Bali's Ubud gets its third fine art museum<\/p>\n
By Amir Sidharta<\/p>\n
UBUD, Bali (JP): Another museum of fine art opened here
\nyesterday. After six years of preparations, the Agung Rai Museum
\nof Art is now open to public. Prior to its opening, Bali had six
\nmuseums. Of today's seven museums, four focus on Balinese
\npaintings and three are situated around Ubud, the heart of the
\nisland's art.<\/p>\n
Will the opening of the Agung Rai Museum of Art mean
\ncompetition for the existing museums? Apparently not. Last month,
\nAgung Rai was in Jakarta to report the preparation for the
\nopening of his museum to Minister of Education and Culture
\nWardiman Djojonegoro. He was accompanied by Suteja Neka, the
\nfounder of the Ubud's famous Museum Neka and Tjokorda Raka
\nKerthyasa, the director of the Museum Puri Lukisan, Ubud's oldest
\nmuseum.<\/p>\n
"The three museums are inter-related, they support and
\ncomplement each other," said Neka. "There is really no reason for
\nus to feel that we are competitors." He added that each of the
\nthree museums has its own mission.<\/p>\n
The Museum Puri Lukisan was established in the 1950s by
\nTjokorda Gde Agung Sukawati with the advice of Dutch painter
\nRudolf Bonnet. Its mission is to preserve the works of Balinese
\nartists associated with the Pita Maha foundation. The Pita Maha,
\nestablished in 1936 by Tjokorda Gde Agung Sukawati, Tjokorda Gde
\nRaka Sukawati, and I Gusti Nyoman Lempad was meant to "give the
\nBalinese inspiration in their creativity and to promote Balinese
\nart."<\/p>\n
Museum Neka was also founded under the guidance of Rudolf
\nBonnet. In 1975, the Dutch painter invited the school teacher to
\nvisit museums in Europe.<\/p>\n
"Of course, Bonnet did not want me to create the same kind of
\nmuseum as the Museum Puri Lukisan. He showed me a different
\ndirection," Neka explained. The museum that was needed, Neka
\nthought, was one that included the works of non-Balinese artists
\nwhose art contributed to the development of painting in Bali.<\/p>\n
Museum Neka was opened in 1982 as the second museum in Ubud.
\nThe collection includes a comprehensive selection of Balinese art
\nand also works of Indonesian and international artists inspired
\nby Bali.<\/p>\n
As the latest addition to the center of Balinese painting, the
\nAgung Rai Museum of Art presents yet another collection which can
\nbe used for comparative study. Certain painters whose works are
\nnot displayed in Museum Neka are represented in the Agung Rai
\nMuseum of Art.<\/p>\n
Bonnet once said to Neka, "each museum must have its own
\nuniqueness which reflects its personality and becomes its own
\nidentity. If a museum is established just by duplicating the
\ncontents and mission of another museum, that museum would not
\nhave any value."<\/p>\n
Neka pointed out that although the Rijksmuseum and the
\nStedelijk Museum in Amsterdam were close to each other, each has
\nits own attraction and specialty.<\/p>\n
"Therefore, the existence of the two museums actually enhance
\neach other," he stressed.<\/p>\n
The Agung Rai Museum of Art certainly presents something
\ndifferent to the Ubud art scene. The Museum Puri Lukisan features
\nthe best works of the Pita Maha. Museum Neka has a pavilion
\nsolely dedicated to the works of painter Arie Smit and the
\nBalinese artists whom he influenced. Meanwhile, the jewel of the
\nAgung Rai Museum of Art is a portrait of the Regent of Magelang
\nby Raden Saleh and one of the most interesting works by German
\npainter Walter Spies.<\/p>\n
"Walter Spies was not only a painter but also a composer and a
\nchoreographer," reminded Agung Rai.<\/p>\n
"In many ways he is like most Balinese artists. At the Agung
\nRai Museum of Art, I want to present not only works of art. It
\nwill be a place where visitors can also enjoy music and dance.
\nAnd the Balinese, including my father, can also continue to till
\nthe soil of the paddy fields around the museum," he added.<\/p>\n
Although his name indicates noble origins, Agung Rai was born
\ninto a common peasant family in Peliatan, south of Ubud. He
\ndreamed about establishing this museum since he was very young.
\nAs he offered paintings to tourists on the street, he envisioned
\na large structure in which he would present the masterpieces of
\nBalinese art.<\/p>\n
This dream gradually materialized. In the mid-1980s he opened
\nhis gallery in Peliatan. After accumulating a fortune trading art
\nworks, he was able to accumulate plots of land in Pengosekan,
\nalso south of Ubud, where he planned to build his museum.<\/p>\n
After more than five years of developing the land, what he
\ncreated is more than a museum. Next to the main, south entrance,
\nthe Kokokan Club Hotel and Restaurant cater to the needs of
\ntourists visiting Ubud. A secondary entrance to the west of the
\nmuseum is marked by the presence of another restaurant,
\nL'Asparagus. This entrance leads visitors to the open stage where
\nmusical and dance performances are held. The museum itself is
\nhoused in a monumental main building and an adjacent building
\nwhere temporary exhibitions will be held. Nearby, an outdoor
\ncoffee shop serves as a place of intermission, offering museum-
\ngoers the real views to the surrounding rice fields, as an
\nalternative to the representational views they have been seeing
\nthrough the paintings.<\/p>\n
Planned with so many supporting elements, the Agung Rai Museum
\nof Art has been created as a sincere destination, an Ubud must.
\nThe Agung Rai Museum of Art adds to the synergy that already
\nexists among the other museums and galleries.<\/p>\n
The numerous art museums in Ubud makes the town an tantalizing
\ntourist destination. Today, Ubud is synonymous with Balinese art.
\nThe personalities behind the three leading museums of Ubud --
\nNeka, Tjokorda Raka and Agung Rai -- have a more ambitious
\nvision. They want to make their hometown the center of Indonesian
\npainting.<\/p>",
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