Christie's Singapore Pre-War Balinese Modernists, 1928-1942: From a private European Collection (Including works selected by Gregory Bateson and Margaret Mead)

This exceptionally rare and sought-after Christie’s catalogue documents one of the finest collections of pre-war Balinese art ever assembled. Published in conjunction with a landmark sale held in Singapore in 2001, the catalogue captures a brief yet transformative era in Balinese art history—an extraordinary flowering between 1928 and 1942 that reshaped the trajectory of modern Indonesian art.

Before the 20th century, Bali remained relatively untouched by colonial and foreign influences. Painting was primarily functional—adornments for temples and palaces—executed within a closed tradition. But everything changed with the arrival of key Western figures such as Walter Spies and Rudolf Bonnet. These artists introduced Balinese painters to new materials, methods, and ways of seeing, while a global influx of anthropologists, musicians, collectors, and celebrities—among them Colin McPhee, Charlie Chaplin, Miguel Covarrubias, and Vicki Baum—created a vibrant cultural exchange that pushed local art in bold new directions.

At the heart of this collection are approximately 100 works originally acquired by renowned anthropologists Gregory Bateson and Margaret Mead during their fieldwork in Bali from 1936 to 1938. Held for decades at Princeton University under the stewardship of Professor Hildred Geertz, these works were rediscovered in 1972 in storage at the American Museum of Natural History. The catalogue includes selections from this remarkable archive—making it one of the few surviving records of a now-vanished moment in Balinese cultural history.

Publication Details:

• Publisher: Christie’s International Singapore PTE LTD (2001)
• Language: English
• Format: Softcover (no dust jacket as issued)
• Pages: 128 pages
• Dimensions: 21 × 27 cm

Condition:

• Book: Very Good. Light general wear to cover; faint dust soiling along the edges of the page block. Internally very clean.
• Dust Jacket: Not issued.