Published at Jan 15th 2015 10:19pm

Art pieces that have never before appeared on the auction market are getting scarcer and scarcer. So, as an auction house that intends to feature great artworks for collectors and museums, our job is becoming increasingly more challenging. Fortunately we do enjoy the challenge. Despite the difficulty in being able to get collections for our Fine Art Auction this season, we have been able to convince the inheritors of a number of collections to be featured in our auction this time.

We highlight two collections: the Southeast Asian art collection of the late Hong-Kong based Swiss art entrepreneur Manfred Schoeni, and the collection of Indonesian artist and designer Çaka Datuk.

Fashion designer Çaka Datuk started his artistic career studying at the Indonesian Fine Art Academy in the 1950s. When Rudolf Bonnet became a visiting professor at the academy, he then considered Datuk as his protégé. During his life, Çaka Datuk collected the artworks of his teachers and colleagues, including Trubus, Abas Alibasyah, and Bonnet.

Almost exactly ten years prior to Çaka Datuk’s death last year, Asian art enthusiasts were shocked by the news of the tragic death of Hong Kong based art dealer, entrepreneur and also artist Manfred Schoeni during a vacation in Boracay, The Philippines, in early May 2004.

While Schoeni is most famous for his engagement with Chinese art, he had also started acquiring Indonesian art and art about Indonesia, as well as Southeast Asia. He visited Bali regularly and acquired paintings by contemporary Balinese artists as well as Indonesian “old masters” such as Dullah, as well as works of other artists who were active in the region.

Both the Schoeni collection and the Datuk collection would provide a great opportunity for collectors to be able to acquire the artworks coming from prominent collections.

Other than the Manfred Schoeni and Çaka Datuk collection many other art pieces featured in this auction have originated from various other collections. Each art work contain stories about the artist, his/her work, about the times they lived in and even about the collectors that admired their art works.

“Long after we are gone, art can live on and let future generations decide if art should survive or become obsolete.” wrote Manfred Schoeni in an exhibition catalog of his own artworks in 1999. As art enthusiasts, certainly we should make sure that art does not merely survive but continue to flourish from generation to generation.

Our Fine Art Auction this time will be held in one of the many art spaces at Ciputra Artpreneur. We hope that various institutions of Indonesian art and culture can continue to cooperate and together we can build a strong art community in which Indonesian fine arts will foster.

We hope you enjoy the art that we feature in this auction. Happy bidding!

Auction
Sunday, 01 February 2015
Starting at 01.00 PM

Viewing
Friday – Saturday
30 – 31 January 2015
11.00 am – 08.00 pm

Venue
CIPUTRA ARTPRENEUR
Ciputra World 1 Jakarta, Function Room level 13
(enter through lift satrio – Lotte Shopping Avenue)
Jl. Prof. Dr. Satrio Kav. 3-5, Karet Kuningan

Jakarta 12940

Info Catalog & Registration
T. +62 21 72788334
F. +62 21 72788283
M. +62 816104146
E. info@sidharta.co
www.sidharta.co

Regards,

Amir Sidharta
Director

Sidharta Auctioneer