Raden Saleh, Le Meyeur lead SE Asian art market
Raden Saleh, Le Meyeur lead SE Asian art market
By Kunang Helmi Picard
SINGAPORE (JP): On viewing day in Singapore a remarkable scene
occurred. Standing in front of a striking painting of Legong
Dancers resting by Thai artist Rearngsak Boonyavaniskul were two
slim and expensively dressed Asian beauties talking to a
sophisticated young man.
Gesticulating excitedly, one stated emphatically: "I
definitely like this one because of its colors but it's not wide
enough, besides, it has a low estimate. I need to find a bigger
one to put on my wall!" Cash flow is obviously not always a
problem in the Southeast Asian art market. "It is only money," as
the auctioneer was heard to exclaim several times.
Perhaps he could tell us if she was one of those mysterious
telephone bidders who actually acquired the Raden Saleh -- which
was indeed rather large. Unless we are invited to the public
inauguration of the new painting, we shall, alas, probably never
find out. Let us hope, however, that if she was Indonesian, at
least some of Indonesia's art heritage has found its way home.
Tension electrified the air at last Sunday's Christie's
auction in Singapore. Bids shot up in rapid succession as
bidders' paddles whipped up and down, waiting to catch the
Australian auctioneer's attention.
Meanwhile, Raden Saleh's An Indonesian Landscape with People
working in a Sawa by a River continued to hang serenely on the
wall behind the agitated onlookers.
The large oil painting on canvas surpassed the high estimate
of S$200,000, rose to S$500,000 and finally hit the S$580,000
mark through a mysterious last minute telephone call. Even
Christie's Southeast Asian painting expert Jop Ubbens was visibly
surprised, though he discretely left out the buyer's identity.
One attractive gray on gray painting by Ida Bagus Made was
pulled from the auction at the last moment. Rumor has it that an
attentive Jakarta lawyer realized that it had illegally
disappeared from an important Indonesian collection during the
seventies.
This fact, however, did not deter Indonesian buyers, who
represent the biggest contingent of paintings customers
According to Ubbens, the buyers' market for Southeast Asian
Art is in Singapore, where 70 percent all turnover takes place.
Raden Saleh and Le Meyeur lead the market, followed by Hofker and
perhaps Lee Man Fong, a Singaporean that often portrayed
Indonesian themes.
Interest in the more modern Indonesian painters such as
Affandi, Mochtar Apin, Basoeki Abdullah and Hendra is growing. A
pen and black ink drawing called Judgement by Bali's
'intellectual artist' I Gusti Nyoman Lempad sold at $38,000, much
to noted Balinese galerist Neka's visible satisfaction.
Bid
Interior designer Udi Suharnoko bid only for Anak Agung Gde
Sobrat's pen and ink and oil on canvas A Pasar, and walked off
with it for slightly more than the high estimate of $50,000.
Charles Andre de la Porte, Chairman of Christie's Holland,
flew over specially to attend the weekend sale of Indonesian and
other Southeast Asian paintings in Singapore.
"It was really very rewarding and certainly makes up for the
jet lag and full appointment book," stated the chairman at a
private dinner after the auction.
The public relations officer from Christie's Holland did not
have a difficult job. Public attention in Southeast Asia has been
at a maximum since the first spectacular sale last year, when a
dramatic Raden Saleh painting of an erupting volcano topped
$300,0000. Raden Saleh is definitely en vogue and a minor work of
his will be up for sale on April 25 in Amsterdam.
For many art enthusiasts such as Guruh Soekarno or collector
Mochtar Riady of Lippo, the sale was a welcome opportunity to
meet and see the paintings, most of which came from private
collections in Holland, Australia, Canada and America.
The event was a casual, elegant and social, complete with
telephone bidders and excited onlookers who made their way to the
Sir Stamford Room of the Hyatt Regency.
Future Clients
Indeed, some very young future clients were spotted running up
and down the aisle, something which could only happen in Asia
where children are accepted everywhere.
Perhaps this younger generation will become the buyers for
contemporary Vietnamese, Thai or Filipino Art, the next target
for Christie's according to Jop Ubbens, who predicts that those
countries are due for more publicity.
There were four Filipino paintings available and works from
Malaysia and Singapore put up for auction by sellers curious to
test the Asian market. Ubbens also noted that Bali was sometimes
considered a separate 'country' due to thematic and stylistic
differences.
For the Asian market the European provenance of most of the
paintings by foreign or Indonesian artists is a guarantee of
quality, according to noted Malaysian dealer Yu Chi Chong, based
in London.
Pressed for more information, the fine art dealer known for
her discretion explained that the condition of the works after
years in moderate climates was generally impeccable, especially
when compared to the ravaged works from the tropics.
The fact that most had been in storage for a long time also
helped eliminate fakes, simply because many owners inherited them
and, consequently, have no idea of their worth vis a vis the
works of European artists.
Ceramics
Singaporeans were the main buyers of Peranakan Chinese
ceramics or jewelry in the auction on Saturday. Peranakan
ceramics are very colorful, detailed objects of daily or ritual
ware which remind expert Peter Wee of the colorful Pekalongan
batiks that were so favored by the Straits Chinese Nyonyas in the
past. Five finger bowls, mundane as they may seem, fetched high
prices for their rarity.
Now young and wealthy Singaporeans are turning back to their
heritage and scouring the markets for the often very floral
ceramics including spittoons, barrel stools and ceremonial bridal
basins.
Frenzied bidding accompanied the offers of fine, tiny teapots,
as well as rare kamchengs -- a sort of rounded pot -- with their
covers.
Straits Chinese gold and silver also garnered a lot of
interest, as did jewelry. Splendid rose-cut diamond rings and
earrings and 'kerosang' sets were available. Silver and pearl
traditional jewelry for kebayas with matching earrings, hairpins
and brooches were popular, while a rare gold and rose-cut diamond
dragon-head bracelet fetched $21,000.
Value
For discerning buyers good value was certainly to be had in
all price ranges, from the Raden Saleh landscape to the small but
exquisite jewels. The choice of the coveted objects should always
be governed by personal taste.
Future trends are never predictable enough to guarantee an
investment impervious to market changes, as both Jop Ubbens and
Edmond Chin pointed out to an auction first-timer. In short, do
not get carried away and check to see that you can afford a
possible decrease in value.
Appreciation of the painting, ceramic or piece of jewelry
should be paramount in one's choice, apart from size and cost of
course. After all, maybe the Asian beauty was right in her
reasoning behind the choice of a painting. Only time can tell,
and one's bank account.