Agung Rai Museum of Art

Established in 1996 by Agung Rai, the Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA) in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, houses a diverse collection of paintings by Balinese, Indonesian, and foreign artists. The museum’s permanent exhibition includes traditional Kamasan paintings on tree bark, masterpieces by Batuan artists from the 1930s and 1940s, and works by 19th-century Javanese artist Raden Saleh and German painter Walter Spies. ARMA also serves as a cultural center, offering dance and music performances, painting classes, workshops, and a library, aiming to preserve and promote Balinese and Indonesian culture.

Planning your visit

ARMA was founded in 1996 by Agung Rai, a Balinese who began selling paintings to tourists as a teenager and gradually assembled one of the most important private collections of Balinese art. The museum in Ubud holds Kamasan paintings on bark cloth in the classical wayang style, work by the Batuan painters of the 1930s and 40s, and — significantly — pieces by the Javanese painter Raden Saleh and the German Walter Spies.

Spies matters to Bali's story. He settled here in the 1920s, and his interaction with local painters helped transform Balinese art from purely religious commission work to something that engaged with landscape and daily life. Whether that was liberation or distortion is still argued.

ARMA functions as a living cultural centre rather than a gallery alone: gamelan and dance performances, painting and carving classes, a library, and gardens with rice terraces and lotus ponds.

Bookable options are admission tickets. Checking the performance schedule before choosing a time is worthwhile. Current availability is shown below.