Ida Bagus Made - The Art of Devotion

Widely known as "Ida Bagus Made Poleng" or "Gus Made", Ubud painter Ida Bagus Made occupies a secure and permanent place in the history of contemporary Balinese art. Premised on the strength of draftsmanship and driven by images that have struck emotional chords in many of his admirers, his art possesses that rare quality of presenting both visual artistry and an authentic kinship between artist and audience.

This catalogue is published to accompany the Ida Bagus Made exhibition, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Puri Lukisan Museum. This exhibition is also an attempt to fulfill the wish of Ida Bagus Made to keep his personal collection together, and to celebrate his life accomplishments by presenting this collection to the public for the first time.

Prof. Kaja McGowan (Cornell University, USA) together with Mr. Anak Agung Ngurah Muning (Curator of the Puri Lukisan Museum) have selected fifty paintings for the exhibition from more than 100 paintings in the artist's estate entrusted to the museum upon his death. These 50 paintings, supplemented by exceptional works from museum and private collections around the world, are reproduced here in full-color to document the richly varied achievements of Gus Made: arguably the most talented artist of his generation.

Ida Bagus Made (1915-1999) came from a Brahman family of accomplished artists in Tampaksiring. Bali. His father, Ida Bagus Made Kembeng (1897-1954) moved to Ubud and settled in the village of Tebesaya. Gus Made was known by the Balinese as a ritual specialist, for carving sacred masks imbued with magical powers for the surrounding temples in Ubud. As a traditional Balinese artist of the Pitamaha generation, Gus Made became known worldwide for his artistic mastery. After his death, many Balinese have come to revere his paintings, as if they were religious articles with spiritual powers, an adoration previously reserved only for the works of Walter Spies.

Softcover

Book condition: New

Dust jacket condition: No Jacket as issued

Authors: Kaja McGowan, Adrian Vickers, Soemantri Widagdo, Benedict R. O’G. Anderson

Dimensions: 25 x 25 cm

Print length: 205 pages

Language: English

Publication date: 2008

Publishers: Ratna Wartha Foundation

ISBN: ‎ 9781605859835