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Next Larasati art auction to be live-streamed: Here’s a preview
The online catalogue, complete with a guide for prospective buyers, is available to the public and should be studied carefully by all wishing to participate in the upcoming Larasati art auction.
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Lot 705 'Kraton Ubud', 1993 - Ong Kim Seng, watercolor on paper, 38 x 55 cm (Courtesy of Larasati/File)
T
he COVID-19 pandemic is impacting heavily upon the art world with audiences unable to visit galleries, institutions and auction houses due to the lockdown. It has forced those without a robust online presence to readdress their digital platforms to remain relevant, and for some, to keep their business models alive.
Larasati Auctioneers started their online-only auctions in December 2014.
“Realizing that online was gaining ground with lightning speed, we then decided to work with Invaluable, a third-party platform, beginning in February 2016,” said CEO of Larasati Daniel Komala, telling PEAK Magazine Singapore in 2009 that in 10 years technology in the art world would take over in a significant way.
“The market responded positively right away to our online auctions,” Daniel stated. “We managed to reach out to bidders that probably would never walk into any of our salerooms physically, and as time goes by, more and more bidders actively use our online facility.”
“You can never replace the excitement of looking at art in the flesh. Hence, the challenge will always be to convince our clients that what he sees on his laptop is a good, if not great, representation of the real artwork. Of course, Larasati's reputation counts a lot in this case,” he continued. "The lockdown makes it almost impossible to view anything physically. This requires more creativity on our part. Trust is the keyword. What COVID-19 teaches us is that the only 'constant' is 'change'. We need to be ahead of the curve, always.”
Originally scheduled to be held in Ubud, Larasati’s second sale of 2020, due to the nationwide lockdown will be conducted in Jakarta. The upcoming Traditional, Modern and Contemporary Art (Exclusive Bali Sale) Online Live Streaming starts at 4:30 p.m. on May 9.
The new digital facility on the website, Virtual Exhibition, allows the public and potential buyers to enjoy a preview presentation of the sale within a virtual space. Enabling users to navigate their experience with close-up observation and varying perspectives, as if walking through a gallery, the works may be appreciated, at their highest virtual potential, inspiring us to imagine how they may appear in our homes or workspaces.
The special pilot-project sale of only 27 lots includes sketches on paper in pencil, pen and ink, an offset color lithograph, a watercolor, paintings in mixed media, oil and acrylic on canvas and paper. Works by well-known and popular artists include Dutchman Arie Smit (1895-1978), Australian Donald Friend (1914-1989), Spanish American Antonio Blanco (1912-1999), Sumatran painter Mochtar Apin (1923-1994) and Balinese artists Dewa Putu Mokoh (1934/36-2010), Anak Agung Raka Pudja (1932-2016) and Ida Bagus Made Widja (1912-1992). The sale provides buying opportunities for new collectors, buyers with mid-range budgets and the connoisseurs.
Donald Friend made the most beautiful and significant contribution by an Australian artist in capturing the distinct qualities of the Balinese culture, landscape and people. His works feature in prominent collections and institutions in Bali, Jakarta, Singapore and Hong Kong. Lot 703 The Tjiktjaks, a 20 by 13.5 cm ink and pen sketch on paper by Friend, with an estimated price of between Rp 5 million (US$331) to Rp 8 million and is a good purchase for a beginner collector wishing to enter the market. A beautiful oil on canvas depiction of a Balinese temple ceremony Odalan di Pura, 1984 by Indonesian Sen Pao in his signature fragmented and colorful linear style with an estimated price of Rp 4 million to Rp 7 million would also be a good purchase for a new buyer wishing to build their collection.
For connoisseurs wishing to make excellent purchases the following two works will be of particular interest. Illustrated in Arie Smit, a Koes Artbook published in 1995 text by Suteja Neka, founder of the Neka Art Museum in Ubud, and Drs. Sudarmadji, lot 709 Temple Gate, 1986, is a 70 by 60 cm vibrant oil on canvas picture. Signed and dated on the lower right, and signed and dated on the reverse by Smit, it has an estimated price of Rp 580 million to Rp 680 million.
Lineage has played a defining role in the development of Balinese painting. Anak Agung Gde Raka Pudja is one of the most respected artists of the Ubud School of Painting beginning in the late 1920s through the influence of Rudolf Bonnet and his German friend Walter Spies (1985-1942). He was the son of Anak Agung Gde Meregeg (1902-2001), a master of the Influential Pita Maha artist collective established in 1936 to oversee the development of Balinese art in national and international markets. Ramai Tajen 1985, a 46 by 70 cm depiction of a cockfight by Raka Pudja has an estimated value of Rp 50 million to Rp 70 million.
For buyers with a mid-range budget, good buys are available with the following three lots, especially if purchased within the estimated price ranges. A beautiful watercolor on paper depicting scenery in the Ubud royal palace, Lot 705 Kraton Ubud, 1993 by noted Singaporean painter Ong Kim Seng is estimated at Rp 18 million to Rp 28 million. Historically, many Balinese artists are illustrators of events unusual and of that which have shaped the life and the culture. Dewa Putu Mokoh from the village of Pengosekan was an innovator of the Ubud School of Painting, and his observations, often lurid and quirky takes on life, helped define his creative voice. Lot 712 Banjir, 1996 depicts the chaos of a flood and features people and animals struggling to the safety of dry land. It has an estimated value of Rp 26 million to Rp 36 million. An elongated composition emphasizing the design and construction prowess of the Balinese, and featuring a towering cremation tower, Lot 714 Mengarak Bade by Ketut Djodjol (b. 1940 Ubud) is a strong 152 by 52 cm acrylic on canvas painting that has an estimated value of Rp 20 million to Rp 30 million.
Other interesting works available are Lot 727 Utopia, 1995 by one of Indonesia’s premiere realism painters Chusin Setiadikara (b. 1949, Bandung West Java) that is estimated at Rp 170 million to Rp 220 million. Lot 715, Bali Life by Wayan Tohjiwa (1916-2001) has an estimated value of between Rp 25 million and Rp 30 million. Lot 716 by Batuan School maestro Wayan Bendi, Pariwisata Bali, captures the vibrancy of the signature Batuan crowded, miniature style and has an estimate price of between Rp 20 million to Rp 30 million, and Lot 726 is a reclining nude on the beach, Pantai 1989, by Mochtar Apin, that has an estimated price of Rp 75 million to Rp 95 million.
Potential buyers bidding over the phone, absentee bidders or real-time internet bidders are advised to contact Larasati and inquire about the color reproduction accuracy of the images contained within the online catalogue to ensure that what they wish to purchase can be realistically appraised. The absence of reference to the condition of a lot in the catalogue description does not imply that the lot is free from faults or imperfections. Therefore, condition reports of the works, outlining a painting’s current state and whether it has repairs or over-painting, are available upon request.
Provenance, the historical data of the works previous owner/s is also important and is provided. An information guide including before the auction, during the auction and after the auction details, including conditions of business, the bidding process, payment, storage and insurance and shipping of the work is also available. A buyer's premium is payable by the buyer of each lot at rate of 22 percent of the hammer price.
The online catalogue, complete with a guide for prospective buyers, is available to the public and should be studied carefully by all wishing to participate in this auction. (kes)
Online preview: April 30 to May 9
Online live streaming from Jakarta, the auction begins at 4:30 p.m. on May 9.
