RI paintings withdrawn from Christie's auction
JAKARTA (JP): Two valuable Indonesian paintings which were allegedly stolen from the National Museum here have been withdrawn by Christie's from its auction next month in Singapore.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catalog with) lot number 319 by R. Basoeki Abdullah and lot number 363 by Raden Sarief Bustaman Saleh, have been withdrawn from our Southeast Asian Pictures auction on Oct. 6, 1996," Trina Savage, an account executive of Christie's International Singapore Pte.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)