Rudolf Bonnet

Who was Rudolf Bonnet?

Johan Rudolf Bonnet was a Dutch artist who lived much of his life in the town of Ubud on Bali, Indonesia. He was born into a Dutch Huguenot-descended family who had been bakers for many generations. He attended the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam.

He was invited to live in Ubud in 1929 by Cokorde Gede Raka Sukawati. Between 1929 and 1940 Bonnet stayed in Ubud and became involved in community issues including healthcare and education. He was also very involved in the Pita Maha movement, which encouraged local artists to raise their artistic standards. After the Japanese arrived in Bali, Bonnet remained free until 1943, when he was ordered to be sent to Sulawesi. He spent the remainder of World War II in internment camps in Pare-Pare, Bolong and Makassar.

He was forced to leave Bali in 1957 after he refused to sell a painting to President Soekarno; he was able to return 15 years later.

Rudolf Bonnet died in Laren, Holland on April 18, 1978. His body was ceremonially cremated in Bali in 1979.