Minister confirms art theft<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government confirmed yesterday the theft of
\na number of valuable Indonesian paintings from the National
\nMuseum, including two masterpieces withdrawn Friday by
\ninternational auction house Christie's from its October sale in
\nSingapore.<\/p>\n
The theft took place a month ago and was believed to involve
\nmembers of staff at the museum, according to Minister of
\nEducation and Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro.<\/p>\n
He said: \"The stolen paintings have been withdrawn by
\nChristie's from its auction house.\"<\/p>\n
It was the first official statement issued by the government
\nsince the news of the theft, categorized as part of the national
\ncollection, was broken by some local media late last week.<\/p>\n
Wardiman gave no details about the other titles or the precise
\nnumber of paintings stolen from the museum, which is under the
\nsupervision of the minister's office.<\/p>\n
According to reliable sources, at least six paintings by
\nworld-renowned Indonesian masters, such as Raden Sarief Bustaman
\nSaleh, better-known as Raden Saleh, Affandi and Raden Basoeki
\nAbdullah have been taken.<\/p>\n
Police records show that the theft was only reported by museum
\nstaffer Kolam Sardjono on Sept. 12.<\/p>\n
However, the theft was hidden from the public by the museum
\nuntil art curators were amazed to see Christie's catalog for the
\nOct. 6 auction feature two paintings by Indonesian masters
\npreviously thought to be in the National Museum here.<\/p>\n
Local media first reported the theft Friday, despite no
\nofficial comment from the authorities.<\/p>\n
Shortly after a long meeting the same day, Christie's
\nInternational Singapore Pte. Ltd. announced that the two
\npaintings, A Nude, completed in 1992, by Basoeki Abdullah and
\nPortrait of a Dutch Governor Wearing the Willems Order, completed
\nin 1867, by Raden Saleh, were withdrawn from its upcoming
\nauction.<\/p>\n
However, there is no further explanation about the hasty
\nwithdrawal or the current whereabouts of the paintings.<\/p>\n
Minister Wardiman criticized the media for disturbing the
\ninvestigation to arrest the thieves.<\/p>\n
\"The reports have made the investigation more difficult.
\nThat's why I asked the press not to magnify the case,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The minister said that any dishonest museum employees might
\nhave had a double motivation; the poor security system and their
\nlow pay.<\/p>\n
\"The museum employees are state employees. Therefore, they
\nhave the same level of salary earned by other state employees,\"
\nsaid Wardiman.<\/p>\n
Consequently the temptation to steal the precious items could
\nhave become stronger, he said.<\/p>\n
The salary of middle-rank state employees ranges from Rp
\n250,000 to Rp 500,000 (US$106 to $212) per month. The price of
\nthe each painting is hundreds of millions of rupiah.<\/p>\n
The National Museum, located on Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat in
\nCentral Jakarta, has recorded a number of thefts of a wide range
\nof national treasure from its collection.<\/p>\n
National Police Chief Lt. Gen. Dibyo Widodo said Sunday in
\nBatam Island, Riau, that the police have questioned a number of
\npeople regarding the recent theft of the paintings.<\/p>\n
The three-star general also said that the Indonesian police
\nhave asked the local police in Singapore, through Interpol, to
\nhelp investigate the stolen paintings.<\/p>\n
In another related development yesterday, Minister of Tourism,
\nPost and Telecommunication Joop Ave called on Christie's to
\ncooperate with Indonesia to arrest the suspects. (bsr\/icn)<\/p>\n
Editorial -- Page 4<\/p>\n
Mystery -- Page 7<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/minister-confirms-art-theft-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }