Business Or Art?
Paintings have suddenly become "hot", precisely when the Indonesian economy is ailing. Galleries and auction houses have replaced the tumult of the stock exchange trading floor. Stockbrokers are even joining in. On the down side, forgeries abound. TEMPO ventured into the shadowy underworld of forgers, dealers and collectors to investigate.
September 11, 2000
Monday afternoon, August 21. A young man casually dressed in T-shirt and blue jeans enters the exhibition room of Bentara Budaya in Yogyakarta. In tow are two ladies who appear closely related. Two other men are preoccupied with displaying several paintings. One of the women indicates a pair of paintings already on display. The young man inspects them closely and makes his choice—Merayakan Panen Ikan painted by Erica Hestu Wahyuni. "I want
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