Our art for sale?

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.