Auction scene: The quest for good art on the block

Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Jakarta

A spate of auctions of Southeast Asian art in recent months has brought both old masters and emerging talent to the attention of buyers, with the market is expanding to include works from less celebrated areas.

While innovations in the arts are touching even such sedate age- old institutions like museums, with Hector Zamora's shack-art bulging out of the Mexico City museum the latest example, auction houses of Southeast Asian art are still standing by tradition.

Although increasing in number over time, all is not really well with the auction business, particularly evident when Sotheby's and Christie's, the two oldest auction houses in the world, were involved in shocking scandals in recent years (although not many in this part of the world were aware of them).

The close-knit community is rife with rumors, one of which is that certain auction house(s) "play" beyond the ethical code in buying and selling works, a practice that facilitates manipulation of prices. Observers believe that such practices will ultimately boomerang on the establishments in question.

In Indonesia today there are four auction houses -- Balindo, Masterpiece, Borobudur and Larasati -- each with two auctions a year.

But it's Larasati, in conjunction with Glerum of the Netherlands, that has been the most refreshing presence in Southeast Asia in recent years. The first and only Asian auction house thus far, it has successfully spread its wings to Singapore, reaping international recognition for its integrity and prudent pricing. It hosts four auctions a year, two in Indonesia and two in Singapore.

Singapore is indeed becoming a center of attention in the arts, attracting both collectors and art lovers. Even Christie's, which moved out of Singapore in favor of Hong Kong, still holds previews in Singapore.

With about 12 auctions a year in the region (excluding those held in Hong Kong), there is an overwhelming number of artworks in circulation. No doubt Indonesia still remains the most featured country, with old European and Dutch artists like Willem Gerard Hofker, Rudolf Bonnet, Le Mayeur, Auke Sonnega and Theo Meier, all of whom resided in the Indies, as well as such old masters as Affandi, Hendra Gunawan, Lee Man Fong, Abdul Azis, Arie Smit, Sudjojono, Srihadi and Sudjana Kerton dominating the focus of collectors.

When it's auction time, Indonesian collectors steel themselves in pursuit of their "prey", and traveling overseas for that purpose does not pose a problem.

At the Oct. 9 Singapore auction, Larasati sold 80 percent of its 108 lots, with over 50 percent of them going to non- Indonesian collectors. Notable among them was a 1945 oil on canvas, Balinese Girl, by Hofker, measuring 33 x 25 cm, which went for S$160,000 (about US$90,000), making it the most expensive by the artist of that size.

Other highlights included Affandi's dramatic Self-portrait at Kosamba Beach (1983), and a scenery piece by Chinese Wu Guanzhong, now 83, which sold for S$150,000 and S$110,000 respectively, excluding the premium.

Remarkable also was Widayat's Affandi and Masks, which fetched S$55,000, well above its estimate of S$18,000. Larasati's number of lots was quite modest in comparison to Sotheby's 237 lots, and Borobudur's over 400, but its achievements nevertheless make for a healthy indicator of good quality works.

Sotheby's Oct. 10 Singapore auction sold almost 77 percent of its lots, with Hofker again among the top 10. His Tjawan and Sadri, an oil on canvas, fetched S$596,800, while Isaac Israels' Portrait of a Javanese Prince sold for S$180,000, Affandi's Self- portrait S$260,800, Hendra Gunawan's Batik Seller (S$361,600) and Majestic Landscape S$216,000.

Other top sellers were Abdul Azis' idyllic First Love, which went for S$283,200; Juan Luna's Steel Mills (S$518,400); Miguel Covarrubias' Balinesa, a watercolor on paper which, at S$440,000, sold for almost three times its estimate; Nguyen Phan Cranh's La Marche, ink and gouache on silk (S$328,000), and Anita Magsaysay- Ho's Gleaners (S$249,600).

Meanwhile, in Jakarta on Oct. 17, Borobudur's 10 top lots sold were Affandi's Indonesian Beauties (Rp 3,450,000,000); Expo '70 Tokyo (Rp 1,610,000,000), Self-portrait (Rp 1,092,500,000), Sphinx & Pyramids (Rp 977,500,000), Masjid Baitullah Rahman (Rp 782,000,000); Le Mayeur's Ceremony at the Temple (Rp 1,495,000,000) and Bathing Women under Grapevines (Rp 1,380,000,000); Isaac Israels' Gamelan Player (Rp 3,450,000,000); Sudjana Kerton's Makan Siang (Lunch, Rp 977,500,000), and Hendra Gunawan's Durian Seller (Rp 862,500,000).

A gradual shift beyond the usual Indonesian or Indo-Indonesian artworks is noticeable, with Vietnamese, Philippine and Chinese art obtaining an increasingly proportional place. Nguyen of Vietnam's La Marche was sold way above the initial estimates of S$150,000-200,000 for the artist, and was an auction record for him. The 1937 painting by Nguyen (1892-1984) represented the first time that he painted a group in motion, presumably to mark a new optimism for freedom in Vietnam.

Another remarkable painter is Le Pho (1907-2001), whose works often show women and landscapes in a lush, romantic setting. His fascinating Nude (1931), however, which fetched S$140,000 at Sotheby's, was a break from tradition, although still expressing the peace of Buddhist meditation.

Steel Mills by Filipino artist Juan Luna, a regular in international auctions, sold for S$518,400,

Chinese artists have also become a more featured "commodity", with the realistic nudes of Hu Jiancheng (born 1959), Li Gui Jun (born 1964) and Su Xinping going on the block at Larasati Singapore, and Bath Consolation by Song Yong Hong (born 1966) at Borobudur's Jakarta.

Cheng Ya Jie (born 1958), like in previous Larasati auctions, was represented by remarkable studies of flowers, this time titled Purple Orchids.

A most extraordinary development is the trend to include young, up-and-coming Indonesian artists. Larasati has started doing this for some time in its Jakarta auctions, and the Borobudur auction was overflowing with such works, although they remained limited at Sotheby's. Sculptures have also become a regular feature.

Young artists from Vietnam, the Philippines and China are also taking their place in the sun, while the appearance of Singaporean artists is also noted.

Curator and art dealer Valentine Willie from Malaysia predicted that significant developments will occur in the next 10 to 20 years, with investments shifting from Southeast Asia to China and India. Stopping that "flight" will take education by way of more exhibitions in the region and more in-depth biographical notes on local artists, he said.

On Dec. 5, Larasati will host its last Jakarta auction of the year at The Aryaduta Hotel, featuring works that define the full timeline of Indonesian art, ranging from River Valley on Java (1871) by Raden Saleh, the Javanese noble who was a pioneer of modern Indonesian art, to Penjaja Buah Pepaya (Papaya Vendor, 1999) by Bunga Jeruk (born 1972), the youngest in the lot, but whose young age belies an international reputation.

Included is a charity sale for the expansion of Graha Werda Lestari, a nursing home for the elderly in South Jakarta, with works including Corpus Christy by artist sculptor Teguh Ostenrik, who also made the sculptures of the newly built St Mary of the Angels in Singapore; Malaikat diatas Awan (Angel in the Clouds) by sculptor Noor Ibrahim, and Semoga makin menunduk (Keep on Stooping) by Yogyakarta-based painter Laksmi Shitaresmi.