In the 1920s and 1930s, the island of Bali became a focus for the Western world's interest in the Orient. Artists, choreographers, photographers, and international cultural figures travelled to Bali.
Artist and author Tyra Kleen was one of the Swedes who caught the so-called Bali fever. Between 1919 and 1921, she drew and painted Brahmin priests, dancers, musicians, and musical instruments on Bali.
Tyra Kleen quickly became internationally famous. In Sweden, she made a name for herself through the exhibition “Två vittberesta damer” (Two Widely-Travelled Women) at Liljevalchs Konsthall in 1922. Tyra Kleen and the Japanologist Ida Trotzig displayed their collections of artefacts there from, respectively, Java and Bali, and Japan.
Today, two meeting rooms in the Museum of Ethnography are named after Tyra Kleen and Ida Trotzig.