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THE COLLECTION OF THE RUDOLF BONNET FOUNDATION The Rudolf Bonnet Foundation Netherlands was founded in 1980, two years after the death of Rudolf Bonnet in 1978. The mission of the Foundation was to continue as much as possible the work and support Rudolf Bonnet gave to Balinese artists. During his stay on Bali Bonnet advised the painters of Batuan to bundle their activities in a cooperation. Their paintings were shown in their own exhibition hall 'Wisma Batuan' and sold from there. After Bonnet's death the artist Flip Hamers visited the cooperation in Bali and decided to bring the work of the Batuan artists under the attention in the Netherlands by sending works to the Netherlands and organizing sales exhibitions there. The new Foundation occupied itself with this task, thereby continuing the work of Bonnet which was to offer the painters of Batuan a financially more secure existence, to stimulate the talent there and to secure the exhibition hall. The Balinese works from this collection have been commissioned in Batuan by the Foundation between 1981 and 1983. Initially there were 20 works, later to be increased with some 20 or more. The exhibitions took place in: City Hall Blaricum (1980), Epe (1980), Museum for Education, The Hague (1980), Castle Rhoon (1981), Museum voor Volkenkunde, Rotterdam (1989-1990), City Hall Blaricum (1993). After the first commissions from Batuan artists others followed from other painters' communities. People who were interested in the paintings were asked to become benefactors of the foundation. This way the foundation collected income with which it could commission more work in Bali. After the initial commissions for Batuan painters, commissions for artists in other areas of Bali, with different styles, soon followed. Gradually the commissions became less regular and smaller. Around 1988 the commissions stopped altogether, also because of the deaths of two of the members of the Rudolf Bonnet Foundation's board. With the, mostly new board members taking office the mission of the foundation gradually changed into directly supporting Museum Puri Lukisan in Ubud, the museum which was designed by Rudolf Bonnet and built by his friend, the sovereign of Ubud, Tjokorda Gde Agung Sukawati. Selling the collection will financially enable the Foundation to give this support in activities such as, concretely, the restoration of the collection of Museum Puri Lukisan and a preservation plan for the three exhibition buildings. All works by Rudolf Bonnet originated from the estate of Mrs. G. Perdeck-Bonnet, July 1983, with the exception of 'Portrait of a Balinese man', 1950 (lot 57), which was bought from mr. H. Smitskamp in 1983 or 1988. 'Man watering plants at the pond', possibly by Anak Agung Gde Meregeg (1908 - 2000) (lot 68) was also donated to the Foundation by Mrs. G. Perdeck-Bonnet. Eighteen Balinese works were acquired from the estate of Prof. Drs. J. Kraak, member of the board of the Rudolf Bonnet Foundation, in August 1987. Finally, the Rudolf Bonnet Foundation bought a number of works from the exhibition in Castle Rhoon in December 1981. These had recently been sent from Batuan to the Netherlands as examples of Batuan painting.

Rudolf Bonnet (DUTCH, 1895-1978)

Portrait of a Balinese man

Details

Rudolf Bonnet (DUTCH, 1895-1978)
Portrait of a Balinese man
signed and dated 'R.Bonnet/1950' (upper right)
chalk on paper
53.5 x 40 cm.

Special notice

Christie’s charges a premium to the buyer on the Hammer Price of each lot sold at the following rates: 29.75% of the Hammer Price of each lot up to and including €5,000, plus 23.8% of the Hammer Price between €5,001 and €400,000, plus 14.28% of any amount in excess of €400,001. Buyer’s premium is calculated on the basis of each lot individually.

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