Decorative Arts in the
Geoffrey Bawa Collection



Virtual Exhibition  |  26 May – 5 June 2020


Back to the Main Gallery





Living Room



As you take in the living spaces used by Geoffrey Bawa at Lunuganga, you are invited to note the individual objects as well as their collective placement. Many of these objects are also records of a rarely discussed sentimentality on Bawa’s part – an underlying thread that weaves through Bawa’s collections, as many of the objects are the gifts, remembrances or creations of those dear to him.




Image courtesy Lunuganga Trust Artichoke lamp; originally designed by Scandinavian designer Poul Henningsen in 1958, this is a Geoffrey Bawa revision, made with oxidised copper using a different assembly system at a time when the original design was available only in steel. Bawa was often inspired by his collection of objects to adapt, recombine and invent new designs and this habit was particularly fruitful during the closed economy period in Sri Lanka which began in the 1960s and continued until 1977.


© 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.