The name of the Le Mayeur Museum is taken from the name of its founder, Adrien Jean Le Mayeur De Merpres. He was a Belgian painter born on February 9, 1880, in Ixelles, Brussels. Despite holding an academic degree in building engineering, Le Mayeur was more passionate about the world of art, likely influenced by his father, who was also a painter. He honed his painting skills under the guidance of Ernest Blanc Garin and eventually embarked on a journey around the world. He traveled to Italy, France, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Thailand, India, Cambodia, and finally arrived in Bali in 1932, docking at the port of Buleleng, with Singaraja being the first city he visited.
Adrien Jean Le Mayeur De Merpres continued his journey to Denpasar and rented a house in Banjar Kelandis, Denpasar. It was here that he first met Ni Nyoman Pollok, a young and beautiful Legong dancer. He used her as a model for his paintings during an exhibition in Singapore in 1933, which was a great success and made Le Mayeur famous. Three years later, in 1935, they married in a traditional Balinese wedding ceremony. They eventually built a house on the shores of Sanur, on a land measuring 32 acres, which also served as his painting studio.
Having a background in architectural building, Le Mayeur was able to design his house, combining Balinese ornaments crafted by Ida Bagus Made Mas. The proceeds from selling his paintings were used to embellish the house, and the best paintings were kept as his personal collection. In 1956, the Minister of Education and Culture, Bahder Djohan, visited Le Mayeur's house, impressed by the collection and the quality of his personal paintings. He then proposed the idea of turning the house into a museum, which was warmly welcomed by Le Mayeur. He continued to work to add and enhance the quality of his paintings.
Initially, Le Mayeur planned to stay in Bali for only 8 months, but he ended up living there for 26 years. They were separated when Le Mayeur passed away on July 18, 1958, at the age of 78, due to severe ear cancer. His dream of establishing a museum had come true. Le Mayeur was buried in Ixelles/Elsene, Brussels. After Le Mayeur's passing, the museum, land, and house were inherited by Ni Pollok, and she took over the management of the museum. During its heyday, not only Minister Bahder Djohan visited Le Mayeur's house, but also President Sukarno and Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru.
The couple themselves did not have children because Le Mayeur did not allow Ni Pollok to have offspring. As his painting model, he feared that pregnancy would alter her ideal physique. Ni Pollok eventually handed over what her husband had bequeathed to the Indonesian government and dedicated it as a museum. Ni Nyoman Pollok herself passed away on July 27, 1985, at the age of 68.
The Bali architectural building is now also transformed into a museum. The physical condition of the building is quite old, but it stands as a silent witness to the lives of the couple. You can still witness it today. The theme of Andrien Jean Le Mayeur De Merpres' paintings is impressionism, with the majority depicting bare-chested Balinese women, and Ni Pollok herself being his main model. Other themes include expressions of culture and the beauty of nature. The Le Mayeur Museum houses around 88 paintings, divided into various types based on the medium used, including 28 canvas paintings, 25 hardboard paintings, 22 bagor paintings, and even some made on plywood and paper, indicating the difficulty of obtaining painting materials during the Japanese occupation in Indonesia.
Some of the famous paintings include "Pollok" which features Ni Pollok as the sole model. This painting was created in 1957 and is incredibly beautiful and bold. There are also paintings titled "Picking Flowers" and "Around Pollok's House." The stories behind the creation of these paintings mention that the model had to endure hours of sunbathing under the scorching sun without moving or complaining, despite the majority of the maestro's paintings featuring bare-chested subjects. The artist's works include not only oil paintings but also watercolors and even pencil drawings. In addition to canvas, he used fine straw mats, plywood, and paper as media, as obtaining materials from Belgium was difficult during the Japanese occupation.
Upon entering the Le Mayeur Museum, visitors are greeted by the beauty of the garden within the museum area. Several remnants of Le Mayeur's buildings, including carved ornaments on the walls, are still clearly visible. However, the buildings have aged, and the walls appear a bit weathered. Some old furniture, belonging to the painter, is placed in the corners of the rooms but seems to be lacking proper maintenance. Wooden carvings are placed as room dividers. The paintings by the legendary artist are displayed and protected in glass frames to prevent visitors from touching them.
Historical furniture and artifacts from Le Mayeur's era can still be found in the museum rooms, such as carved tables, cabinets, beds, mattresses, wardrobes, ceramics, flower vases, statues, jugs, and books owned by Le Mayeur. To the north of the museum building, a monument of the couple, Le Mayeur and Ni Pollok, is erected. Behind or to the west of the museum building, the Pollok and Le Mayeur Beach Front Hotel was built.
