Walther Spies

Walther Spies was a German painter born in Russia as the son of a German diplomat in Moscow. In 1923, Spies moved to Java and in 1927 he settled permanently in Bali, where he lived in Ubud. He was a Primitivist painter and, being the co-founder of the Pita Maha artists cooperative, influenced the direction of Balinese art. With his wide knowledge of Balinese culture, he taught the many Western guests he received in the 1930s about the Balinese culture and art. He recorded Balinese music, collected art, created a movie on Balinese arts and contributed to Dutch scientific journals. Also, he created the Bali Museum. Because he was German, he was arrested and deported during World War II (all Germans were arrested by the Dutch Indies government). The ship that he was on however was hit by a Japanese bomb, causing the prisoners on the ship to drown.