As we move closer to the projected opening of Indonesia’s first major art museum, the press is focusing on the alchemy of art and development:

Businessman Haryanto Adikoesoemo is determined to change that: next year he will open the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara (Museum MACAN). […]

The 4,000 square meter venue will have an indoor sculpture garden and a special education zone. It is part of a bigger development in Jakarta, still under construction, that will include restaurants, cafes, offices and residences.

Adikoesoemo’s collection, built up over a quarter of a century, includes works by S. Sudjojono, considered the father of Indonesian modernism and the expressionist painter Affandi, as well as pieces by well-known Western artists such as Andy Warhol, Frank Stella, Jeff Koons and Gerhard Richter.

Adikoesoemo, who is funding the venture, also wants it to be a space for emerging artists to showcase their work. There are hopes too of collaborations with galleries abroad.

“We want to create a platform for cultural exchanges — for Indonesian art to be brought to the world, and for world art to be brought to Indonesia,” said Adikoesoemo, who is head of logistics company AKR Corporindo.

Museum sketches bright future for art in Indonesia  (AFP/Taipei Times)