Ida Bagus Made was born in Tebasaya, Ubud, Bali in 1915. Ida Bagus Made came from a Brahman family of accomplished artists in Tampaksiring, Bali. His Father, Ida Bagus kembeng (1897–1952), was a well-known painter who won the prestigious Silver Medal in 1937 at the International Colonial Art Exposition in Paris. Ida Bagus Made first learned painting and carving from his father. He later studied painting under the guidance of Rudolf Bonnet. Bonnet once wrote that Ida Bagus Made was one of the most talented artist in Bali. He was in his teens when the modernization of Balinese art began in the late 1920s, and only 21 years old when he joined the prestigious Pitamaha Artist Guild, founded in 1936 to preserve Balinese art from the threat of tourism and commercialism. His father, Ida Bagus Kembeng had two wives: Jero Deblog and Ida Ayu Rai. Ida Bagus Made was a child from his second wife. From his marriage with Jero Deblog, Ida Bagus Kembeng had two sons: Ida Bagus Putu Wiri and Ida Bagus Made Belawa. With Ida Ayu Rai, Kembeng had a daughter, Ida Ayu Oka, and two sons: Ida Bagus Made Poleng and Ida Bagus Nyoman Raka. Ida Bagus Made was married to Gusti Niang and had one daughter, Ida Ayu Sadri. Since Ida Bagus Made did not have a son, he adopted Ida Bagus Pudja, a son of his half brother, Ida Bagus Belawa. He was known by the Balinese as a ritual specialist for carving sacred masks imbued with magical powers for the surrounding temples of Ubud. As a traditional painter of the Pitamaha generation, he became known worldwide for his artistic mastery. Ida Bagus Made was a prolific painter who had a profound distrust of art dealers and collectors.He scrutinized his admirers and only a handful of collectors passed his test. The late Indonesian President Sukarno was one of such collectors that Ida Bagus Made revered. His works are well sought after and are in the collection of many museums in the world. He died after an illness in 1999. In 2000, following the artist’s last wish, the widow of Ida Bagus Made loaned over 100 paintings from the artist’s private collection to the Puri Lukisan Museum for safekeeping.
Ida Bagus Made Poleng lahir di banjar Tebasaya, Gianyar pada tahun 1915. Ayahnya Ida Bagus kembeng (1897-1952) adalah seorang pelukis ternama yang memenangkan Medali Perak bergengsi pada tahun 1937 pada Pameran Seni Kolonial Internasional di Paris. Ida Bagus Made pertama kali belajar melukis dan mengukir dari ayahnya. Ia kemudian belajar melukis di bawah bimbingan Rudolf Bonnet. Bonnet pernah menulis bahwa Ida Bagus Made adalah salah satu artis paling berbakat di Bali.
Ida Bagus Made adalah seorang pelukis produktif yang sangat tidak percaya pada pedagang dan kolektor seni. Dia meneliti pengagumnya dan hanya segelintir kolektor yang lulus ujiannya. Almarhum Presiden Indonesia Sukarno adalah salah satu kolektor yang dipuja Ida Bagus Made. Karya-karyanya banyak dicari dan menjadi koleksi banyak museum di dunia.
Bagi pelukis yang akrab disapa Gus Made ini lukisan adalah sebagian dari jiwanya. Baginya seorang pelukis hidup dua kali, pertama di dunia fana, kedua dalam lukisannya. Oleh karena itu ia dikenal sangat mencintai lukisannya dan tidak mau menjual karyanya.
Ida Bagus Made adalah seorang pelukis yang sering dianggap sebagai ‘orang gila’. Dalam kesehariannya, Ida Bagus Made tidak mengenakan pakaian, dia hanya mengenakan sarung yang dililitkan di pinggang. Ia yang tak pernah mengenyam pendidikan formal, membuatnya hanya bisa menulis dalam aksara bali.
Karya-karya lukisan Ida Bagus Made sering menjadi buruan banyak orang terutama orang-orang asing pada saat itu, Ia menyatakan tak mampu melihat lukisannya di beli orang. Ia lebih memilih untuk melukis beberapa lukisan yang dibungkusnya rapi dan disimpan.
Ia meninggal dunia setelah lama sakit pada tahun 1999 dan meninggalkan lebih dari seratus lukisan dan sketsa yang sekarang disimpan di Museum Puri Lukisan.
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