The entrance to Lempad’s house in Ubud.
This is a draft chapter from my guide Lempad’s Art and Buildings in Bali.
Lempad was the Ubud king’s principal artist and architect. The King gave him land a short walk from the Royal Palace to build this house.
Although there is art to see here it is not a museum or a shop but a private residence where Lempad’s descendants still live. Just inside the gate you will be greeted by a Lempad statue of the Pied Piper of Hamlyn which he is said to have made after hearing the tale from expatriate European artists.
Lempad’s statue of the Pied Piper of Hamlyn.
Inside is the courtyard and pavilion arranged in the formal Balinese manner, although the home is much larger than Lempad’s ancestral house in Bedulu.
There are quite a lot of Lempad’s favourite sculptures here including masks, a wooden Garuda bird and several free standing statues.
Pak Udyana
Lempad’s grandson I Gusti Gede Udyana is a local builder and occasional dealer in his grandfather’s drawings, although he admits to buying more of them than he sells. If he is at home he may agree to show you some of these. He also has sketches that have stayed in the family, but which have more finished counterparts in North American and European collections.
Pak Udayana says Lempad liked these sketches so much that he often made a fresh copy so he could keep the original. For the same reason he was said to have left some of his favourite carvings incomplete so his patrons would not claim them.
Lempad sculpture of a young male servant guarding the home’s central ceremony pavilion.
The family is happy enough for people to walk in and look around as long as you do not climb any of the stairs which are entrances to their private rooms. You may liken this to someone allowing you into their yard but not to peer into their bedroom windows.
When visiting a Balinese home it is polite to bring a small gift.
Text and photos (c) 2016 GWVivian
You can find more directions to Lempad’s work If you pre-order a copy of my new book here https://www.pozible.com/project/lempad-bali-art-book