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Painting by Jean Le Mayeur

ADRIEN JEAN LE MAYEUR DE MERPRES (Belgian, 1880-1958).

The son of a painter linked to Belgian nobility, he served as an army painter during WW I and afterwards made trips to the south of France, Morocco, Tunisia, Madagascar, India, and Cambodia.

In 1932, he made a sea trip to Bali, and arrived in the Singaraja harbor of the Buleleng province. Working to prepare for an exhibition in Singapore, he was impressed by temple rituals and dances, and by the dancer Ni Pollok. He fell in love with Balinese culture, a transformative experience, and he bought a piece of land near Sanur beach where he settled and built a villa.

He married Ni Pollock in 1935, and during World War II he continued working, under house arrest, often painting on rice sack cloth. After the war Le Mayer's reputation grew steadily until his death in 1958. After his wife's death in 1985, the artist's home and garden were opened as a museum.

Above: Artist Jean Le Mayeur's signature