Saturday, November 18, 2017

Sidharta FIne Art Auction 10 December 2017: Henk Ngantung’s Laskar KRIS Karawang (lot #161)

Sidharta FIne Art Auction 10 December 2017: 

Lot 161

Henk Ngantung’s Laskar KRIS Karawang (lot #161)

Following the Indonesian Independence, 17 August 1945, Dutch Forces along with the Allied Forces returned to the region to claim their rights to their former colonies, sparking what is known as the Indonesian Revolutionary War (1945-1949). Many civilian citizens of the new republic from various provinces around the country formed their own militia groups. Citizens from Sulawesi formed the Kebaktian Rakyat Indonesia Sulawesi (literal translation: The Awakening of the People of Indonesia from Sulawesi) militia (Laskar KRIS).
Hendrik “Henk” Hermanus Joel Ngantung, born in Manado, N. Sulawesi on 1 March, 1921, was a Manadonese, apparently with Chinese ancestry. He started painting at a tender age of 13, and had his first solo exhibition in Manado in 1936. The following year he went to Java and eventually resided in Batavia. He participated in a group exhibition held at the Kunstkring in Batavia in 1938.  

During the Revolutionary War, he seemed to sympathise with the Laskar KRIS, fighting the Dutch and Allied Forces in Karawang. The Dutch eventually recognized Indonesia’s sovereignty at the end of 1949.

Henk Ngantung continued to paint, and due to his artistic activities he became close to President Sukarno. In 1960 Sukarno appointed Ngantung as Vice Governor to Jakarta Governor Soemarno. In 1964 Ngantung was appointed Governor, a position he maintain for less than a year.

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