Adrianus Wilhelmus "Arie" Smit was a Dutch-born Indonesian painter who lived on Bali.
13 Facts About Arie Smit
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Arie Smit's family moved in 1924 to Rotterdam, where Smit eventually studied graphic design at the Academy of Arts.
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In early 1942 Arie Smit was transferred to the infantry in East Java, but was captured by the invading Japanese forces.
4.
Arie Smit spent three and a half years in forced labor camps building roads, bridges, and railways on the Burma Railway in Thailand, and Burma.
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Arie Smit briefly considered emigrating to South Africa, but decided to stay; he became an Indonesian citizen late in 1951.
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Arie Smit soon met art dealer James Clarence Pandy, who ran a gallery and souvenir shop.
7.
Pandy invited Arie Smit to stay in a house on stilts at the beach of Sanur.
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Arie Smit stayed longest in his favorite areas of Karangasem and Buleleng.
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Arie Smit finally settled in 1992 in the village of Sanggingan near Ubud under the patronage of Pande Wayan Suteja Neka, founder of the Neka Art Museum.
10.
In recognition for his role in the development of painting on the island, Arie Smit received the Dharma Kusama in 1992 from the government of Bali.
11.
The Arie Smit Pavilion was opened at the Neka Art Museum in 1994 to display his works and those of contemporary Balinese artists.
12.
Arie Smit further had exhibits in Jakarta, Singapore, Honolulu and Tokyo.
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Arie Smit lived near Ubud for the rest of his life, but died on 23 March 2016, at age 99.