The former home of the ‘Dali Of Bali’, sits on a hill top complete with fabulous gardens and is a true reflection of one of Bali’s most eccentric artists.
A must-see attraction in Ubud, the Don Antonio Blanco Museum is testament to the eccentric world of its former inhabitant and founder. There aren’t too many other museums in Bali where you will see parrots and chickens walking around or indeed monkeys and a Dachshund!The artist Antonio Blanco was born in the Philippines to Spanish parents in 1911. He travelled extensively staying periodically in Japan, Cambodia and New York where he studied at the National Academy of Art. Eventually winding up in Bali in 1952, he began a relationship with one of the islands most famous dancers, Ni Ronji. They married in 1953. The king of Ubud offered the couple land, which overlooked the Campuhan River where they set about creating a retreat utilising a mix of Balinese and Spanish architecture. However, he died in 1999 in hospital in Densapar and he did not see the house finally being opened to the public as a museum in the same year. Today, the complex includes the family home and the artist’s studio. There is also a restaurant and a Hindu pagoda and temple.Everything is done here with real theatrical flair, from the golden statues on the rooftop of the museum, to the equally extravagant interiors with their marble floors and imposing turquoise pylons covered in gold leaf. This all helps paint a picture of the artist as a somewhat flamboyant character. Then you come to the paintings themselves, some 400 of them displayed chronologically to give an idea of his development as a painter. Much of his work is centred around the female form. Some of the expressionist erotica is quite explicit and it is easy to see where the comparisons with Salvador Dali come from as well as his nickname ‘The Dali Of Bali’. You will however recognise other influences such as the Renaissance. Blanco’s actual studio has been perfectly preserved here. His last painting, which was still a work in progress, is still sitting on its easel.The Don Antonio Blanco Museum is located in Campuhan, not far from central Ubud. The centre is open every day and a small admission fee is payable. You should note that photographing the artist’s work is forbidden. Books and prints of the artist’s work are available in the gift shop on site.
