I Gusti Nyoman Lempad

Who was I Gusti Nyoman Lempad?

I Gusti Nyoman Lempad was known as a Balinese stone sculptor and architect who built the palaces and temples in Ubud and its neighboring villages. In his later years, he produced hundreds of linear drawings of Balinese mythology and folklore. Lempad of Bali, a short documentary film produced by John Darling and Lorne Blair, tells the story of Lempad at the end of his life and his cremation ceremony.

Lempad's exact birth date, as many Balinese of his time, is unknown. But he was married when Krakatoa erupted in 1883. He died on April 25, 1978 at his home in Ubud, Bali. He gathered his family and asked them to bathe him and then died. The Balinese believed that he chose the time of his death at the day that considered most holy.

Although he maintained a close friendship with foreign artists, including Rudolf Bonnet and Walter Spies, Lempad never compromised his distinctive identity as a Balinese artist, and one with a broad range of talents in many media; painting, sculpture and architecture.