Painting auction gains collectors' attention

Painting auction gains collectors' attention

Yusuf Susilo Hartono, Contributor, Jakarta

A painting by artist Srihadi Sudarsono depicting two dancers,
titled Dinamika Legong (The Dynamics of Legong), was the center
of attraction at the auction held at the National Museum here.

The auctioning off of the painting marked the peak of an
exhibition of 91 paintings by 31 artists from Bandung, Jakarta,
Malang, Surabaya, Surakarta and Yogyakarta, which ran until Feb.
22 and was organized by the Bandung Institute of Technology's
Salman Mosque. It was among the 20 paintings offered in an open
auction that day while 71 others were sold during a closed
auction.

The auctioneer, Helmy Yahya of Siapa Berani (Who Dares) quiz
show, opened the auction with a starting price of Rp 200 million
for the painting. The auction hall soon turned lively as most
bidders coming from major cities in Java joined in the melee.

According to bidding regulations, paintings with a starting
price of Rp 100 million or over will have to increase by Rp 10
million with each bidding call.

The price of Srihadi's painting soared to Rp 360 million and
the organizers were relieved. Despite current weakening
purchasing power, local collectors could still bid for the
painting at a relatively high price.

Srihadi's works are famous but difficult to get hold of, such
as Legong Merah (Red Legong), which many collectors can only
dream about owning. Collectors will have to be patient before
they can own the painting since rumor has it that the artist has
over 100 names on a wait list.

Other works sold at the auction included Jeihan's Nung, which
fetched Rp 55 million from its starting price of Rp 34 million,
and Bali's Sudut Pasar (A Corner of a Market), which started off
at Rp 50 million before it stopped at Rp 95 million. Amri Yahya's
Kaligrafi Yaasin (Yaasin's Calligraphy) fetched Rp 70 million
while AD Pirous' Kaligrafi Ya Rabbi Aku Dengar Himbauan-Mu (God,
I Hear Your Call) went for Rp 60 million. Two paintings by Ahmad
Sadali, a senior Bandung painter, were sold at Rp 38 million and
Rp 35 million respectively.

However, many paintings, which were mostly works by young
artists, failed to catch the collectors' eyes. Some of the
paintings that went unsold were Perahu Nuh (Noah's Ark) by Hendra
Buana, Tawaf Wada'i by Sarnadi Adam and Tumbal Orba (the
Sacrifice of the New Order) by Tisna Sanjaya. Also ignored by
collectors were Preparation for Dancing by senior artist Kabul
Suadi,Material World II by his sibling, Haryadi Suadi and Notes
of 1999 by Sunarto of Surakarta.

"It seemed that the collectors this time were ready to buy the
names of artists already dominating the art market," said Arfial
Arsad Hakim, a fine arts lecturer at Surakarta-based Sebelas
Maret University, who sold his three paintings at the auction
during a closed bid.

He noticed that some of his fellow artists offered higher
prices, since the organizing committee was taking half of the
proceeds. "But I didn't do that because I knew this auction was
intended to raise money for the Salman Mosque," Arfial said.

It took a year and Rp 100 million to prepare the auction and
exhibition, said the auction's advisor and curator, Yustiono.

The organizers' intention for holding the auction and
exhibition was to raise funds for the completion of the south
wing of the institute's Salman Mosque. The construction of the
main building was completed in 1971.