Message from Sidharta Auctioneer
After months of political tension, Indonesia finally witnesses the inauguration of the President’s second term in office. It opens a new chapter in the life of the Republic, and will hopefully bring stability that is much needed for development.
We are blessed to be able to offer our second Fine Art auction for the year. While the artworks we offer come from various collections, a good number are from the property of a gentleman who spent many years collecting of works by artists who were quite popular at the time he was active, primarily around the 1990s. They include works by Abdul Aziz, Emilio Ambron, Anton Huang, Arifien ("Neif"), Mersad Berber, Antonio Blanco, Francois Brochet, Renato Cristiano, Nyoman Gunarsa, Huang Fong, Kriyono, Lim Kwie Bing, Jason Monet, Popo Iskandar, Siauw Tik Kwie, and Han Snel. In addition to the groups of art works he collected there are also single pieces that very interesting pieces.
Barli’s Portrait of a Young Woman (lot #372*) depicts the charm of a young woman using simple but bold lines. Zaini’s Tini (lot #374*) dating from 1949, done in watercolors, is a significant early portrait, showing the sitter’s strong character. It is also comparable with the artist’s other portraits from the same period. While there is a mystical nuance in Hendrik Paulides's Membatik (lot #421*), Mies Callenfels Carsten's A Pasar Scene (lot #332*) is painted in a modern style influenced by modern graphic design and advertising, making the painting look very modern and beyond it's time. The myopic painter Awiki paints what he is able to see through his thick glasses and then uses very thick oil paints to create his paintings. Interestingly, his painting Garden (lot #412*) turns out as an impressionistic painting that everyone can enjoy while appreciating the artist;s limited vision.
The late gentleman, who collected the various artworks, appreciated the individual style of each artist. Especially Bagong Kussudiardjo’s expression of movement as can be seen in Balinese Dancer (lot #370*), Djirna’s simple forms in Three Women (lot #385*), Jeihan Sukmantoro’s passage into the soul of the figure he paints through the blackened eyes in Nunik Bali (lot #427*) or Sudarso’s interest in preserving tradition through paintings such as Seated Woman with Basket (lot #419*).
There many works to choose from in this collection, but perhaps the most important paintings are Berber Mersad’s Four Figures (lot #394*), By the Patio (lot #401*) by Arifien (‘Neif’), Antonio Blanco’s The Winning Cock (lot #405*), Popo Iskandar’s Cat (lot #406*), and Abdul Aziz’s Surprised (lot #423*). Lots from the property of a gentleman are scattered throughout the auction. An asterisk (*) following the lot number indicates that the lot is part of the property of a gentleman.
Although limited in number, this auction offers a good selection of contemporary art including works by Lucia Hartini, Pusaran (lot #359), Entang Wiharso's Wajah-wajah Pentas (lot #360), Oceu Apristawijaya’s Caring while Explore (lot #358),
and Eddie Hara's Real Angel Does Not Fly (lot #361).
Of course, among the Indonesian modern art pieces, there is also Arie Smit's Passing The Temple (lot #413), which should not be missed. While there are many interesting lots to chose from in this auction, the most important lot is perhaps the Mahabrata painting (lot #435) by Anak Agung Gede Meregeg. This painting was acquired in the 1950s by a distinguished officer who later became the victim of the 1965 attempted Coup. Only recently has this painting been uncovered, after being kept for more than 50 years in storage.
We hope that you will be able to view them in person starting Thursday 14 November 2019 at the Aria Ballroom of The Tribrata, Jl. Darmawangsa Raya, Jakarta. Our auction will take place on Sunday, 17 November 2019, immediately after the auction of the second session of our Collectibles auction (only 30 lots) which will be starting at 1:30 pm. Enjoy the artworks and the auction!
Amir Sidharta
