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