Museum Puri Lukisan, which translates to Palace of Paintings, is Bali’s oldest art museum. Founded in 1956, the museum has 6 buildings displaying traditional Balinese paintings and woodcarvings. It’s a nice place to see and learn about the many styles of Balinese art within a day’s visit.

The museum was a result of the Pita Maha artistic movement in Bali, formed by late Dutch artist Johan Rudolf Bonnet, who fell in love with Bali and settled in Ubud to produce a magnificent body of work, together with other great names such as Walter Spies and Bali’s own Lempad. You’ll find over 62 sculpture sets in permanent exhibits among the collection of Museum Puri Lukisan. Notable exhibits include a series of pre-War Balinese paintings from the Leo Haks collection, masterworks by I Gusti Nyoman Lempad, and the Wayang painting collection. Museum Puri Lukisan’s 4th building, called the Founders Gallery, showcases the museum’s history and temporary exhibitions of local artists’ work.