0 Appreciation growing for Balinese paintings

Over the past decades, the appreciation for Balinese painting masterpieces, especially those by the old masters, has grown significantly in terms of both value and the number of local enthusiasts. “As a Balinese, I love Balinese paintings and I personally wish that not all these masterpieces would go away, go abroad. Each of our Balinese painters has their own uniqueness in style and personal character, so I want to collect more of these masterpieces. Both of my children also love art. 

So, through my collection, I hope I can inspire them more,” said Dewa Putu Sudarsana, who has a private collection of dozens of Balinese paintings in his home. He was speaking on the sidelines of Sunday’s art auction of Balinese paintings hosted by the Larasati Auctioneers at Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA) in Ubud. During the auction, Sudarsana won a painting by an old master, Dewa Putu Bedil, titled Di Pancuran (In the Shower) for a bid of Rp 48 million (US$4,944). 

Another bidder, and owner of Badra Fine Art Gallery, I Ketut Badra, also won a piece by I Ketut Kasta worth Rp 18 million. “My two galleries have more than 500 pieces in our collection. Bali is where I was born, I should have more Balinese paintings. Since the publication of so many books on Balinese paintings, I’ve learned that more Balinese paintings are becoming sought-after items, these days,” he said. Larasati Auctioneers director Yudi Wanandi acknowledged that throughout the years since his father, Jusuf Wanandi, had initiated the Bali Bangkit movement for Balinese paintings and artworks, local appreciation of Balinese paintings had increased significantly. 

“Through the movement, more fine-art lovers, not only foreigners but also locals, have begun to realize that Balinese paintings are worthy enough to compete with other masterpieces from China and Europe. Most Balinese paintings are the result of months of hard work by the painters, who are equipped with rich techniques. Many of these pieces of art are created out of deep contemplation and some even from some sort of trance situation by the artists,” said Yudi. 

Sunday’s auction saw a total of 88 Balinese paintings brought under the hammer differentiated into various categories: the Kamasan style, mythology, Balinese dances, young artists’ style, Bali life, flora and fauna, modern and contemporary art, Batuan style and decorative arts. Among the highlighted masterpieces offered in the auction were the works of the late eccentric Balinese painter Ida Bagus Made Poleng, the late Batuan style painter I Wayan Rajin, as well as the works of the Dutch painter Arie Smit dubbed the father of the young artists’ style. 

Among the shining stars at the auction was I Wayan Rajin’s piece titled Gembala Sapi (Cattle Herder) which sold for Rp 50 million, or over three times the top preauction estimate of Rp 15 million, as well as the works of Ida Bagus Made Poleng titled Rice Fields and Mandi di Pancuran (Bathing in the Shower) that respectively were sold for Rp 420 million (from an estimate of Rp 380 million) and Rp 180 million. “Ida Bagus Made was my friend. He was a very special person. I admired him so much. The quality of his painting, the only thing that I can think of was the pieces of Walter Spies. 

If I look at other paintings, they don’t touch my heart. But Ida’s touched my heart from the very beginning. I love his expression and the style he painted, for me, that’s Bali. I was in Bali for the first time in 1976. Ida Bagus Made’s pieces remind me of the old-style Bali,” said the previous owner of Poleng’s paintings, who attended the auction, German-national Peter F. Larasati Auctioneers president and CEO Daniel Komala said that professional auction had raised awareness among fine-art enthusiasts on the high value of Balinese paintings. 

“The appreciation is growing as more locals join the bidding entry value of Rp 20 million. That’s a good thing, because a decade ago there were fewer local bidders in such auctions. Compared to 10 years ago, the value of Balinese old-master paintings today has also grown tenfold and even more,” said Daniel. He cited that today, it was not only the masterpieces of the late old masters like Ida Bagus Made Poleng, I Gusti Ketut Kobot and Ida Bagus Tilem that had made their presence felt in international auctions in Singapore, but also the works of living Balinese artists like Ida Bagus Putu Sena and Anak Agung Gede Raka Puja.

source : bali daily