Indonesia's First International Modern Art Museum to Open in November
Jakarta. The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara, or Macan, in West Jakarta, the first museum in Indonesia dedicated to international modern and contemporary art, will finally open to the public in November.
The museum's first exhibition, "Art Turns/World Turns: Exploring the Collection of Museum Macan," curated by Charles Esche and Agung Hujatnika, will open on Nov. 7.
"The first exhibition will explore the history of art in Indonesia within a global context and showcase the collection of the museum's founder, Haryanto Adikoesoemo," museum director Aaron Seeto said in a statement.
Haryanto has collected more than 800 artworks from around the world, including some by prominent Indonesian artists such as Raden Saleh, S. Sudjojono, Affandi, Heri Dono and FX Harsono.
In his possession are also works by Robert Rauschenberg, Gerhard Richter, Andy Warhol, Jean Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Ai Wei Wei, Tracey Emin, Liu Je, Yayoi Kusama and Jeff Koons.
Seeto, previously a curator of Asian and Pacific art at the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, said the exhibition will showcase 90 works by more than 70 artists from Asia, Europe and America.
It will feature pieces from four different periods: Dutch colonial times, Indonesia's independence, the New Order and the post-1998 era.
Haryanto, who is also president director of chemical company AKR Corporindo, said he became an art collector 25 years ago.
"I love art and I wanted to support Indonesian artists. Then slowly, as my interests expanded, I started collecting works of international artists as well. Now I am very happy that will share my collection with the public," Haryanto said.
"The curating team will tell us about the history of the works on display; their research will also help us enrich our experience once the museum opens in November."
The museum will occupy 4,000 square meters in a space designed by London-based Met Studio Design inside AKR Tower in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta.
The "Art Turns/World Turns: Exploring the Collection of Museum Macan" will be open until March 18, 2018.
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