Old painting expo at National Library

JAKARTA (JP): Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri opened on Monday an exhibition at the National Library featuring 50 paintings made in the 1770s by Dutch East India Company (VOC) soldier Johannes Rach.

The three-day exhibition is held in celebration of its 21st anniversary which falls on May 17.

The paintings on scenes of Batavia, which are part of the library's collection, will later be displayed in the Jakarta History Museum until August, and in the National Archives Museum from November to December.

There will also be a one-day symposium discussing all aspects of the paintings, library head Hernandono told a press briefing on Friday.

"The paintings depict precisely the physical conditions of the city, so experts believe that he (the artist) was actually an intelligence officer who was used to draw such details since there was no camera at that time," he said.

The library has 176 of Rach's works in its collection, while the remaining 32 are in Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum.

The museum's curator and officials will address the symposium together with Indonesian expert Uka Tjandrasasmita from the Bandung-based Padjadjaran University.

Starting this month, the library will also collect books from the public, to be donated to poor children in September. (bby)