L'institution des ventes publiques : les maîtres marchands de la peinture indonésienne

Abstract

Hélène Njoto-Feillard, Doctorante en Histoire de l'Art, École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris L'institution des ventes publiques : les maîtres marchands de la peinture indonésienne In the past ten years, Indonesia's market for painting has taken the first place in Southeast Asia, far ahead of other nations, reaching world records for painting sales with high-ends like Raden Saleh, Walter Spies or Soedjojono. This development finds its roots back in the early 1990s, when new specialized auction houses were first set up in Europe, then in Asia and Indonesia. Almost all the collectors buying in auctions are Indonesians of Chinese descent. But the law has little say in this rather young market, which runs partly by its own rules. Considering the passion rising among collectors, it seems that collection of paintings has also acquired a symbolic content, both political and social, lending some national historical legitimacy to a minority whose fate often remains dependent on political interests.