Balinese Traditional Paintings

Title	Balinese Traditional Paintings
Subtitle	A Selection from The Forge Collection of The Australian Museum, Sydney
Category	Paintings
Author	Anthony Forge
Publisher	The Australian Museum, Sydney
Published	1978
Language	English
ISBN-ASIN	9780724013883

Summary

This catalogue has been published in conjunction with an exhibition of Balinese traditional paintings, held at The Australian Museum, May-July 1978. The exhibition and catalogue present a selection of more than 60 items from the Museum's collection of traditional Balinese paintings. The total collection of 104 items, acquired in 1976 from Professor Anthony Forge of the Department of Prehistory and Anthropology, ANU, Canberra, was collected by Professor Forge in Bali during 1972-73, as part of his research into traditional Balinese art and its cultural background. Professor Forge has provided extensive documentation on each of the items, as well as an introduction to the painting tradition in Bali.

The Australian Museum is pleased to present to the public a major selection from a collection which is believed to be one of the most valuable and best documented of this type in the world. There are other larger and older collections in existence, especially in the Netherlands. However, the particular value of the Forge collection lies in its systematic coverage of the subject matter illustrated in the paintings, the variety and quality of the works, and their historical scope from mid 19th century works to present day works in the traditional style. It is hoped that this catalogue does justice not only to the collection as a whole, but also to the cultural and artistic complexity of traditional Balinese paintings.

D.J.G. Griffin Director