RI paintings withdrawn from Christie's auction

RI paintings withdrawn from Christie's auction

JAKARTA (JP): Two valuable Indonesian paintings which were
allegedly stolen from the National Museum here have been
withdrawn by Christie's from its auction next month in Singapore.

"The two paintings, (described in a Christie's catalog with)
lot number 319 by R. Basoeki Abdullah and lot number 363 by Raden
Sarief Bustaman Saleh, have been withdrawn from our Southeast
Asian Pictures auction on Oct. 6, 1996," Trina Savage, an account
executive of Christie's International Singapore Pte. Ltd., told
The Jakarta Post yesterday.

The decision was apparently taken shortly after a day-long
meeting held abruptly yesterday by executives of the
international auction house following reports from Jakarta about
the stolen paintings.

Trina, however, refused to explain the motives of the hasty
withdrawal or whether the paintings were already kept by
Christie's.

"That's the only thing that I've been asked to say," she said
on behalf of Christie's Singapore manager Irene Lee, who was not
available for comment.

The two oil-on-canvas paintings of Indonesian master Basoeki
Abdullah and legendary master Raden Sarief Bustaman Saleh,
better-known as Raden Saleh, are believed to have been among at
least six valuable paintings stolen from the National Museum on
Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat in Central Jakarta.

All of the stolen paintings are listed as national treasuries.

Sources said two of the other four paintings are believed to
have been those by Basoeki Abdullah.

According to the Christie's catalog prepared for the upcoming
auction, a Basoeki painting with lot number 319 is entitled A
Nude. In the catalog, the auction price for the undated painting,
would be opened at between S$8,000 and S$12,000.

The painting by Raden Saleh entitled Portrait of a Dutch
Governor Wearing the Willems Order, completed in 1867, would be
offered at an opening price of between S$100,000 and $150,000.

So far, the theft remains a mystery because none of the
museum's officials or officials from the Ministry of Culture are
willing to explain.

"I simply want to say `no comment'. It's a police matter and I
haven't received the report yet," Director General of Culture Edi
Sedyawati told the Post in Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi
yesterday. She was on an official visit in the province.

Making a similar comment, City Police Spokesman Lt. Col. Iman
Haryatna said: "We haven't got any report dealing with the case,
so far."

It remains unknown whether the theft also involved insiders.

However, a police source said that all of the suspected
thieves are locals.

"Although some of the paintings have been flown overseas, the
suspects are still hiding in this country," the officer, who
requested anonymity, told the Post early this week.

According to painting collectors and experts, the thief
syndicate might have sold the paintings to third parties, who
then brought them overseas after removing the canvasses from
their frames.

The thieves might have cut the canvasses from their frames
before taking them out of the museum, according to sources.

"Whatever the case, by simply rolling up the paintings, one
could easily escape the eyes of customs officers," said Duto, a
close and reliable assistant of the late Basoeki Abdullah.

According to Duto, Basoeki's painting, listed in the
Christie's catalog with a lot number of 319, should measure 120
cms X 80 cms and be entitled Berganti Rupa (Changing Face),
instead of A Nude. (bsr/34)