Five stolen paintings returned<\/p>\n
By K. Basrie<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A Singaporean collector agreed yesterday after a
\nday of negotiations in the island state to return to Jakarta five
\nIndonesian paintings allegedly stolen from the National Museum
\nhere.<\/p>\n
\"Thanks God, we've finally got the stolen paintings,\" Minister
\nof Education and Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro told reporters
\nshortly after being told the news by telephone at 6:30 p.m.
\nyesterday from the head of the National Museum, Suwati Kartiwa.<\/p>\n
The latter was leading the Indonesian delegation in the
\nnegotiations with the unidentified collector, who was represented
\nby his lawyer, Liem Seng Siew.<\/p>\n
By late evening yesterday, all of the paintings had been
\ntransferred to the Indonesian embassy, ready to be flown home,
\nreported Suwati to Wardiman.<\/p>\n
\"Just take any flight that can bring the paintings home as
\nsoon as possible,\" the minister ordered the head of the museum.<\/p>\n
According to Wardiman, all of the five paintings by world-
\nrenowned Indonesian masters are listed in the Christie's catalog
\nfor its Oct. 6 auction at The Hyatt Regency Singapore.<\/p>\n
Among the five oil paintings to be returned are the two
\ncontroversial canvases widely reported to have been withdrawn by
\nChristie's following reports that they were part of the
\nIndonesian national collection stolen from the state museum.<\/p>\n
A Nude was completed in 1992, by Basoeki Abdullah and Portrait
\nof a Dutch Governor Wearing the Willems Order was completed in
\n1867 by legendary master Raden Sarief Bustaman Saleh, better-
\nknown as Raden Saleh.<\/p>\n
Basoeki's painting has an estimated price in the Christie's
\ncatalog of between S$8,000 (US$5650) and S$12,000 while it was
\nthought Raden Saleh's would sell for between S$100,000 and
\nS$150,000.<\/p>\n
According to Wardiman, the other three paintings are by
\nAffandi, another famous Indonesian expressionist. They are Parang
\nTritis, completed in 1964, Kawah Tangkuban Perahu, 1974, and
\nWadjah Diri dan Topeng, also 1974. The estimated prices of the
\nthree paintings are between S$35,000 and S$45,000, S$30,000 and
\nS$40,000, and S$30,000 and S$40,000 respectively.<\/p>\n
\"All of the paintings were offered to Christie's for auction
\nby the same person,\" said the minister.<\/p>\n
Since the news of the controversial paintings broke last week,
\nChristie's International Singapore Pte. Ltd. said that only two
\npaintings, A Nude and Portrait of a Dutch Governor Wearing the
\nWillems Order, had been withdrawn from its upcoming auction.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a press conference early yesterday, Christie's
\nmanaging director for the Asian region, Philip Ng, said that the
\nseller of the paintings has assured Christie's that \"he would
\ndonate the two paintings to Indonesia.\"<\/p>\n
Soon after Wardiman's announcement, Philip told The Jakarta
\nPost that Christie's was asked by the Singaporean police, who
\nwere investigating the case, to keep the story of the other three
\npaintings confidential.<\/p>\n
\"That's the reason why we had to keep on saying only two
\npaintings were withdrawn,\" Philip said.<\/p>\n
But following Wardiman's statement, \"all five paintings were
\nautomatically withdrawn by Christie's from the Oct. 6 auction,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Philip only described the seller of the paintings as a
\nSingaporean citizen, who also does business in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Critics<\/p>\n
Despite the good news from Singapore, critics said that the
\nimportant thing is not the return of the paintings but how they
\nwere stolen.<\/p>\n
\"The police, together with us, are still investigating the
\ncase, including how the culprits took the paintings and then took
\nthem overseas,\" said Wardiman.<\/p>\n
The minister said he strongly believed that the theft was
\ncommitted by insiders after investigators found that everything
\nat the museum's stores were in the correct order.<\/p>\n
\"There's no sign that the doors of the stores, for instance,
\nwere forced,\" he said.<\/p>\n
According to the minister, 12 paintings were stolen from the
\nmuseum.<\/p>\n
\"I've just received reports that six more paintings are
\nmissing from the museum,\" he said, but refused to go into
\ndetails.<\/p>\n
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