Martha's labor of love

Martha's labor of love

Martha Gunawan, the owner and director of Galeri Mon Decor, has
been instrumental in the publication of the book telling Renato
Cristiano's complete life story.

In recruiting one of the best writers and the most outstanding
publishers, obviously no cost was too much to obtain the best
results.

So, of all painters, why did she select Renato Cristiano?

Martha, an architect by training who founded her gallery 15
years ago, says she was initially struck by the graceful
combination of East and West in his paintings, particularly by
his distinct treatment of Balinese women.

As she learned more about him, she discovered that he was
among the most important expatriate artists who had lived and
worked in Bali, a man whose works caused a stir in the European
art scene.

She eventually came to understand why so few people in the
Indonesian artistic scene of the 1990s were aware of his works.

"He is a person who is very introverted and avoids mingling
with the self-promoting crowd and very careful in giving his
trust to someone."

Martha organized a solo exhibition in 1996, and others in 1997
and 2001, convinced of the significance of bringing his works to
a wider public here (she is currently holding an exhibition of 27
of his most recent works at her gallery at Jl. Gunung Sahari,
Central Jakarta, until Nov. 13).

Martha contacted author Bruce Carpenter about two years ago,
then asked her daughter Monica, who was studying art restoration
in Florence, to do some more research about Cristiano.

Monica found that his works were hanging alongside Picasso,
Monet and other celebrated artists in the MoMa New York.
Fortunately, Cristiano, now an octogenarian, believed in Martha
Gunawan's good intentions, and it is thus that the book could
come to fruition. -- Carla Bianpoen