Authenticity Questioned in ‘Sudjojono’s Paintings’
Wednesday, 27 June, 2012 | 14:44 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Renowned collector of famed artist Sudjojono paintings, Dr. Oei Hong Djien, rocked Indonesian art societies shortly after opening an art museum in Magelang, Central Java, this April. The authenticity of many of the paintings exhibited there, including the works of Sudjojono, Hendra Gunawan and Soedibio, was questioned.

Tempo’s June 25 cover story unravels this scandal. Rose Pandanwangi, 82, whom the museum catalogue mentioned as the naked model in Sudjojono’s painting, has protested. Rose was taken aback by a painting titled Sabda Alam, or Nature’s Words, exhibited at the Oei Hong Djien museum. In the catalogue, the painting was listed as a work of art created by her husband, Sudjojono, and Rose was the model. “That’s not me,” said Rose. “And I’ve never seen the painting.”

Rose added that since she and Sudjojono were married in 1959. Rose had been the model for Sudjojono’s nude paintings and there were no other models. “Since we were married, we had a commitment that I should be the model,” Rose continued. However, she pointed out that she was not the person in the paintings exhibited at the museum, and that many of the poses in the paintings were clearly not her’s.

TEMPO TEAM