Christie's to hold its first sale in Indonesia
Christie's to hold its first sale in Indonesia
JAKARTA (JP): The sale of the Adrian Noe Estate marks the end of a long journey for one of Indonesia's most avid art collectors, and a new precedent on the local art market.
Nearly the entire contents of Noe's vast collection of Asian art will go on the block this Feb. 8-9, when Christie's conducts its first auction in Indonesia at the Erasmus Huis in South Jakarta.
Four experts from Christie's international offices will descend upon Jakarta to attend the auction and to advise interested buyers during the auction preview from Feb. 2 through Feb. 7.
On view are more than 500 objets d'art, ranging from an impressive array of blanc-de-chine porcelain to sculpture, carpets, silver, ceramics and books. The sale is expected to bring more than US$1.5 million.
Highlights from the collection include a 1924 painting of the Dieng Plateau by Walter Spies, one of the German painter's earliest works created in Indonesia. The hefty estimate of $350,000-$500,000 reflects the rarity of Spies paintings (only some 100 are known to exist) as well as the rising demand for his works. Christie's set a record price for the artist at auction last October, when The Landscape and her Children from 1939 sold for S$993,750 (US$615,000).
A Balinese kris, estimated between $6,000-$10,000, is the finest kris in the collection of Adrian Noe, who died last May at the age of 75. A Dutch-born resident of Indonesia and banker by trade for nearly fifty years, Noe's passion for Asian art led him on collecting expeditions around the world. The results of those trips still occupy nearly every corner of his Menteng residence.
Decorative
Decorative arts make up the bulk of the collection and most of the pieces carry more moderate estimates.
All proceeds will go to the Adrian Noe Foundation and the charitable nature of the sale has led Christie's to waive its standard buyer's premium, which generally adds an extra 10 percent to 15 percent to the buyer's cost. At the auction on Feb. 8, which begins at 7 p.m., and the afternoon auctions on the following day at 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m, the highest successful bid, or hammer price, will be the price paid.
As explained by Maarten Van Nispen, Christie's Amsterdam's head of public relations and marketing, Christie's is acting in a strictly supervisory capacity by providing the Noe Estate with cataloging and administrative expertise.
Catalogs as well as a brief biography written by Agus Dermawan will be available during the 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. preview hours at the home of the late Adrian Noe on Jl. Sutan Syahrir, No.40.
-- Jason Tedjasukmana