He was a former architect and US intelligence officer who after WWII fell in love, not with Thailand's beaches or its women but its lustrous, hand-woven silk. In between reviving this ailing cottage industry - which today thrives largely thanks to him - he spent his days snapping up Southeast Asian antiques. And not gaudy bric-a-brac, but some truly eye-popping paintings, pottery, furniture and sculptures.
Herein lies everything from decrepit old doorways rescued from a Chinatown street corner, to a 13th Century seated sandstone Buddha and crumbling Chinese stone lions. It's all stunning stuff. His taste was, is still, exquisite. And, ambling from room to room, it's clear from the 'oohs' and 'aahs' that others agree (as one American puts it while eyeing some Benjarong ceramics: "such an eye - and to think he was one of us!")
Home Improvements
It is clear also that while Jim Thompson was a huge fan of Thai art and customs (the threshold of each building is elevated to keep out evil spirits, for example), he was no slave to them. The stairways are found indoors. Black and white Italian tiling lines the entrance hall. And the decorative window panels, which traditionally face outwards, face in. This wasn't cultural irreverence - just home improvements.
As were other personal touches like the chandeliers, a Chinese blue and white porcelain set on a European dining table (he wasn't into dining on the floor) and, my favourite, a porcelain bedpan in the shape of a cat. Jim Thompson disappeared mysteriously in 1967 while in the Malaysian highlands. But it's easy to picture him still sitting at the work desk in his study, looking out at the sun shining between the giant palm fronds. This is a museum, yes, but one with a stirring, ghostly aura.
Jim Thompson House
Address: 6/1 Soi Kasemsan 2, Rama 1 Road
Location: Opposite the National Stadium on Rama I Road. Accessible from BTS National Stadium station.
Tel: +66 (0)2 216 7368
Opening Hours: 09:00-17:00
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