Indonesian paintings sell well at Glerum auction

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.