Decorative Arts in the
Geoffrey Bawa Collection



Virtual Exhibition  |  26 May – 5 June 2020


Back to the Main Gallery




Bawa’s Bedroom


Geoffrey Bawa’s collection of decorative arts objects, whether furniture, ceramics, glassware or metalwork, are an astounding testament to taste, travel, use and care. The objects in this exhibition, all from the Geoffrey Bawa Collection, bare witness to the incredible craft and invention that goes into a beautiful object, a fact that Bawa was keenly attuned to. Seeing them here, as they were in Bawa’s lifetime, is important in understanding the granular scale of attention and detail manifest in Geoffrey Bawa’s spaces. Bawa’s bedroom, his sanctum at Lunuganga which was private even when he was alive, was opened to the public for the first time on the occasion of this exhibition.



Antique barometer, which we like to think told Bawa whether he could expect fair or stormy weather each morning. This incredible Barefoot textile was designed by Barbara Sansoni in 1968. While many variations of the warp colour proportions were used, this version was intended for tablecloths and bedspreads. Bawa’s use of the fabric over his desk at Lunuganga works to capture the blue hue of the “Golu” lamp hung above, the brown shades of the timber furniture, and the green yarns then carry your eye out into the garden beyond. Careful and deliberate use of Decorative Art objects to enhance the experience of a space, and especially to allow you to take in a view at a distance outside from inside a space, was one of Bawa’s particular skills. Bawa’s bathroom - one of the spaces that will be on view to the public for the first time during the exhibition. The L-shaped mirrors help bring the light and views of the adjoining courtyard into the space; capturing Bawa’s ability to bring the outside in to even the most intimate spaces. Also spot the 1962 plan by Laki Senanayake in the reflection! The ceramic wash-basin, water-pitcher and soap dish set. These objects are from the legendary city of Stoke-on-Trent, also known as the Potteries, in Staffordshire, England.


© 2020 Geoffrey Bawa Trust. All rights reserved. You may not reproduce, distribute, display or create derivative works of any of the text, images or other content appearing on this website, nor may you use any of the trademarks, without written permission from the Geoffrey Bawa Trust.
Photographs by Luka Alagiyawanna
In-situ Exhibition Photographs by Ruvin de Silva

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© 2020 Geoffrey Bawa Trust. All rights reserved. You may not reproduce, distribute, display or create derivative works of any of the text, images or other content appearing on this website, nor may you use any of the trademarks, without written permission from the Geoffrey Bawa Trust.