More Than A Museum

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Tucked in the vibrant, artistic village of Ubud, Agung Rai Museum offers a tranquil atmosphere to appreciate the visual arts. But more than that, this is a place where one can integrate with the source of the inspiration itself: life in Ubud.

Agung Rai Museum of Art was officially opened on 9 June 1996 but the Arma complex was began in 1989. The museum boasts not only collections of paintings from legendary Balinese artists but also works of prominent Indonesian artists from the Indonesia Archipelago such as Jeihan Sukmantoro, Affandi, Srihadi Soedarsono and others, as well as foreign artists who drew inspiration from the natural beauty of landscape and culture in Bali. Among those are Walter Spies, Theo Meier, Le Mayeur, Rudolf Bonnet and others whose names are now bound to Ubud and Bali forever.



There are two spacious buildings made from red brick, lime stone and black stone, as the symbol of the natural colors, set among the grandeur of a garden sprinkled with ponds and fountains. The first building, called Bale Daja, is where one can study and appreciate traditional paintings from Balinese artists. Here I went through the journey of accelerating development of Balinese painting. The collection starts from 1940's "Batuan" style paintings by anonymous artists . Batuan style painting is reflection of all daily activities, put onto canvas in such an immense detail. The very early age of Batuan painting is black and white as the artists might not have been very much familiar with the technicalities of color. Gradually, colors appeared in the next generation of the same style of painting while the anatomy of the objects also became more detailed. Three of the later Batuan artists whose works enrich the museum collection are I Wayan Taweng, I Wayan Bendi and Made Jata.

"Ubud" style however comes out with different signatures. This style of painting involves fewer objects than Batuan style.The characters are usually painted in large sizes and one can appreciate this style of painting from a distance. The works of the famous I Ketut Gelgel are in the display.

In the same building one also can appreciate a collection of"Sanur" style paintings which show simplicity: ancient Kamasan painting which tells story of two great epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabrata. Others traditional schools of painting from parts of Bali, including the unique works of the legendary I Gusti Nyoman Lempad also are on the wall to be appreciated.

Crossing a well maintained green garden full of local flora we come to Bale Dauh, the second building in the complex. It is the show case for modern paintings from several prominent artists from inside and outside Indonesia. Of particular note is a unique famous painting by Raden Saleh called 'Regent of Magelang and His wife'. Then there are the marvelous works of Walter Spies which boast beautiful lighting and gradation techniques which also can be found in the Bale Dauh.

Agung Rai, the founder, started collecting paintings from all over the world in the 1980's. For him the Arma complex is a dream come true. His vision is to establish a space to conserve the arts and the source of the inspiration. The creation of ARMA is the manifestation of his vision. On a seven hectare plot of land he built an art space that is integrated with nature and Balinese traditional daily life as the farm land adjacent is not a separate entity but an integral part of the complex.

ARMA Museum is an inspiring place where people can come to watch art performances such as Balinese dance join cultural and skill based workshops, for instance wood carving, Balinese cooking class, Balinese painting and other activities, enjoy the tranquility of the Arma environment while having coffee,and even spend the night in the beautiful villas that are part of the complex across the river. Just walking around the complex is a joy with clear air, picturesque scenery, and the melody of the water flowing in the river. So don't miss this tranquil experience, it illustrates life in Bali so well.

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