RUDOLF BONNET
(1895-1978)

Portrait of Balinese man, 1948

Pastels on paper,45 x 33,5 cm

Signed in the upper right corner: “R. Bonnet”.

Inscribed in the upper left corner: “Bali 1948”.

Provenance: ambassador Gerardo Carante.
Rudolf Bonnet was born in Amsterdam where he attended the Rijksacademie voor Beeldende Kunst. After traveling extensively, in 1929 he moved to Bali and immediately entered the lively artistic community there, contributing substantially to the creation of modern Indonesian painting. Interned in a Sulawesi camp during the Second World War, at the end of the conflict he returned to Bali until, in 1957, he was expelled from the country at the behest of President Sukarno who had been one of his great admirers. He managed to return to the island only in 1972: his efforts were then concentrated in the foundation of the Puri Lukisan Museum.