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Walter Spies (1895-1942) was a Moscow-born, German artist who settled in the colonial Dutch East Indies. In 1927, Walter Spies moved to Ubud, Bali, and found his dream home. Under the patronage of Tjokorda Gde Agung Sukawati, the then king of Ubud, Spies helped form the artist cooperative named Pita Maha.

This artist community promoted local artists and preserved Balinese culture, establishing Bali (and specifically Ubud) as an important centre for cultural tourism to this day. This legacy of Walter Spies continues to influence Balinese arts and culture.

Rudolf Bonnet was also invited to live in Ubud by Cokorda Gde Raka Sukawati in 1929, setting up a studio in Walter Spies’ water palace. Bonnet and Sukawati worked closely together to promote and preserve Balinese culture through traditional dances, music, and ceremonies, and specifically addressed health and education issues. Their collaboration increased the world’s understanding and appreciation of Balinese culture.

Charles Chaplin was a pioneering figure in the film industry, known for his comedic “Tramp” character and classic silent film masterpieces such as “City Lights” and “Modern Times”. His innovative and visionary approach to filmmaking continues to inspire generations and his passion for Bali during his most famous years is well-documented.

Margaret Mead is an anthropologist who retreated to a village in Bali called Bayung Gede, located in the island’s central highlands. She vividly captured the everyday lives of the men, women, and children of Bayung Gede, their homes, and their temples. She incredibly shot 22,000 feet of 16mm film, took 25,000 photographs and producing seven films, including Trance and Dance in Bali.

Colin McPhee was the first Western composer to make an ethnomusicological study of Bali. He studied with Edgard Varèse before moving to Bali where he contributed significantly to the Balinese Gamelan style of music.

Living and working in Bali in the 1930s, he devoted himself to researching Balinese music, and eventually introducing it to universities in America and writing transcriptions for Western instruments. He composed gamelan music, melodies and rhythms, and is best known for his percussion orchestra performed during a 1936 summer trip to Mexico by Carlos Chavez.

Miguel Covarrubias, a Mexican-American painter, illustrator, caricaturist, and art historian, won the National Director of Art Medal in 1930 and took a honeymoon trip to Bali where he was captivated by the beauty and culture of the island. He then created a book called ‘The Island of Bali’, which paid hommage to the island’s exotic beauty and helped spark a Bali tourism craze in 1930’s New York.

Beryl De Zoete was an English ballet dancer, dance critic, and dance researcher. She entered into a lifelong relationship with the translator Arthur Waley, whom she met in 1918 but never married. She traveled extensively, particularly to Bali.

A pioneer in the field of dance, Beryl de Zoete collaborated with Walter Spies to create the seminal work, “Dance and Drama in Bali” (1937), which continues to be the definitive reference for traditional Balinese dance and theatrical forms. Edited by Richard Buckle, de Zoete’s publication of “Dance and Drama in Bali” in 1938 cemented her legacy as a leader in the field.

In 1935, the renowned Austrian author Vicky Baum visited the mystical island of Bali, where she drew inspiration for her historical fiction novel Love and Death in Bali (1937). weaved the stories of the Balinese of the day – from peasants and nobles to slaves and mystics – into an engaging narrative. Daily village life, customs and rites of the peaceful and deeply spiritual Balinese are described in great detail, capturing the essence of a critical event in Balinese history, which earned the Dutch worldwide condemnation.

Barbara Hutton, an American heiress renowned for her extravagant lifestyle, moved to Bali in the 1930s. Fascinated by the island’s arts and culture, she became a patron of Balinese dance.

In 1930, Legong: Dance of the Virgins, Hollywood’s last silent film, was released. It featured an all-native Balinese cast and caused an uproar in the West due to its bare-breasted beauties. This helped launch Bali as a popular destination for celebrities, like Walter Spies, Noel Coward, Barbara Hutton, and Charlie Chaplin, who famously stated “If it comes to the worst, we’ll go to Bali”. To this day, Bali continues to be a haven for celebrities, artists, and filmmakers.