Our art for sale?

The current furor over the aborted auction in Singapore of two paintings that were allegedly stolen from the National Museum's collection in Jakarta once again puts the spotlight on the lamentable conditions of our museums and monuments. The two paintings -- Portrait of a Dutch Governor Wearing the Willems Order by the 19th century Indonesian master Raden Saleh and Metamorphosis, a nude painting by Basoeki Abdullah -- are believed to be among at least six paintings missing in recent years from the National Museum in Jakarta. More sadly, the thefts might never have become known to the public were it not for the fact that public attention was focused on Christie's auction and that some people questioned the origin of two of the paintings listed in their catalog.

Indonesians and Jakartans especially are right to be proud of their National Museum. Its collection of ancient Hindu-Javanese art objects is unrivaled. Its collection of antique Chinese and Southeast Asian ceramics is reputed to be among the best and largest in this part of the world. Its numismatic collection and its collection of gold artifacts stand up to comparison with those of any other museum in this region.

Yet, this showpiece of Indonesian museums has been said by some observers, in several respects, to resemble no more than a warehouse for the storage of art objects. This appears to be particularly true in the case of paintings. It wasn't such a long time ago that newspapers reported that a number of paintings by contemporary French masters, donated during the 1950s, had disappeared. Others were damaged because of neglect.

Paintings, however, are not the only art objects that are vulnerable to theft. About a decade ago, about 20 pieces were reported stolen from the museum's collection of antique Chinese and Southeast Asian ceramics. A big furor arose over the incident and measures were reportedly taken to step up the museum's security. Yet, as far as is known to the public, none of the pieces appear to have been recovered or traced.

If such incidents can occur at Jakarta's National Museum, which is the showpiece of Indonesian museums, one would hate to think of what could happen in museums of lesser standing in our big cities or in museums in the more remote areas of this archipelago. The Kutai Museum in Tenggarong, East Kalimantan, for example, was reputed to house a magnificent collection of antique ceramics. There, too, many pieces are said to have since disappeared.

The picture becomes even more dismal, of course, when one takes into consideration the fact that many art treasures have also been reported stolen from our ancient temples and other archaeological sites. Years ago, the heads of stone figures at the Bima temple in the Dieng complex in Central Java -- one of the most ancient of Hindu temples in Indonesia -- were reportedly chopped off by thieves. Similar cases of vandalism for the sake of monetary gain have occurred in numerous other sites.

It is a sad fact that it appears that thieves are among the first of us to recognize the value of our art objects. It is well enough known that art nowadays is in many cases no longer something to be appreciated for its esthetic value only. People with more businesslike dispositions have long appreciated the fact that many art objects, paintings in particular, make good investments. Hence, the flourishing of not only private galleries, but also of art theft around the world.

Protecting our art objects by stepping up security, proper cataloging and improving treatment in storage and during displays are obviously among the first steps that must be taken. It is to simplify matters, however, to say that these tasks belong to museum curators only. The public and private institutions, with the support of private business, can and should help by raising the necessary funds and especially a greater public awareness of the value of our art objects.

As for the present, the best we can do is to try to recover what has been unduly taken from our national art collections. This, unfortunately, is not an easy task to accomplish. In time, with better funding and with growing public appreciation, we hope that our art treasures can be housed in the proper, modern edifices which they deserve.