Auctions: Between collecting and trading art

Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Singapore/Jakarta

It would appear that auction houses are still doing good business if the auction yields on Southeast Asian paintings in the last half of 2004 and early 2005 in the region are anything to go by.

Singapore, which is increasingly becoming an art and culture tourism destination, hosts four auctions a year, held by the Larasati and Sotheby's auction houses. Also attracting Indonesian collectors and art lovers, the auctions do not only benefit the auction houses, but also all the entire support infrastructure, thus helping fill the coffers of the State.

In the first week of April, the "trek" of collectors, art traders and art lovers from Indonesia began as the April auctions in Singapore commenced. Has collecting art become more commercial than ever?

The Indonesian art critic and curator cum collector Agus Dermawan in the Visual Arts Magazine of April 2005, signaled that turnover of Rp 100 billion (about US$10.3 million), encompassing the sale of art works in Jakarta, Singapore and Amsterdam, had been achieved during the period from December 2004 through mid- April 2005.

During the period from December 2004 until March 2005 alone, about Rp 37 billion was earned by national and international auction houses. He predicted another a S$2 million from a Larasati auction in Singapore, and S$5.2 million from a Sotheby's auction, plus Rp 25 billion from the Borobudur auction in Jakarta. The yields produced by these auctions proved him right.

It seems art is indeed a business, although it's often blended with the joy experienced by the authentic collector.

The spotlight continue to be on the Indonesian scene, including such painters as Affandi with his finger-painted swirling strokes, Hendra Gunawan, who is known for his elongated figures representing the common people, the Dutch romantic realist painter Gerard Willem Hofker, with his Balinese beauties from a long forgotten epoch, and Le Mayeur de Merpres, the Belgian painter whose paintings were mostly inspired by his Balinese wife, Ni Pollok, and her milieu. Of course, there are also the works by Lee Man Fong, although the quality of those of his works that have appeared in the auctions is nothing in compared to that on show at the Lee Man Fong retrospective at the Art Retreat, Singapore Art Museum.

The auction scene is, however, shifting -- albeit slightly -- to the Philippines, with Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo, Cesar Legaspi and Anita Magsaysay-Ho taking center stage, as well as Vietnam, where Le Pho stands out. A younger generation of artists are also gradually gaining recognition, while Christie's also puts modern Indian paintings under the hammer.

Larasati's momentous catch at its April 9 Singapore auction was Kuda-Kudaan, a work by Affandi (1907-1990), whose unique way of painting with his fingers instead of a brush was a breakthrough in conventional practice at the time. Depicting a boy on a wooden rocking horse, Affandi's usual expressive swirls here only appear as a background to the realistic-style figure of a boy on a horse.

Not surprisingly, this triggered heavy bidding, and the painting, which had a reserve price of S$800 ultimately fetched S$434,600. Another highlight was Le Mayeur's Temple Festival, which went for S$210,500. Eighty percent of the 96 lots offered at Larasati's "boutique" auction fetched a total of S$2.1 million

For Sotheby's, its latest auction in Singapore enjoyed various highlights, some of which were predicted before the auction, such as Romualdo F. Locatelli's Gambuh Dancer, which fetched S$812,000, much more than expected. Meanwhile, Rudolf Bonnet's De Balische Schilder Ida Bagus Made Djatasura als Gambuh Danser, sold for S$420,000. Other highlights included Adrien Jean Le Mayeur's Les Poissons Rouges (75 x 90 cm) which went for S$360,000, A Country Road - Manila River Scene by Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo at S$324,000, Anita Magsaysay-Ho's Women with Three Baskets at S$216,000, and Cesar Legaspi's Gingntuang Mayo, which fetched S$180,000 after heavy bidding.

But it was Erica Hestu Wahyuni's colorful painting cum carving titled Ratu Nonton Pameran Lee Man Fong, 153 x 174 cm, that electrified the audience. Although it was expected to fetch only between S$3,000 and S$5,000, it ended up being knocked down for S$32,000 after fierce bidding. Erica (born in 1971), whose paintings mostly dwell on fairy tales, says she likes the works of Lee Man Fong very much.

"I imagined myself as the queen in that painting", she revealed when asked how she came upon the theme.

Sotheby's auction took a total of S$6,163,880 for 157 lots out of the 209 originally on offer.

Le Mayeur's Women Around the Lotus Pond, 100 x 120 cm, oil on canvas, which sold for Rp. 3.68 billion, represented the Borobudur auction house's greatest catch in its April 17 auction of fine art. Interestingly, the same theme and images, with only slight differences, are used in the more refined Women by the Lotus Pond, which is being offered at Christie's upcoming auction in Hong Kong.

Other highlights of the Borobudur auction included Affandi's Self Portrait for My Wife, which sold for Rp 1.265 billion and Lee Man Fong's Peaceful, oil on board, 70 x 100cm, which fetched Rp 1.265 billion. Borobudur offered 192 lots of which 160 were sold, yielding Rp 25.86 billion.

While auctions may be considered to be the preserve of collectors, their previews offer unique opportunities for the art lover to see quality works that remain outside of museums or galleries.