AFFANDI (1907-1990)
’Portrait of Drew Pearson and Joe Borkin’, signed and dated 1967 lower left, canvas. 132 x 103 cm.
Borkin (left) was an advisor of President Sukarno, Pearson an important journalist.
With this painting comes a box with photographs, Time Magazine (December 13, 1948)
and the book ‘The crime and punishment of I.G. Farben’ by Joseph Borkin.
€ 20.000-30.000
Auction 8th of June 2017
Affandi is the number one of Indonesia’s world-famous painters. He has painted in numerous countries, ranging from Asia, Europe, as well as North and South America. He joined the Venice, Sao Paulo and Sydney Biennale and received several international awards. In 1965 he established the first private museum in Indonesia, Museum Affandi in Yogyakarta.
Joseph Borkin was an American economist, legal scolar and corruption fighter for the American Ministry of Justice. He is the writer of Crime and Punishment of IG Farben. Drew Pearson was a journalist and friend of Borkin.
Borkin got to know President Soekarno in the early fifties of the 20th century in his capacity of advisor to the president. Willem Oltmans, the Dutch journalist, also used to accompany them. President Soekarno liked to surround himself by artists and that’s how Borkin met with Affandi. As an art collector he immediately was so impressed by Affandi that he called him the world’s next Van Gogh.
Their friendship lasted long. During Affandi’s visits to the USA from the sixties onwards, Borkin supported Affandi many times. In 1962 Affandi was commissioned by Joseph Borkin to paint scenes in America. Affandi also made several portraits of Joseph Borkin, depicting him as an inquisitively and upright man. Borkin introduced Affandi to various politicians, amongst whom the American Minister of Justice Robert Kennedy and his wife. Later on the couple visited the Affandi’s in Yogyakarta.
In 1967 Affandi was invited by the East West Center, at the University of Manoa, Hawai, together with Maryati, his wife, Kartika Affandi, his daughter, and Saptohoedoyo, where they painted a monumental mural, Wisdom of the East. After finishing this work the family again was invited to Washington by Borkin , where Affandi visited several locations and Kartika studied museum management at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Kartika has a vivid memory of their meetings with Joseph Borkin and is very grateful for his support.
Barney Agerbeek, May 2017
Barney Agerbeek is currently preparing the biography of Kartika Affandi, which will be brought out by LM Publishers in Asia, Europe and the United States in December 2017.
