Bali, 15 July 2006 - It was BALI HIGH at the Maya Ubud Spa and Resort Bali, as LARASATI Auctioneers spearheaded the first ever auction of international standard to be held on this Island of the Gods on Saturday, 15 July 2006.
Staged as part of the Bali Revival (BALI BANGKIT) event, the auction was primarily aimed to revitalize and elevate Balinese traditional paintings and sculptures to a higher respected level.
Over 150 people flocked the saleroom which could only accommodate not more than 100 people under normal circumstances. Bidding was extremely active, fierce, and emotional at times with prices going through the roof for most of the lots. Towards the end, the crowd became so enthusiastic that some bidders started shouting out the prices they were willing to pay which were much higher than what the auctioneer was offering.
When the hammer went down on the last lot, over 83% of the lots had found buyers, giving total sales of IDR 4,7 billion (USD 520,000), way above the expected amount targeted at around IDR 3 billion (USD 330,000).
What is even more impressive is the fact that LARASATI sold 99% of the total lots offered on the Balinese traditional paintings, which made up the main collection.
LARASATI biggest taking of the day was Arie Smit “View of a Temple” (lot 92) which raked in Rp 561.600.000, over three times higher than its middle estimate. Among the emotional highlights were works by I Nyoman Lesug “Bali Life” (lot 85), I Wayan Djudjul “Preparing for a Show” (lot 43), Ida Bagus Made Pugug “Bali Life” (lot 68), and I Nyoman Daging “Bali Life” (lot 86), which respectively fetched in Rp 140.400.000, Rp 72.540.000, Rp 70.200.000, and Rp 64.350.000.
Other highlights included Willem Dooijewaard “A Balinese Girl Selling Fruit” (lot 129) that brought in Rp 210.600.000, Sunaryo “Barong” (lot 34) sold at Rp 257.400.000, and Roderick Knudslien “Pink Fighters” (lot 121) which fetched in Rp 81.900.000. Last but not least was the cover lot “Kendang Player” by I Made Sukada (lot 102). Bidding started at below 30 millions but within a few minutes the price went up over 5 times as much and finally raked in Rp 152.100.000.
“This has to be one of the most exciting and memorable auctions ever held in Indonesia. We achieved our goal, and many collectors are now looking with a lot more enthusiasm and respect at the Balinese works. Fantastic atmosphere, fantastic crowd, and fantastic results!“ - Mr. Daniel Komala (President Director, LARASATI Auctioneers)