LOT 60
RUDOLF BONNET
B. Amsterdam, 1895 – 1978
Portrait of A Balinese Girl, 1956
Signed “R. Bonnet” on upper right corner
Inscribed “Ni Ringki Bali 1956” on top left
Pastel on paper
72.5 x 48 cm
Private Collection, Singapore
RM 7,000 – RM 12,000
Rudolf Bonnet was first introduced to the tropical island of Bali through its representation in artworks by artists such as the Dutch artist W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, and the German artist Walter Spies. Chasing the myth of the untouched, unspoiled land and its alluring inhabitants, Bonnet arrived in Bali in 1929 and settled in Ubud, its artistic and cultural locus. His aim was to immerse himself in the island’s culture and landscape. For Bonnet, Bali was a grand stage and its people the enigmatic performers that he would capture again and again in expressive chalk drawings on paper.