retrospective of Lempad’s drawings. The first catalogue raisonné of his work, Lempad of Bali: The Illuminating Line, published by the museum, accompanies the exhibition.

Lempad’s style, derived from Bali’s lontar drawing tradition, informs all of his work, which usually depicts tales of Balinese folklore and the legends and mythology of his Hindu-Buddhist faith.

His drawings are in the collections of Puri Lukisan Museum, Neka Museum, ARMA, Art Center Denpasar, Tropen Museum (Amsterdam), Rijkmuseum voor Volkenkunde (Leiden), Museum für Völkerkunde (Basel), Museum für Völkerkunde (Vienna), Dansmuseet (Stockholm), The American Museum of Natural History (New York City), and the Library of Congress (Washington, DC).