Politician, painer, gallerist

The two-volume artistic album “Paintings from the Collection of the President of the Republic of Indonesia Dr Sukarno” (Beijing, 1957) reflects a collection activity of Dr Sukarno in the 1940s – 1960s. He collected paintings of Indonesian and foreign artists, some of whom this outstanding politician met personally. The article highlights the artistic tastes of Dr Sukarno and his activity in arts, architecture and theatre. Dr Sukarno’s activity in these arts coincided with the so-called “Balinese Renaissance” of the first quarter of the 20th century. In the years leading up to World War II, Dr Sukarno became a politician who kept art in his sights. A successful blend of a politician and an artist, he was instrumental between the 1930s – 1940s in the foundation of the “Pita Macha”, an association of Indonesian and Balinese European artists. In 1945, as the first President of an independent Indonesia, Sukarno strived to form a national art collection by acquiring the works of Indonesian and also foreign masters influenced by the history and art of Indonesia. He also embarked on an ambitious project to build the museum of traditional Balinese art “Puri Lukisan”, completed in 1972. The Chinese catalogue is a milestone, however, not the acumen of the artistic activities of Dr Sukarno. The Collection continued to grow. In particular, it comprises paintings by the Russian Konstantin Makovsky. The attempt of coup d' état (1965) and the subsequent establishment of the “New Order” marked the end of the activities of both Sukarno-politician and Sukarno-collector

Economic history · Political science · Asian Studies and History · History