MUSEUM LE MAYEUR

Le Mayeur Museum is a memorial museum mainly housing the artworks and personal history of painter Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur de Merpres (February 9, 1880 – May 31, 1958) – a Brussels-born artist who was impressed by the shores of Sanur and dedicated his entire life there to the two things he loved the most: the arts and women.

Before deciding to spend his life in Bali, Le Mayeur had already travelled around the world. Sacrificing his travels to pursue his love of arts, he found himself enamoured of the exotic scent of frangipani and a certain bare-breasted Legong dancer, his wife and muse, Ni Pollok.

After Le Mayeur found ‘home’ in the island and Ni Pollok, who soon became the muse of his paintings and the rest of his life, the artist created a range of artworks in his impressionistic 'dob' style of painting. His technique was considered unorthodox, albeit in a brilliant way.

Le Mayeur utilized thick and rather stiff brushes to create sharp yet fluent caresses, which were later elaborated on by Antonio Blanco, another influential painter in Bali. Le Mayeur passed away on May 31, 1958. The loving couple left no children but the well-crafted mansion that is the museum today, and its legacy was bequeathed to the Indonesian government. The museum exemplifies the priceless heritage of an artist and a nation.

The main building features the former living quarters of the couple, with classical Balinese elements, sculpted stone walls and red terrazzo floor tiles. Carved wood dominates the furnishings, and window sills feature motifs inspired by wayang shadow puppet characters.

There are five rooms that serve as silent witnesses to the lives of Le Mayeur and Ni Pollok. Visitors may imagine the similar love story brought again to life through inanimate objects, similar to the retro-styled storytelling of the film Titanic. Walkthroughs include the artist’s studio, reading room and study, and the bedroom as well as Ni Pollok’s vanity corner and bathroom.

Museum Le Mayeur is easily found, located right on the beachfront in Sanur. The compound features structures in Balinese architecture that houses well over eighty artworks categorised into five different collections based on the mediums that Le Mayeur used, such as hardboard, plywood, canvas and paper. Most of the paintings in his collection feature bare-breasted women, and not all were the results of inspiration in Bali, as he had travelled the world prior to calling the island his home.

Most of his world travels included Europe, Africa, India, Italy and France. Some of his work feature subjects inspired by his travels he painted during the 1920s. Le Mayeur arrived in Bali in 1932 in his early 50s. It was supposed to be part of his travels until he met his muse and future wife. 

They married after three years of their first meeting and Le Mayeur built the house on the shoreline when Sanur was a mere quiet fishing village. One of the structures in the gardens is a meeting pavilion where Le Mayeur used to receive his guests and potential buyers of his art pieces.

BAJRA SANDI

Bajra Sandhi Monument is monument of Balinese People Struggle . This Monument is recognized by the name of Bajra Sandhi because it's form is looking like Bajra or Genta or bell used by all Hindu Priest in reading off Weda holy sentence (mantra) at religious ceremony. This monument is built in the year 1987 and it is opened by president of Megawati Sukarno Putri on 14 June 2003. The purpose of this monument is to immortalize the soul and spirit of Balinese People struggle, at one blow dig, looking after, developing and also preserve the culture of Bali to be bequeathed to a router generation as advancing capital stroke tread a world of loaded progressively with the challenge and resistance.

This monument is comprising of 33 diorama depicting the journey history from a period of prehistory (300.000 S.M) what its human being still go about and very base on the nature until the period of filling the independence (1950-1975) where Bali Island is built in all areas like politics, economic, and social cultural. By knowing and comprehending of the journey history, soul, and spirit of Bali People struggle from time to time, it is expected the tighten of the spirit and cultural to increase Bali tourism.

The existence of physical building is strongly relating to the meaning of Hinduism philosophy, namely Yoni colossus. The monument is likely colossus device meanwhile the building base as yoni. From other side, the Yoni colossus is also describing the story of twiddling Mandhara Giri at Ksirarnawa which is taken away from passage of Adi Parwa (Hindu's Book).

This building Monument is consisted of:

• Jar of Amertha symbol by Kumba (a kind of pot) what is seen on the top monument.
• The Dragon Basuki tail exists near by Swamba and its head at entrance gate
• The body of Bedawang Akupa realized at its base of monument and the head at entrance gate
•  Mount of Mandara Giri realized by the high of monument boosting
• Pool encircle the monument is supposing as Ksirarnawa (milk ocean).
• Bajra Sandhi Monument in its development, it has been opened for visitor and to be places of interest or tourist destination in Bali in particular when visiting Denpasar town . You may also join Denpasar City Tour or Denpasar Tour Package to visit this beautiful place.

SANUR

This reef-barriered and whitesanded beach, about 8 kilometers along the white-sanded bay off Badung straits, luckily faces the rising sun every morning, so one may come together with the fishermen and their outrigger boats to say: "Good Morning" to the beauty. The long wave beyond the reef are the good friends of the surfers, while the inner quiet-water is an ideal place to water ski and to fish. AA night in Sanur beach is a beautiful memory one could never forget, especially when the fullmoon comes the girls swim in crodws companied by their boy friends. The old women used to say that during the fullmoon night they should go to swim on the beach and pray to the God to give them beautiful faces like the mmon. But possibly it is mere good will from their parents to allow them to have a pleasant time once a month. Another place to see is Museum Le Mayeur, a Belgian painter's house.

PASAR KUMBASARI

The biggest market in the regency of Denpasar is the place where people (mostly women) trade everything. It is very interesting to watch how the women move things from one place to another, or to study somethings which might be unique anywhere else but people to trade them in this market. The more interesting events come during the hari pasaran, the big day for the market, which comes every five days, when the women trade their baby pigs and ducklings, with their clamorous noise accompanied by the chatter of their garrolous mistress'. Pasar Kumbasari opens 24 hours, except the religious holidays.

MAOSPAHIT TEMPLE

Archeologist believe that this temple has a close link with the collapse of the Majapahit kingdom in East Java (14-15 century) which was holdingthe powers throughout the archipelago. Most probably this temple was built sometime around the 15th century. There are two shrines inside, one enthoning the Majapahit deity and the other one the Maospahit deity. The split gate is decorated with five ancient stone statues. Their identity has not yet been clarified but according to the locals, they represent the Lord of hell Yama, the Lord of Heaven Indra, the Lord of ocean Baruna, and two lesser Gods Sangkara and Kwera. There are a number of Maospahit temples in Bali but this temple is the one with its own particular identity.

ART CENTER

"Wedi Budaya" is the name of this cultural development center, the place where the artists create, learn, train, and show their creations. It is also used for many cultural activities. Traditional Balinese architecture dominates the entire complex, with its masive carved kori gate separating the outer yard from the large open stage. The main exhibition building stands arrogantly among its scenic garden. The permanent fine-arts exhibition opens everyday beside the incidental exhibitions, shows, and appreciation program. Dance lessons for children are held every Sunday morning. Visitors can enjoy their time at the bars or restaurant around the inner yars, or shopping at the shops on the ground floor of the open-stage. Programs of the week are available at the office of the Manager on request.

MUSEUM BALI

The effort to establish an ethnological museum came from W.F.I.Kroon, the Dutch Commander of Bali in 1910, and was then continued by Dr. W.F. Stutterheim, an expert of the Dutch Administrations Historical Department. The musium itself was officially opened on the 8th of Denpasar 1932 after the three main buildings, The Tabanan, Karangasem, and Buleleng buildings, were completed by two traditional Balinese architects - Gusti Ktut Gde Kandel and Gusti Ktut Rai, and a German architect Kurt Grundler.

It is one of the biggest museums in Indonesia, collecting various implements, cloths, artworks, religious paraphernalia, china, bronz, earthenwares, stones, from the neolithicum and megalithicum ages to recent times. The museum opens daily except Monday and holidays.