W. O. J. Nieuwenkamp

Wijnand Otto Jan Nieuwenkamp (Amsterdam, July 27, 1874 – Fiesole, April 23, 1950), was a Dutch multi-faceted autodidact.

As an artist he was active as a painter, draftsman, sculptor, etcher, lithographer, and designer of book covers and of ex-libris.

In 1900, the year of his marriage to Anna Wilbrink, he built a houseboat called De Zwerver (The Wanderer), which was also his own nickname.

At the time he had considerable interest in the old Dutch towns and villages of the Zuider Zee and his book on the subject was also translated to English and German.

Bali made a deep impact on Nieuwenkamp, and he returned to the island again and again over the years – not only to make his own art but to learn the Balinese traditional painting.

The Access Bali website, maintained by the island's present-day authorities, notes that Nieuwenkamp "played a critical role in creating the myth of Bali, most importantly through his support of the German doctor and amateur photographer, Gregor Krauser.

Many of his articles were published in the journal "Nederlandsch Indië, Oud en Nieuw" (Dutch Indies, Old and New).

[2] Nieuwenkamp's theory is up to the present the basis for discussion and debate among archaeologists and geologists, involved in research of this important site.

The growth of his family, as well as his increasing accumulation of art objects collected on his trips abroad, forced him to abandon his houseboat and build a house on land.