亨德拉·古拿溫

直接購自畫家

雅加達大通曼哈頓銀行，「大通曼哈頓藝術展」，1980年

This painting is in good condition overall. The canvas is clear and taut. There are indications of light wear and handling around the edges, but the paint layers are well-preserved. Under ultraviolet light inspection, there are indications of soft craquelures and minor restoration predominately around the man's left foot and the right margin of the canvas. Framed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

THE ALEX PAPADIMITRIOU COLLECTION
A Journey of Friendship and Patronage

"Paintings without substance have no value, while this substance is hard to define and explain. Only one's feelings can tell."
-- ALEX PAPADIMITRIOU

Artworks often stand as silent witnesses of an epoch. They speak about their collectors as vocally as they do about their time and their place in history. There is no denying the fact that the art of collecting has changed dramatically over the past five decades. As the art market evolves, so does the collectors' habits and the process of acquiring art.

Mr. Alex Papadimitriou was one of the last great collectors of his time. That he had an exquisite eye, unyielding taste and one of the best collections of modern Indonesian masters are facts generally known today. What is less known or perhaps easily overlooked is that the way he acquired them spoke volumes about his relationships with the artists he collects and the degree of esteem with which they valued his patronage. He was often presented with the first right of refusal and although he did not consider himself a rich man and lived simply, he was compassionate and bought works from artists if it meant giving them the opportunity to care for their family. He collected uncompromisingly, with self-assurance and without regard for market taste, choosing works that exhibit originality and substance above commercial aesthetics. That his choices gradually strengthened his reputation as a patron of the arts and an arbiter of taste was inevitable. But this was indeed a journey that lasted approximately fifty years.

His personal friendships with the artists are central to his fantastic and diverse collection. Papadimitriou and his wife, Caecil, played a pivotal role in shaping Indonesia’s art scene in the sixties and all throughout the heydays of artistic progress in the eighties. Like the Steins, the American expatriates who influenced the growth of art and culture in Paris in the early twentieth century through their friendship with Picasso, Matisse, Cezanne and Renoir, among others, the Papadimitrious opened their Jakarta home to artists, dealers and collectors, who often come to convene and discuss the latest developments of the period. Actively promoting and collecting then-emerging painters, they were always warm and embracing, acting as their peer, friend, patron and advisor.

This Spring it is Sotheby's privilege to offer at auction a group of four works by Hendra Gunawan, Rusli, Mochtar Apin, and Srihadi, respectively, from the important and distinguished Papadimitriou Collection. The works were carefully chosen to express the depth of understanding and bond between patron and artists, and how that has led into a lifelong journey of mutual artistic, spiritual and intellectual enrichment.

Petai Seller by Hendra Gunawan carries a significant history. Dated 1980, this piece was one of the twenty paintings exhibited at Hendra Gunawan’s Chase Manhattan Art Program exhibition in 1980, which was organized by Mr. Papadimitriou. Conversations with the Papadimitriou family reveal that Hendra had called the patriarch when he was released from Kebon Waru prison. He was in need of a new beginning. Knowing Hendra’s character and temperament, who was most at peace eating cheddar cheese, drinking beer and playing kecapi (Sundanese zither), Papadimitriou advised Hendra to live in Bali. He would organize and fund the move in exchange for a solo exhibition at Chase Manhattan's Bank.

The present work thus marks a crucial milestone in Hendra’s life, that of his essential adjustment to normalcy. Hendra did not usually feature men prominently in his market scenes but in Petai Seller, he placed a male figure as the protagonist, holding a bunch of petai (Parkia speciosa or stink beans). It was an apt choice of subject as this type of bean is unmistakably the food of the Indonesian common people. It was this idea of a small but meaningful existence that spurred Hendra on and which would eventually made it possible for him to produce the epic masterpieces he later did in Bali.

The Papadimitriou family still recalls Rusli coming to their gallery carrying freshly painted canvases. They remember him as an introverted man, one who is strong and silent but possesses a depth of character. He was perhaps very much like his paintings; simply composed, his canvases are characterised by a few bold linear strokes juxtaposed against colour and space which ingeniously created a sense of perspective. This particular work depicting a festival in Bali renders its strength from the commanding presence of thick perpendicular black lines that are painted in opposing pairs, in the extreme left and right and in the lower middle. Their presence stands out among similar structures in the more typical palette of ochre and vermillion and gives the composition its architectural strength. Rusli was a friend and contemporary of Affandi and Hendra Gunawan. Originally from Medan in North Sumatra, he studied and lived in Yogyakarta, where he taught, became a freedom fighter, and became one of the founders of Indonesian Artist Center, in which young painters could learn painting for free. The institution would later morph into the now famous Indonesian Fine Arts Institute (ISI) in Yogyakarta. Rusli once said, "I paint really for the sake of pure art, not commercial art. So when I create my paintings I carry no burden at all." (Cited in an interview with Takro Sudiarno, Rusli, a painter of principle, The Jakarta Post, February 05 2003).

Mochtar Apin was one of Papadimitriou’s great friends. He was one of the artists who came to visit Papadimitriou most often. They would spend hours having discussions over a good drink and a good meal, conversing about art, exhibitions, ideas, experiences. As Mrs. Papadimitriou recalled, Apin was perhaps one of the most European-influenced among the artists, initiating traveling trips abroad, comfortably citing works by foreign artists and their museum shows and enjoying the European way of life. He was well-positioned to create modern, abstract works based on the rich Indonesian vocabulary of traditional forms, balancing external Influence with the preservation of roots and tradition. The present work, dated in 1972, exhibits these tendencies most pristinely. Depicting a line within a square, the composition evokes the minimalism of Kazimir Malevich or Josef Albers’ Homage to the Square. Luminous gold was at the core of the axial symmetry while black framed the composition against a background of Tyrian purple, one of the oldest and most precious dye in the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. The combination produced a work that was powerful and rich, with a strong sense of balance. It encourages the onlooker to experience the warmth, beauty and almost mystical sense of balance between the forces of life, both material and spiritual.

Also included in the grouping is an abstract landscape by Srihadi Sudarsono. Executed in 1974, the bands of azure, white, black and green were applied with force and dynamism, creating a tactile surface replete with energy across the picture plane. It is not merely a picture of a landscape. Rather, Srihadi painted sensations: the breeze of the wind, the crashing of waves, the rustling leaves, moving together in perfect harmony.

All of these artists come to visit Papadimitriou frequently, at times almost once a month or every couple of weeks. They would arrive in their home with rolls of canvases still smelling of paint. Each had a story, both old and new. With each meeting they strengthened their bond and understanding of one another until it grew into lifelong friendships. In today’s fast-paced world, it is easy to forget that things of great value, relationships and art, among them, are built only over time. The Papadimitriou collection is a great testament to the fascinating journey of five decades of friendship, of sharing, of learning, of promoting and ultimately, of collecting.