The large canvas hangs in a prominent spot in a second-floor auditorium at the Cemara 6 Gallery-Museum in Menteng, Central Jakarta. Predominantly black and red on a white background, the piece is titled Padang Pasir & Darah (Desert & Blood).

"It is a painting by Basoeki Abdullah," said Cemara Gallery owner Toeti Heraty Noerhadi, 82. No one would have guessed it. Basoeki's abstract phase at the end of his career is not widely known. "The painting was