No doubt many would agree that the name of Dr. Oei Hong Djien, Indonesia's prominent collector-cum-curator, is synonymous with the world of paintings.

His reviews of the works of Indonesian artists have often been used as references by collectors, galleries and auction houses at an international level.

He has been guest curator of countless painting exhibitions, and of one permanent exhibition, at several galleries back home, and is also a member of the Singapore Art Museum board of directors.

Auction houses abroad frequently invite him to give his reviews to groups of art lovers ahead of an auction featuring the works of Indonesian artists.

"I was there to give them information about the development of contemporary paintings in Indonesia," Oei told The Jakarta Post during a recent visit to his house here in his hometown. His house is filled with works of art, and he has two museums in the same compound.

Oei prefers to call his presence at such forums as "educating others about Indonesian paintings" and promoting Indonesian artists. Indeed, Oei is amply qualified to do so.

He has written countless essays and forewords for exhibition catalogues and art books. His collection of about 1,500 paintings is considered by many to be a representation of the development of contemporary art in Indonesia.

In October 2006, when he was invited to give a presentation before an international audience at Christie's in Singapore, he told the forum that Indonesia was home to talented artists whose paintings were of high quality but were inexpensive.

In November the same year, he was invited to give a lecture on Indonesian contemporary arts at Sotheby's in Singapore, also using the forum to promote Indonesian artists.

His efforts turned out to be fruitful. In April the following year, young Indonesian artist Putu Sutawijaya's Looking for Wings hit the record auction price of S$95,000, or S$115,000 paid at Sotheby's.

"For a young artist, the price was considerably high," Oei said.

Since then, more and more works by more and more Indonesian artists are fetching higher and higher prices, exceeding the prices paid for the works of the country's old masters.

This phenomenon has led to what has been referred to as the "fourth painting boom" in Indonesia, especially in the three cities of Yogyakarta, Bandung and Jakarta, the country's major art centers.

As a result, most artists in the three cities are currently busy filling orders from collectors, galleries and brokers.

Oei, however, reminds them to be cautious.

"We are dealing with big sums of money, a big attraction for entrepreneurs to build a lucrative business out of it," Oei said.

He said there was nothing wrong with making a business out of paintings, but warned that business should not be the only consideration, or collectors and artists would both suffer.

Oei said there had been a tendency to overprice paintings in auction houses because of galleries and speculators playing games with the support of investors with a lot of cash.

"We call it price frying," said Oei, adding that once the big players withdrew from the game, the price would plummet, causing big losses to ignorant buyers.

Another effect of the boom, he said, was it could encourage novice artists to take shortcuts to fame and financial success by copying whatever themes were considered marketable.

This will drive them to create only market-oriented works of arts, thus killing their own creativity.

"When that is the case then it is only a matter of time for them to fall," Oei assured.

The boom in today's "painting industry", he said, actually could lead to good momentum for Indonesian artists to do their best in creating quality artwork in terms of both themes and materials.

"This is a time when international attention is focused on Indonesia, where quality paintings are inexpensive," he said.

"But if you exploit it merely for profit, the boom will soon backfire, like a boomerang."

He therefore advised collectors, especially beginners, not to collect paintings just for investment reasons.

His advice: Collect out of love of art. Get to know the artists and their achievements before buying their paintings. This approach will prevent the artists from creating only market-oriented art, he said.

The present boom, according to Oei, is the longest Indonesia has ever experienced. Starting last year, it is predicted to last until next year. Previous booms lasted only for about a year.

"This fourth boom is also the craziest, with collectors and galleries from abroad, including from Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan, also buying Indonesian paintings," Oei said.

Indonesian artists have also been frequently invited to hold exhibitions not only in Asia but also in major cities in the United States and Europe including in New York, Bonn and Berlin.

The father of two sons and a grandfather of a baby, Oei turned 69 last April, an age he considers "sexy" to start a new phase of his life.

A tobacco expert and business partner of a leading cigarette company in the country, Oei said he had made his schedules less demanding than previously to give him more time for himself.

"I'm practicing dancing almost every day now. Thanks to it my osteoporosis has all gone," said Oei, who was recently elected chairman of the Magelang branch of the Indonesian dancing sport association.

But his ties to the art world are unbreakable. Earlier this month, for example, he organized a painting exhibition titled "Loro Blonyo" as part of the wedding party of his second son Omar.

In April, another painting exhibition, titled "Seksi Nian" (Very Sexy), a play on the English "69", was held at Jogja Gallery, where he is a member of the supervisory board, to celebrate his birthday.

"The exhibition was of the works of friends and colleagues of mine, confirming to me that they all respect me and at the same time are asking for my true commitment to the art world," he said.

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