Johan Rudolf Bonnet (1895-1978)
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Johan Rudolf Bonnet (1895-1978) was a Dutch painter best known for his depictions of everyday life that he painted during his time living in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. His artistic and philanthropic efforts in Bali ushered in a new artistic flourishing in Bali, and his artwork remains in the most prominent Indonesian art galleries to this day.
Bonnet was born in Amsterdam into a baking family. He began studying art in high school and continued his studies at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten (State Academy of Fine Arts) in Amsterdam. In 1920, he moved to Anticoli Corrado, Italy to further his art studies, learning everything he could about Renaissance painters. Here, he encountered depictions of Bali after a meeting with the artist Wijnand Otto Jan Nieuwenkamp and moved there in 1928, captivated by Balinese culture. He met artist Walter Spies and the two formed a close artistic partnership and friendship, exploring the cultural nuances of Ubud. Together, they became inculcated in the artistic and social aspects of Bali, forming the Pita Maha Bali artist group in order to further the artistic talent present on the island; together, Bonnet and Spies taught art to several young Balinese artists, creating a new generation of painters in Bali.
Unfortunately for Bonnet, his idyllic life in Bali was not to last. The outbreak of war caused the political situation in Bali to change drastically. Bonnet first moved to Sulawesi in 1943 and spent the next four years in Japanese camps throughout Indonesia. Free again in 1947, he returned to Ubud, Bali where he attempted to restart the artist group he had formed with Spies; known as Pita Maha Ubud, he tried to focus more on the artists of Ubud rather than Bali as a whole, but this group was significantly less popular than his previous group.
Bonnet's art began to gain significant attention, eventually attracting the eye of the newly appointed president of unified Indonesia, Sukarno. Sukarno was so taken with Bonnet's art that he purchased “Harvest”, adding it to his collection in Bogor Palace. However, instead of forming a close friendship with the president, Bonnet took little interest in the president's patronage of his art. Bonnet was eventually asked to leave Indonesia in 1957 when he refused to sell one of his paintings to Sukarno.
Returning to the Netherlands, Bonnet's love of Bali never abated, and he attempted to gather funds to build an art museum in Ubud; these funds would eventually make their way to the Museum Puri Lukisan. Despite efforts by close friend and former president of the State of East Indonesia, Cokorda Gde Raka Sukawati, Bonnet was unable to return to deliver these funds. After Sukarno was ousted in 1967, new president Suharto pardoned Bonnet and he was able to return to Bali in 1972. Although he kept his primary residence in the Netherlands, he returned to Bali several times before his death, almost every year. Despite his best efforts, his failing health prevented him from setting up the new museum or a catalog of Balinese art on which he had been working. He died in 1978; his body was taken to Ubud in 1979 where he was cremated in a traditional ceremony along with his friend, Sukawati. Their ashes were mixed and spread at sea off the coast of Bali
Bonnet was born in Amsterdam into a baking family. He began studying art in high school and continued his studies at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten (State Academy of Fine Arts) in Amsterdam. In 1920, he moved to Anticoli Corrado, Italy to further his art studies, learning everything he could about Renaissance painters. Here, he encountered depictions of Bali after a meeting with the artist Wijnand Otto Jan Nieuwenkamp and moved there in 1928, captivated by Balinese culture. He met artist Walter Spies and the two formed a close artistic partnership and friendship, exploring the cultural nuances of Ubud. Together, they became inculcated in the artistic and social aspects of Bali, forming the Pita Maha Bali artist group in order to further the artistic talent present on the island; together, Bonnet and Spies taught art to several young Balinese artists, creating a new generation of painters in Bali.
Unfortunately for Bonnet, his idyllic life in Bali was not to last. The outbreak of war caused the political situation in Bali to change drastically. Bonnet first moved to Sulawesi in 1943 and spent the next four years in Japanese camps throughout Indonesia. Free again in 1947, he returned to Ubud, Bali where he attempted to restart the artist group he had formed with Spies; known as Pita Maha Ubud, he tried to focus more on the artists of Ubud rather than Bali as a whole, but this group was significantly less popular than his previous group.
Bonnet's art began to gain significant attention, eventually attracting the eye of the newly appointed president of unified Indonesia, Sukarno. Sukarno was so taken with Bonnet's art that he purchased “Harvest”, adding it to his collection in Bogor Palace. However, instead of forming a close friendship with the president, Bonnet took little interest in the president's patronage of his art. Bonnet was eventually asked to leave Indonesia in 1957 when he refused to sell one of his paintings to Sukarno.
Returning to the Netherlands, Bonnet's love of Bali never abated, and he attempted to gather funds to build an art museum in Ubud; these funds would eventually make their way to the Museum Puri Lukisan. Despite efforts by close friend and former president of the State of East Indonesia, Cokorda Gde Raka Sukawati, Bonnet was unable to return to deliver these funds. After Sukarno was ousted in 1967, new president Suharto pardoned Bonnet and he was able to return to Bali in 1972. Although he kept his primary residence in the Netherlands, he returned to Bali several times before his death, almost every year. Despite his best efforts, his failing health prevented him from setting up the new museum or a catalog of Balinese art on which he had been working. He died in 1978; his body was taken to Ubud in 1979 where he was cremated in a traditional ceremony along with his friend, Sukawati. Their ashes were mixed and spread at sea off the coast of Bali