Southeast Asian art auctions all the rage in Singapore
Southeast Asian art auctions all the rage in Singapore
By Amir Sidharta
SINGAPORE (JP): Art at auction was certainly the theme in
Singapore last weekend, when two auctions of approximately 330
Southeast Asian paintings were offered by the world's two major
auction houses.
Sotheby's auction on Saturday was highlighted by the sale of
Le Mayeur's Three Women Weaving in the Garden, which sold at a
hammer price of S$300,000, double the estimate of S$120,000-
$150,000. It is clear that Sotheby's promotional efforts in
Jakarta last September paid off. A second Le Mayeur carried an
estimate of S$180,000-$200,000, but only managed to reach
$210,000.
Other pieces which reached prices well above their estimates
included two small sketches by Roland Strasser, which reached
three to four times their estimates of $1,500-$2,000. A Donald
Friend depiction of carpenters attracted $34,000, more than
double the $12,000-$15,000 estimate. A painting by Austrian
artist Emil Rizek surprisingly attracted $125,000, also more than
double the estimate.
However, the real "star" of the Sotheby's sale was a painting
by Hendra Gunawan. Women at a Waterfall, measuring 248 X 140 cm,
is truly a monumental piece. Due to its impressive size and
masterful quality, it attracted $220,000, well over its estimate
of $80,000-$120,000. This painting, which appeared in a 1979
exhibition of Hendra's work, was featured prominently in the
Sotheby's auction catalog. Sotheby's determination to include
Indonesian art deserves commendation.
Another Indonesian artist whose works are rising in value is
Widayat. His first painting in the auction, Elderly Citizens
Chased by Dogs (1996), fetched a record $82,000. The artist's
second painting, Adam and Eve (1980) reached $28,000, roughly
twice the estimate.
Equally interesting was the appearance of lesser-known artists
in Indonesia's history of painting. The interesting works by
Agerbeek and van Mens, depicting the life of the Chinese in
Jakarta at the turn of the century, fetched twice their
estimates.
In the end, Sotheby's is believed to have sold more than 80
percent of the paintings on offer.
Christie's auction the following day was supposed to start
with an interesting 1949 Theo Meier, but the lot did not appear.
According to sources, the vendor offered a photographic
reproduction and failed to present the actual painting.
That was not the only painting withdrawn from the sale. Five
other paintings were withdrawn after news of a theft at
Indonesia's National Museum. The withdrawn paintings included a
Raden Saleh, whose Deer Hunt was sold last March by Christie's
for S$2.8 million.
Without the Raden Saleh, the auction focused on Walter Spies.
Last year, his Landscape and her Children sold for a hammer price
of $900,000. This sale's Sawah Landscape with Gunung Agung
perhaps equals the beauty of the painting sold last year, but
only managed to fetch $950,000.
Other surprises included the sale of Hugo von Pedersen's
paintings. This artist is known mainly for his beautiful
illustrations in his own book, Door den Oost-Indische Archipel,
published in 1902. His painting of a Wayang Orang performance
fetched $80,000, double the estimate of $30,000-$40,000.
Works by famous European artists working in Bali, which have
traditionally fetched higher prices, continue to do well.
However, their selling prices did not go too far beyond their
estimates.
One large painting by Rudolf Bonnet, Resting Grass Cutters,
which appeared in Ruud Spruit's Indonesian Impressions and in de
Roever-Bonnet's biography of the artist, had a very high estimate
of $250,000-$350,000 and failed to sell. It seems clear that
people are starting to realize that paintings by Indonesian
artists are as strong if not stronger than the works by these so-
called European masters.
Philippine artist Fernando Amorsolo continues to attract high
prices. His In the Shade of a Mango Tree sold for S$105,000, well
over its estimate of $20,000-$30,000.
The Christie's sale paused for a short while due to a
blackout which occurred at lot 320. This Basoeki Abdullah
painting followed the one that had been stolen from the National
Museum and withdrawn from the auction. Many noticed the
coincidence and drew superstitious inferences.
A number of pre-war Balinese paintings appeared in this sale.
The highlight was a very large Sobrat which was exhibited in the
second Pita Maha exhibition held at the Batavischen Kunstkring
(Batavia Art Cirle) in 1937. This impressive painting attracted
$120,000. The sale ended with a couple of meticulous 19th century
paintings about Indonesia by Herwerden. The beautiful paintings
painted in 1853 and 1854 offer a glimpse of everyday life in
central Java during the time. Most interesting is the depiction
of the architecture, which shows a Javanese joglo structure with
a thatch roof. Today, such roofs have been replaced with terra-
cotta tiles.
The Christie's auction was more successful than Sotheby's,
despite the withdrawal of key pieces. It is believed that 90
percent of the items were sold.
Many other events happened around the two auctions on Saturday
and Sunday. On Friday, Christie's opened its exhibition of
Impressionist and Modern Art, featuring works by Edgar Degas,
Marc Chagall, Amedeo Modigliani, Willem de Kooning and Roy
Lichtenstein.
Michael Findlay of Christie's New York commented that many
people think that they have to spend money when they enter
Christie's, when actually the house presents exhibitions free of
charge. "The paintings presented are major art works which will
probably go into private collections, so this might be the last
time that they will be available for public viewing," he added.
Later, auction house Glerum, which held its first Southeast
Asian auction last June, officially opened its office at the
Shangri-La Singapore. In conjunction with this event, they
displayed a selection of paintings from its upcoming second
Singapore auction in December.
Later that evening, Sotheby's and Mercury hosted an elegant
dinner at Raffles Hotel's East India Room. At the dinner, Alice
Lam of Sotheby's reminded guests of the analogy between financial
investment and collecting art. Mercury's director summed up the
relationship between the two partners. He reiterated that
Mercury's role is to place their clients' money in the right
investments so that they will be able to purchase the art offered
at Sotheby's.
Questioned by a young financial consultant if paintings make
a good investment, prominent Indonesian collector Dr. Oei Hong
Djien said yes, if the works are strong. But he reminded the
young man, "Never buy paintings as an investment! You should buy
paintings because you truly like them!" That is certainly sound
advice for those planning to bid in the future.