The Neka Art Museum in Ubud Bali

Ubud is known as the art center of Bali and its most famous art museum is the Neka Museum in Campuhan to the north west.

I had heard about the place but never been there before so on Wednesday I rode up there to explore. The ride from Seminyak took about an hour and traffic was moving quite well. Arriving on Jl. Raya Ubud, the main street that runs east-west I stopped off at Bali Buddha, the organic food store on Jl Jimbawan for an avocado, lettuce and tomato sandwich. I miss the simple healthy things that I used to eat in Oregon and this place should be on everyone’s list of lunch stops.

From downtown Ubud the ride to the Neka Museum takes only about 7 or 8 minutes and the place is clearly visible, located on the main road. I pulled into the large parking lot to find it almost empty. Strolling inside I paid my 20,000rp entrance fee and signed the guest book, listing the amount I paid. I received a simple 2 page map and set off to the showrooms.

The Neka Art Museum was opened in 1982 and is named after a Balinese teacher Suteja Neka who collected paintings as a means of artistic documentation. Nowadays the museum has a great selection of works from many famous Balinese artists and expats who have lived here and influenced local artists.

The museum is laid out in a series of pavilions, each with a specific theme. The first one I checked out was the Balinese Painting Hall which highlighted the 4 main styles of Balinese painting. Each style was allocated a large room which connected with the next. The 4 styles are : Puppet painting style (whereby the artist uses animated puppet like figures to depict 17th century characters from Balinese-Javanese romances), Transitional style painting ( whereby the Indian and Balinese epics are depicted with characters having a more natural appearance), the Ubud style painting ( which uses western style aesthetics in regard to shadow, light, depth) and Batuan style painting ( are not influenced by western styles and are mostly dark painting packed with characters performing modern day activities.

The pavilions are centers around a meeting pavilion which is shady and has chairs for relaxing. The interior of the museum is bright and spacious. During my visit I saw attendants outside some of the pavilions but no guides inside. Smoking is prohibited and so is photography with flash or tripod. My camera seemed to work well in natural light so I was happy to follow the rules. I have a tip for any museum worried about people photographing their pictures, just give them a clear plastic cover and it makes it almost impossible to get a decent shot without glare from somewhere.

The other pavilions are:
The Arie Smit Pavilion, containing paintings by Arie Smit and by the Young Artists and contemporary paintings.
The Photographic Archive Center, featuring the work of American Bob Koke
The Lempad Pavilion, with works by Bali’s most famous artist I Gusti Nyoman Lempad.
The Contemporary Indonesian Art Hall
The East-West Art Annex

I spent a couple of hours exploring all the pavilions and getting an idea of Balinese art history. I can recommend the Neka Art Museum to visitors for a relaxing afternoon.

The Neka Art Museum
Jl. Campuhan
Ubud

0361 975074 open daily 9am-5pm admission 20,000rp

N.B I am writing a more extensive guide piece on the Neka Art Museum.