Art Lover's Guide to Ubud

Founded by art dealer Agung Rai, the Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA) hosts some of Ubud's most famous art pieces. ARMA’s exceptional collection runs from 19th-century bark paintings to modern works with street art influences. Highlights include some of the must-see artworks in Ubud, such as Walter Spies’ Iseh in the Morning Light, plus pieces by Balinese master I Gusti Nyoman Lempad and 19th-century Javanese artist Raden Saleh. The cultural program includes Balinese dance performances plus workshops in everything from painting to making offerings.

One of the top art galleries in Ubud, Neka Art Museum sprawls across a series of pavilions in Ubud’s Sayan area. The Balinese Painting Hall traces the development of painting on the island from puppet-style pictures through more naturalistic figures to canvases influenced by Walter Spies and anthropologist Margaret Mead. There’s an entire pavilion devoted to I Gusti Nyoman Lempad’s flowing pen-and-ink drawings, a wealth of works by the founder’s friend Arie Smit, and a hall that showcases the rich craft and spiritual significance of Indonesia’s wavy keris daggers.

A stone’s throw from Ubud Palace in the heart of town, Museum Puri Lukisan is Bali’s oldest art museum, opened in 1956. Designed by I Gusti Nyoman Lempad, it’s one of the three prominent cultural landmarks for art lovers in Ubud. It is still home to the Pita Maha association of Balinese artists, a leading light in Ubud’s rich art history. Three pavilions show major Balinese artworks; the fourth hosts some of the most important art exhibitions in Ubud, featuring prominent Indonesian names such as Jeihan Sukmantoro.

Nestled amid elaborate gardens—complete with parakeets—on a hill in central Ubud, the Don Antonio Blanco Museum is a tribute to the vision of its creator, Philippines-born artist Antonio Blanco, who lived here with his Balinese dancer wife, Ni Ronji. Many find the museum’s rich decor, opulent grounds, and spectacular food options—which include the BLANCO Par Mandif fine diner and the beautiful Plant Bistro vegan eatery—more stimulating than Blanco’s canvases, which are almost entirely topless women.

One of the most popular Ubud art attractions, the Ubud Traditional Art Market, closed for renovations in the early 2020s. Many vendors set up stalls on a nearby street, Jalan Kajeng, and although the old market site has reopened, you’ll still find a sign advertising the art market on Jalan Kajeng. Whether you visit Jalan Kajeng or the new market building, you’ll find similar souvenirs, mainly clothes, sarongs, baskets, jewelry, wood carvings, and the occasional affordable painting.

The top commercial gallery among many Ubud art studios and workshops, the Tony Raka Art Gallery sits a little outside Ubud in the wood-carving village of Mas and draws collectors worldwide. Tribal pieces come from Papua, Borneo, and beyond, focusing on wood carvings; modern artworks include paintings by Nyoman Erawan, perhaps Bali’s best-known contemporary artist. Even if you don’t have money to burn, the collection is free to view, while the Tonyraka Art Lounge serves great coffee and international eats.

Arts classes are undoubtedly the top art tours and experiences in Ubud, and many travelers find their favorite souvenirs to be the pieces they made themselves. You can try your hand at Balinese painting, make your own batik textile art, learn to sculpt wood, design and create your own piece of silver jewelry, throw pots on a wheel, learn Balinese dance or gamelan instruments, and more. Making traditional offerings and carving fruit are popular family choices.

A little out of Ubud, in the wood-carving village of Mas, the Setia Darma House of Masks and Puppets delivers an endlessly fascinating journey through the world of masks and puppetry in Indonesia and beyond. From the dark, intense energy of a Papuan shaman’s grass costume to the grace of Javanese wayang shadow puppets, it’s a journey through an art form Western cultures often neglect. With more than 7,000 pieces spread across the garden pavilions, it’s easy to stay longer than planned.

With more than 17,000 islands, Indonesia has one of the world’s richest textile traditions, spanning the gamut from hand-drawn silk batik to elaborate double ikat. In this challenging technique, artisans create the pattern by dyeing both horizontal and vertical threads before weaving. Two different Ubud outlets display and sell natural dye textiles (plus basketwork and wood carvings) from islands, including Sulawesi, Sumba, Borneo, Flores, and Java. You can also join in-depth textile workshops that utilize natural dyes.

One of several arts villages around Ubud, Celuk Village (Desa Celuk) is a popular stop on Ubud arts and crafts tours. It’s home to the bulk of the island’s goldsmiths and silversmiths, a profession that still generally follows family lines. It's also a great place to shop for silver jewelry. If time permits, it’s easy to have pieces custom-made or to design and create your own trinkets at a Celuk silversmithing class.

Perhaps the most popular of Ubud’s arts and crafts villages, Mas Village (Desa Mas) is the area’s center for wood carving. Craftsmen produce everything from ritual masks and Buddha sculptures to naturalistically carved tree roots and panels that tell stories from Hindu mythology. It’s also home to the Tony Raka Art Gallery and Setia Darma House of Masks and Puppets.