Indonesian Fine Art
49 Willem Gerard Hofker (1902-1981) ‘Ni-Klemis’ signed, annotated and dated ‘W.G. Hofker/
In the first half of 1940, the painter Willem Gerard Hofker, who had been living on the island of Bali for two years at the time, moved from the city of Denpasar to the more remote rural area of Ubud. He did this not only to escape the heat of the city, but also for a change of scenery and to find new models for his work. He rented a small house from the Prince of Ubud, located on a plateau overlooking a valley cut by ravines and rolling rice terraces as far as the eye could see. A babbling brook ran alongside the house and garden, supplying the terraced rice fields with fresh water and, at that time, was mostly used as a footpath. This meant that women who usually worked in these fields passed by his house. So it was an excellent place to find new models. It was exactly there at the edge of his garden that Hofker made the drawing presented here, with the charming Ni Klemis appearing from that footpath into his garden. Hofker often worked outside, sitting in the shade of the large baleh at the edge of his garden. With the magnificent view of the rolling landscape in the background, which he only suggests here behind Ni Klemis with a few striking lines to exhibit her in the foreground. Ni Klemis is dressed in a simple sarong that rides up slightly as she steps out of the stream and into the garden. She wears a capil to protect her head from the sun, a typical Balinese headcover for working in the fields. She is a young girl whom we know from only one other painting by Hofker, but from a later date, namely November 1942. In that oil painting, she also poses in the artist’s courtyard, but in front of the gate. There we see her adorned with a lush flower wreath on her head and a richly draped sarong from her waist (*). In this lot now up for auction we see her in a work on paper. In an everyday scene, like Hofker saw the charming Balinese ladies at that time passing by as they walked to and from the rice fields behind his house, in their natural beauty against the magnificent landscape of Ubud. On the reverse the artist drew a preliminary portrait sketch of the girl we know to be Ni Riboeg. It was in October 1939 when the artist first noticed this girl. She lived across from where Hofker lived, in the Pagan neighborhood. Two drawings were made of her that month, showing her profile from different angles. The finished and detailed drawing of this preliminary profile sketch, which can be seen here on the reverse side, was rediscovered by Seline Hofker in a private collection. Another one, but pictured front facial, dates from February 1940 and was auctioned here at the Venduehuis The Hague in the Indonesian Art Sale on August 28, 2019, as lot 73. Please see it illustrated in S. Hofker and G. Orsini, Willem Gerard Hofker (1902-1981), Zwolle, 2013, ill. p. 149, no. 189 and ill. p. 204, no. 284 in the catalogue listing of the Arti et Amicitiae exhibition.
Oeboed 1940/Bali’ (lower right); titled ‘Ni-Kelmis’ (upper right).
On the reverse a study of a halfnude with pencil and red chalk, by the artist, signed and annoted ‘W.G. Hofker/’..erdam-Bali’ (centre left) conte and crayon, heightened in white, on paper, unframed, 42,5x30 cm
€16,000 - €22,000
Provenance: -From the estate of Willem and Maria Hofker-Rueter to the Rueter family in 2000. -Gifted from the Rueter family to the present owner in 2017.
54
(*) That oil painting of ‘Ni Klemis at a gate’ is illustrated in S.Hofker, G. Orsini, ‘Willem Gerard Hofker (1902-1981), Zwolle 2013, ill. p. 205, no. 299 and ill. p. 239, no. 412.
Seline Hofker, September 2025
Verso of lot 49
Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease