THE ART OF A NEW NATION

Lee Man Fong, compiler

Paintings and Statues from the Collection of President Sukarno of the Republic of Indonesia [Lukisan dan Patung Kolleksi Presiden Sukarno dari Republik Indonesia]

Tokyo: Toppan Printing Co., Ltd., 1964.

THE MONUMENTAL CATALOGUE OF PRESIDENT SUKARNO'S ART COLLECTION — 567 COLOR REPRODUCTIONS IN FIVE FOLIO VOLUMES
Compiled by Lee Man-Fong, artist-painter at the Presidential Palace of the Republic of Indonesia, this lavish five-volume publication records the celebrated art collection assembled by Sukarno, Indonesia's first president. Published in 1964 during the final years of his presidency, the set presents 400 paintings followed by 167 reproductions of sculpture and porcelain, bringing together Indonesian art with works Sukarno collected from abroad.

Complete with the original red-and-gold patterned dust jackets and individual cardboard slipcases, together with the publisher's errata sheet.

SUKARNO AS COLLECTOR —
This imposing publication documents the collecting vision of one of the central figures in twentieth-century Southeast Asian history. Sukarno regarded art as closely connected with the cultural formation of independent Indonesia, and the collection encompasses traditional and modern Indonesian painting alongside works by artists of other nations.
The publisher's preface presents this 1964 publication as an expansion of the earlier catalogues of Sukarno's collection issued in 1956 and 1959. Those earlier publications reproduced 384 paintings; the new five-volume undertaking was intended to provide a substantially more complete record, with the first four volumes devoted to paintings and the fifth to sculpture and porcelain.

COMPILED INSIDE THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE —
The set was compiled by Lee Man-Fong, identified on the title material as artist-painter at the Presidential Palace of the Republic of Indonesia. Lee was himself an important painter and a significant figure in the development of modern Indonesian art. His position within Sukarno's artistic circle gives the catalogue an authority beyond that of a conventional retrospective art publication.

A MONUMENTAL FIVE-VOLUME PRODUCTION —
Complete in five large folio volumes, each approximately 15.5 inches tall and weighing approximately 13 pounds, for a combined weight approaching 65 pounds. The individual cardboard slipcases measure approximately 15.75 inches tall. Retaining the separate publisher's errata sheet, printed in Indonesian, Japanese, and English, correcting four artist identifications or names in Volumes II–IV,

COLLATION —
Volume I: 233 pages, 101 illustrations; Volume II: 219 pages, 100 illustrations; Volume III: 219 pages, 100 illustrations; Volume IV: 219 pages, 100 illustrations; Volume V: 228 pages, 167 illustrations.

AN ELABORATE ORIGINAL PRESENTATION —
Uniform publisher's black textured bindings, upper boards lettered in gilt in Indonesian, Japanese, and English, with volume numbers in gilt and elaborately gilt-decorated spines. Decorative endpapers. Each volume retains its original substantial red patterned dust jacket, fashioned from heavy textured decorative paper with a wallpaper-like surface and gilt decoration, together with its individual cardboard slipcase.

567 COLOR REPRODUCTIONS —
Volumes I–IV contain 100 reproductions of paintings each; Volume V contains 167 reproductions of sculpture and porcelain, for a total of 567 reproductions. The color images are separately printed and mounted to the leaves rather than printed directly as part of the text pages.
The paintings encompass traditional and modern Indonesian art as well as works by artists from other countries. Volume V extends the collection into sculpture, ceramics, and porcelain.

A MULTILINGUAL PRESIDENTIAL CATALOGUE —
Text and captions are presented in Bahasa Indonesia, Japanese, and English. Includes the publisher's preface, Sukarno's introductory statement reproduced in facsimile, Lee Man-Fong's foreword, and additional introductory material.

CONDITION: A COMPLETE SET WITH THE ORIGINAL JACKETS AND SLIPCASES.
The five volumes are internally well preserved, with the mounted color reproductions bright and attractive.
Bindings remain sound, with gilt decoration and lettering well preserved. Original red dust jackets show age-related spine fading, light rubbing, edge wear and occasional small chips or short tears, particularly at spine ends and extremities.
Original cardboard slipcases survive for all five volumes and show expected handling and shelf wear commensurate with their size and considerable weight.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: ART AND THE MAKING OF MODERN INDONESIA.
Published during Sukarno's presidency and compiled within the Presidential Palace, this monumental catalogue preserves a visual record of a collection closely associated with the cultural life of post-independence Indonesia. Its importance lies not simply in documenting Sukarno's holdings, but in recording how Indonesian and international art were assembled and presented at a formative moment in the nation's modern cultural history.

GENRES
Art Catalogue, Collection Catalogue, Exhibition and Museum Reference, Indonesian Art, Southeast Asian Art, Modern Art, Presidential Collection, Illustrated Books, Reference Works.

SUBJECTS
Sukarno, Lee Man-Fong, Indonesia, Modern Indonesian Painting, Balinese Art,  Art Collecting, Postcolonial Indonesia, Sculpture, Ceramics, Porcelain, Cultural History, Toppan Printing.

SHIPPING NOTE — Due to the exceptional size and weight of this approximately 65-pound five-volume set, the volumes may be shipped in separate cartons to ensure safe delivery.

Item #22555

Price: $795.00