Born in 1862 in Bedahulu in Gianyar, I Gusti Nyoman Lempad was a legendary, multi-talented artist mastering stone carving, wood-carving, architecture and painting. He founded, with fellow artist and friend Rudolph Bonnet, the Pita Maha, a very active association in the development of art and support to artist in Bali. His ink drawings gained ...

Ketut Murtika was born in Batuan around 1950 and became one of the most famous painters of the Batuan school, a painting style practiced by Brahman artists. His style captures Bali’s unique mystical atmosphere with ethereal depiction of everyday life scenes, landscapes and animals. His art has been shown worldwide, including France, ...

The Barong dance is also a story of Good overcoming Evil. The Barong, mythical creature, protector of good (embodied by two dancer in a costume), fights Rangda, the evil Lord of Darkness. The tale is told by a dance rythmed to the sound of a Gamelan gorchestra. As the fight goes on, supporters of Barong, a group of men armed with Kris, try ...

Born in Ubud in 1952, Nyoman Meja has built a bridge between tradition and modernity. He met Rudolph Bonnet in the 1970’s, which influenced his vision as post-traditional painter. As he still uses the Penalak as a strong reference to the Ubud style, his use of lighting is definitely of a modern approach. Among other topics, Nyoman Meja has ...

Stone carvings have been used to decorate, temples, palaces, but also houses. Originally, stone carving were made to illustrate religious concepts and legends, such as demons and deities. Later, Balinese artists came to depart themselves from strictly religious matters and started carvings of everyday life scenes and modern objects. The ...