 Born in Bale, Switzerland in 1908, the year of the last Puputan
in Bali, Meire studied at the Berlin Academy where his admiration for Emil Nolde, a
painter who sought new inspiration by traveling like Gauguin to Polynesia, brought him
trouble with his disapproving professor. After Berlin he moved to Dresden, were like spies
he studied shortly with Otto Dix. Despite his admiration for both of these artists, he
yearned for something else. Returning to Bale his future was revealed to him while
attending an exhibition of Gauguin’s work there. He left for Tahiti in 1932. Like Le
Mayeur he failed to achieve his south seas dream until he arrived in Bali in 1936.Meier had a secession of Balinese wives and become very involved
with mysticism and the Balinese way of life. He was also a fantastic cook specialising in
group soup. First settling in Sanur he later renovated Spies’s house in Iseh in east
Bali until he was imprisoned by the Japanese. His paintings with broad planes of strong
color clearly show their debt to Gaunguin both conceptually and visually. Many paintings
are allegorical and deal with mystic subjects. He was also a talented portraitist for whom
the great composer Stravinsky once posed. After Independence he settled in northern
Thailand where his house is now a museum. He still made frequent visits to Bali which
remained central to his work . His paintings can be seen in both the Neka and Agung Rai
museums. |
