Two decades of Sotheby's in Singapore

Carla Bianpoen, Contributor/Jakarta

When Samuel Baker started selling old books from the libraries of such persons like the Ret. Hon. Sir John Stanley Bart in London in 1744 he could not have imagined he had planted the seed of an auction house that would stand the test of time throughout the centuries.

But that is exactly what happened, though the business is now known by his nephew's name, John Sotheby, who together with Samuel Baker's partner George Leigh, took over Samuel Baker Auctions when Baker passed away in 1776. It took the Sotheby family 80 years though, before they managed to control the entire shares of the company, which was the beginning of Sotheby's auction house.

Throughout the years, the trust and popularity once given to Samuel Baker's Auctions, increased, with Sotheby's expanding around the globe. To date they have 105 offices in various corners of the world, one of which is in Singapore where it opened a representative office in 1985. As interest in works by artists in the region increased, so did Sotheby's which held its first sale of Southeast Asian Paintings in 1996.

"Our vision has been vindicated by excellent sales totals, which have doubled in the last nine years, despite complex economic conditions in the region," states William F. Ruprecht, president and chief executive officer of Sotheby's Holding Inc.

Meanwhile Henry Howard-Sneyd, managing director for Asia and Australasia, notes Sotheby's early attention to Indonesian modernists. "The prominence given to a painting by Hendra Gunawan in an early sale, won kudos from the collecting community and the Indonesian press." The Singapore team which has been led by Mok Kim Chuan since 1999, is supported by Sotheby's specialist Miety Heiden in Amsterdam, Vivi Yip from Indonesia, and Jean-Francois Hubert, a Paris-based senior consultant for Vietnamese art. The year 1999 is also remembered for Sotheby's first auction including contemporary art.

The anniversary celebratory auction which will be held on Oct. 9 at the Singapore Fullerton hotel, will be preceded by a preview on Oct. 7 and Oct. 8. It includes works by Indo-European, Indonesian, Filipino, Singaporean, Malaysian and Vietnamese artists.

The collection confirms one of Sotheby's goals, as revealed by its Singapore managing director Esther Seet, namely to promote the contemporary painting section.

While it is true that works by painters of European origin who either lived in or visited Indonesia retain a high level of interest, and the usual names like Isaac Israels, Le Mayeur de Merpres, Willem Gerard Hofker, Auke Sonnega, Rudolf Bonnet, Arie Smit, as well as Miguel Covarrubias will continue to fetch high prices, one cannot deny the large participation of Indonesian painters, modern and contemporary, that make up the largest part of the selection. Among these are of course those by Hendra Gunawan and Affandi, Lee Man Fong, Popo Iskandar, and some unusually strong paintings of Srihadi Soedarsono from the early 1960s.

But it is Sunaryo's eye-catching painting titled Stagen Merah that makes a mark on the Indonesian selection. Measuring 90 x 350 centimeters, it features a red stagen -- a long and narrow fabric belt that is wrapped around the waist to hold a piece of kain in place while streamlining excessive bulging -- over the breadth of the canvas, linking the various postures of the dancer in the process of getting ready for the stage.

Highlighted in Sotheby's press release, as "the forefront of the New Contemporary category", and as "a majestic painting", it is estimated it will sell for between S$220,000 and $280,000.

Other highlights include Hendra Gunawan's Rambutan Vendor, a two-meter high canvas offered at a price of .... , Affandi's Tiga Wajah, a self portrait which is being offered at between $200,000 and $300,000 and Lee Man Fong's Balinese Life; estimate on request. There are also Isaac Israel's The Performance, estimated to sell between $175,000-$225,000, and Miquel Covarrias' Princess and Attendant -- A Scene from the Ardja, Balinese Opera, estimated to sell between $300,000 and $380,000, as well as Adrien Jean Le Mayeur de Merpres' Contemplation, which is estimated to sell at between $160,000 and $220,000.

Also mentioned are Filipino National Artist Ang Kiukok with his painting Fish, estimated to sell at between $28,000 and $38,0000, the Singaporean Chen Wen His's Balinese Boatman, estimated to sell at between $280,000 and $380,000, and the Vietnamese works La Conversation by Vu Cao Dam, estimated to sell at between $120,000 and $180,000 and La Petite Cuisiniere by Nguyen Phan Chanh estimated to sell at between $120,000 and $150,000.

As this writeup goes to press, however, the celebratory mood is clouded by disappointment over a fake that escaped the scrutinizing eye of Sotheby's expert team. Lot 180 of the anniversary catalog which the public and the artist -- the renowned Indonesian painter Srihadi Sudarsono -- have assessed as a fake, has now been withdrawn.

It is of course not the first time that such an unfortunate incident has occurred for such established auction houses like Sotheby's and Christies. Just recently, Christies had to withdraw a Raden Saleh work from its auction, following collectors' objections. Certainly, the fact that good quality works by senior artists are scarce amid the booming auction business in the region does not make it easier.

But Indonesian collectors who pursue a healthy development of art creation and art trading practice have expressed strong hopes that every single work will be scrutinized as a precondition to qualify for an auction. This includes the ethical background of the vendor, they say. In this sense they expect Sotheby's to investigate and make public the vendor of the fake work offered as Srihadi's in the anniversary auction.

It is hoped that Sotheby's 20th anniversary will be a point of fresh and firm resolve in this direction.