Museum sights in Bali
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Museum Le Mayeur
The Belgian artist Adrien Jean Le Mayeur de Merpes (1880-1958) arrived in Bali in 1932. Three years later he met and married the beautiful Legong dancer Ni Polok when she was 15. They lived in this compound from 1935 when Sanur was still a quiet fishing village. The house is an interesting example of Balinese-style architecture.
Almost 90 Le Mayeur paintings are displayed inside the museum, with information in Indonesian and English. A free guidebook in English is available and is filled with useful information and beautiful colour photos.
Some of Le Mayer's early works are interesting, Impressionist-style paintings from his travels in Africa, India, Italy, France and the…
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A
Pasifika Museum
This large museum suffers from the same visitor neglect as the rest of the Bali Collection. Good! You'll probably have the place to yourself. Several centuries of art from cultures around the Pacific Ocean are displayed (the tikis are cool). The influential wave of European artists who thrived in Bali in the early 20th century is well represented. Look for works by Arie Smit, Adrien Jean Le Mayeur de Merpes and Theo Meier. Staff will follow you around the wings turning lights on and off. This museum is reason enough to visit Nusa Dua.
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Museum Negeri Propinsi Bali
Think of this as the British Museum or the Smithsonian of Balinese culture. It's all here although, unlike those world-class institutions, you have to work at sorting it out.
This museum was originally established in 1910 by a Dutch resident who was concerned by the export of culturally significant artefacts from the island. Destroyed in a 1917 earthquake, it was rebuilt in the 1920s, but used mainly for storage until 1932. At that time, German artist Walter Spies and some Dutch officials revived the idea of collecting and preserving Balinese antiquities and cultural objects, and creating an ethnographic museum. Today the museum is well organised and most displays are…
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Museum of Fine Arts
The Museum of Fine Arts displays fine examples of all schools of Balinese art. You just need to look at the lush composition of 'Balinese Market' by Anak Agung Gde Sobrat to see the vibrancy of local painting. It was in Ubud that the modern Balinese art movement started; where artists first began to abandon purely religious themes and court subjects for scenes of everyday life.
Rudolf Bonnet was part of the Pita Maha artists' cooperative, and together with Cokorda Gede Agung Sukawati (a prince of Ubud's royal family) they helped to establish a permanent collection
The first pavilion straight ahead as you enter has a collection of early works from Ubud and the surrounding…
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Museum Le Mayeur
The Belgian artist Adrien Jean Le Mayeur de Merpes (1880–1958) arrived in Bali in 1932. Three years later, he met and married the beautiful Legong dancer Ni Polok when she was just 15. They lived in this compound, which houses the museum, when Sanur was still a quiet fishing village. The main house must have been delightful – a peaceful and elegant home filled with art and antiques right by the tranquil beach. After the artist's death, Ni Polok lived in the house until she died in 1985. The house is an interesting example of Balinese-style architecture – notice the beautifully carved window shutters that recount the story of Rama and Sita from the Ramayana.
Despite…
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D
Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA)
Founded by Agung Rai as a museum, gallery and cultural centre, the impressive Arma is the only place in Bali to see haunting works by the influential German artist Walter Spies.
The museum is housed in several traditional buildings set in gardens with water coursing through channels. It features work by 19th-century Javanese artist Raden Saleh. It exhibits classical Kamasan paintings, Batuan-style work from the 1930s and '40s, and works by Lempad, Affandi, Sadali, Hofker, Bonnet and Le Mayeur. The collection is well labelled in English.
Look for the enigmatic Portrait of a Javanese Nobleman and His Wife by Raden Saleh, which predates the similar American Gothic by decades.
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Museum Rudana
This large, imposing museum is run by local politician and art-lover Nyoman Rudana. The three floors contain interesting traditional paintings, including a calendar dated to the 1840s, some Lempad drawings, and more modern pieces. The museum is beside the Rudana Gallery, which has a large selection of paintings for sale.
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