Indonesian paintings sell well at Glerum auction
By Amir Sidharta
SINGAPORE (JP): There were no million dollar transactions, but the Glerum auction of Indonesian and Indo-European pictures and antique books was quite a success, especially considering the limited promotion done in Indonesia.
The auction last Sunday started with the sale of antique books, Chinese and Colonial furniture, and Chinese porcelain. In the picture section, there were no great masterpieces, although there was a good number of truly interesting works.
The paintings of the German artist, Walter Spies, which are known to be big money-fetchers, were absent from the picture section. There was also only one small portrait of Governor General Daendels by Raden Saleh, whose painting The Deer Hunt was a record breaker in the Christie's auction in Singapore last March. It seems that the Glerum auctioneers were banking on the presence of seven Hofkers and nine Le Mayeurs to fetch some money.
Most of the works offered were sold at hammer prices ranging around the initial estimates, but a few paintings unexpectedly managed to reach quite higher prices. Among the most remarkable were the works of Hofkers, whose In Sanur, the seats of the Gods will be decorated and Ni Goesti Kompiang Mawar were sold at S$ 320,000 and S$ 180,000 respectively, which was twice their estimated values.
The market for the works by the Dutch painter Rudolf Bonnet, once noted money-makers, appear to have saturated. Five out of six of his works were sold at prices lower than their estimated values.
This relatively quiet sale turned out to include a number of highly sought-after pieces done by important painters with a limited clientele of collectors. A rather haunting image of a young Balinese girl with a frangipani flower in her hand, a rare work by an Italian artist, Romualdo Locatelli, who worked in Indonesia between 1938 and 1940, was sold at S$ 340,000, the highest price at this sale.
Perhaps to auctioneers' surprise, the works of Chinese-born Lee Man Fong reached prices three times their estimates. His Sateh Seller, Two Rabbits, and Woman with Two Children Near a Sateh-seller were sold at S$75,000, S$ 85,000, and S$ 95,000 respectively.
Compared to an earlier auction in Singapore this year, organized by Christie's, the Glerum sale offered more interesting paintings by Indonesian modern artists. While most of the paintings were sold below the estimated prices or toward the lower end of the estimates, one Balinese painting, whose artist was not identified by the auctioneers, was sold at S$26,000. This was thirteen times its estimated value, surpassing even the astonishing sale of the Filipino artist Amorsolo's painting which was sold at eleven times the estimated value at the Christie's sale in March. The sale of this anonymous painting certainly indicates that certain Balinese works are of a high demand. The future is bright for the Balinese art market.
The Glerum auction was much less festive, if you will, than the Christie's auction last March. Some Indonesian collectors were present, but the attendance was clearly down. Perhaps this auction was not timed properly, as many of the regulars seem to have been on vacation in Europe and the United States. The event was also poorly promoted in Jakarta. None of the members of the local media announced the sale. Instead, the auctioneers relied on an exclusive cocktail party and a very limited advertising campaign in Jakarta.
They seemed more comfortable with the Singaporean media. Features on the sale were run by the main newspapers a few days before the event, ensuring a substantial local audience.
"The best auction house is still Christie's," commented a bidder. "They are very well organized, and this is reflected in their informative and user-friendly catalog and also in the way their professional team conducts the auctions," he added.
Another auction regular noted that Christie's auction masters are much more energetic. "Mr. Glerum seems reluctant to entice people to bid and is much too cautious of making mistakes. Glerum needs younger auction masters," she said.
By contrast, another participant found Mr. Glerum quite entertaining.
Although the opinions about Mr. Glerum may vary, what is more important is that the Glerum sale can be considered a success. Hence, a third auction house has entered the increasingly competitive Southeast Asian market for fine arts. Christie's presence in Southeast Asia is now challenged by the emergence of two other auction houses, Sotheby's and Glerum. While Christie's and Sotheby's have upcoming auctions in Singapore in two consecutive days in early October, Glerum is using a completely different strategy. It has scheduled its next auction in November, and this may prove to be a wise move.