Description of the attraction
The Le Mayer Museum is a memorial museum that houses the work of the renowned artist Le Mayer.
The artist's full name is Adrien-Jean le Mayer de Merpres. He was born in 1880 in Brussels, loved to travel, traveled to many countries and in 1932 he stayed on the island of Bali. Le Mayer was deeply impressed by the Balinese culture, population, traditions, temples and local dances, nature, and therefore decided to stay. He rented a house near Denpasar.
Soon, the artist met Ni Pollock, a legong dancer, and took her as his wife. Legong dance is one of three traditional Balinese dances and is considered one of the most beautiful dances in the world. The dance lasts from 30 to 60 minutes, and it is worth noting that only young dancers under the age of 15 can perform this dance. Such age restrictions are due to the fact that dance movements are very complex and require grace. In addition, the dancer must be very flexible and resilient. Neither Pollock, the artist's wife, became his muse; her images can be seen in many of his paintings.
In 1933, the artist exhibited his paintings and drawings depicting Ni Pollock at an exhibition in Singapore, and this brought him fame. Returning to Bali, the artist bought a plot of land in Sanur and built a house there, where he began to live and be creative. In 1956, the Minister of Education and Culture of Indonesia visited the artist's house and was amazed at the artist's beautiful works. After viewing all the paintings, the minister suggested that the artist pass on his heritage to the country, and the house should be converted into a museum. Le Mayer agreed with this idea, and in 1957 a decree was signed to establish the museum. Unfortunately, the artist died in 1958, but his wife continued to live and work there until her death in 1985.
