Affandi and Other Indonesian Masters Appear at MASTERPIECE Online Auction
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Jakarta- and Singapore-based auction house MASTERPIECE is offering works by major figures of Southeast Asian modern art this month, including Affandi, Lee Man Fong, and S. Sudjojono.
(Left) Affandi, Sun, Feet and Hands (1979). Oil on canvas. 100 x 80 cm. Estimate SGD 80,000–100,000. (Right) S. Sudjojono, Portret (1970). Oil on canvas. 50 x 40 cm. Estimate SGD 39,000–45,000. Courtesy MASTERPIECE.
The Southeast Asian Modern and Contemporary Art Online Auction, which also features works by contemporary artists such as Sunaryo, Teguh Ostenrik, Agus Suwage and many more, closes on 5 July.
Among its 69 lots is a 1981 self-portrait by Affandi with an estimate of SG $280,000–320,000 (US $202,030–230,980). Affandi, who was largely self-taught, sought to capture the rapidly changing reality of Indonesia through his paintings of the human figure, still lifes, gatherings, and landscapes.
Affandi painted self-portraits throughout his career, with the works showing a dramatic shift from earlier realism to an expressionist style characterised by dynamic brushstrokes and reduced colour palettes of red, yellow, white, green, and blue.
Other anticipated lots include paintings by Chinese-born artist Lee Man Fong, who lived between Singapore, the Netherlands, and Indonesia before his death in Jakarta in 1988. Lee often painted animals, both domestic and wild, and a painting of goldfish included in the auction is estimated at between SG $120,000–150,000 (US $86,600–108,230).
Satay Seller (1967), which shows Lee's synthesis of elements of traditional Chinese ink painting and Western modernism with local subjects, has an estimate of SG $80,000–120,000 (US $57,720–86,600). In 2019, a different version of the work sold for HK $1.03 million at Christie's 20th Century & Contemporary Art, exceeding the upper end of its estimate by 71%.
Two of Srihadi Sodarsono's iconic paintings of Indonesian dancers are also present. Bedoyo Ketawang-Moment of Contemplation (2008) (estimate: SG $70,000–90,000 or US $50,500–65,000), depicts the ritualised dance associated with Surakarta, while Legong Condong-The Energy of Love (2015) (estimate: SG $120,000–150,000 or US $86,600–108,230), captures the Balinese dance known for its animated motions and facial expressions.
Dubbed the father of Indonesian modern art, S. Sudjojono was concerned with realistic depictions of the everyday in Indonesia. This can be seen in his painting of a sewing machine in Merajut Merah Putih (1957) and the expressive portrait Portret (1970).
Among other highlights are Wanita (1977) by Hendra Gunawan, known as the 'people's painter' for his vividly-coloured depictions of cultural practices and rural life in Indonesia, and Dutch-born painter Arie Smit's saturated painting of a Hindu procession in Melasti (2002).
Works by younger generations of Indonesian contemporary artists include Sunaryo's Abstrak (1992), Teguh Ostenrik's Sapuan Wujud (2008), and Agus Suwage's Asuwage (2006).
Buyers can register to bid on MASTERPIECE's website.
