subject: Explore And Learn About The Living Museums [print this page] Besides its countless Hindu temples and enormous range of Bali luxury villas and hotel accommodations, Bali's long history of visiting foreign artists and collectors means that this island paradise is home to a number of very impressive museums.
Most of the museums and galleries in history rich Bali are found in Denpasar city and Ubud. Meanwhile, there are only a few museums which Bali villas guests can see in the city of Singaraja, and Klungkung or Semarapura.
Paintings, wood carvings, textiles and all kinds of curios for viewing and also for purchase as souvenirs are being on offer in these museums and galleries.
Just like in the Ubud area, four museums dedicated to Balinese art (all of them excellent) are peppering Balis artistic capital. Ubud's museums feature the works of local artists, both living and dead. Works by many foreign artists, who either has a strong affinity to Bali or have made the island their permanent home, are showcased as well.
Within the city of Denpasar, there are also several museums that exhibit an interesting collection of local antiquities, along with a selection of art works.
Here are 5 Museums in Bali that guest in any of the many Bali villas for rent across Bali can visit:
Bali Museum. Styled in mix of palace architecture and the Balinese temple look, Bali Museum offers an informative introduction to all things Balinese, both historical and modern-day. Housed in four separate pavilions, Bali Museum displays many traditional Indonesian treasures and artifacts, including ceremonial costumes, weavings, woodcarving, various paintings and religious relics from the past, that go right back to prehistory. A great collection including ancient stone, bronze and wooden artifacts are housed in the main pavilion. Whereas, the southern pavilion exhibits many textiles, the northern pavilion concentrates on the history of Balinese performance art, and the central pavilion is devoted to Balinese Hinduism and ritual.
ARMA (Agung Rai Museum of Art)
ARMA is home to an equally impressive collection of Balinese and foreign paintings, including the only publicly exhibited canvas on the island by Walter Spies, the German artist who founded the art colony in Ubud in the 1930s and the only painting in Bali by renowned Javanese artist Radan Saleh. ARMA showcases works by well known Balinese artists, as well as Indonesian and international artists who made Bali their home such as Adrian Jean Le Mayeur, Rudolph Bonnet and Arie Smit. ARMA also displays the collection of the ARMA Foundation and work loaned from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Agung Rai, and ranges from traditional to contemporary works by Willem Gerald Hofker, and Willem Dooijwaard.
Gedong Arca Archeological Museum
Located about seven kilometers out of Ubuds centre, towards Gianyar, this museum is a good place for guests from one of the villas for rent Bali to explore as the museum is home to numerous items ranging from simple Paleolithic artifacts, stone tools and blades from the pre-Hindu Bronze Age to the golden era of Balinese Hindu-Buddhism and beyond, gained from Indian and Chinese traders who pre-dated the Dutch by centuries.
Museum Puri Lukisan
The first private museum in Bali, Museum Puri Lukisan was founded by Rudolf Bonnet and Cokorda Gde Agung Sukawati. Housed in 3 buildings, Museum Puri Lukisans traditional and modern Balinese art includes a permanent collection of Balinese painting from the turn of the century; displaying fine examples off all schools of Balinese art. This museum also exhibits a collection of 150 painting and 62 pieces of sculptures from noted artists like Gusti Nyoman Lempad and Rudolph Bonnet, amongst others.
Taman Wedhi Budaya Cultural Centre
A museum that covers the history and essence of Balinese art, Taman Wedhi Budaya Cultural Centre represents well the classical schools thru both paintings and sculpture and there is a large section featuring contemporary Balinese art. Gamelan orchestra performances can see be seen by the many quests of the villas in Bali.
