S.Sudjojono (1914-1986)
Portrait of Magdy Wawrzynaik, 1965
Oil on Board
61 x 45 cm
Provenance:
- Collection of Polish diplomat Andzej Nusantara Wawrzyniak
Exhibited:
Kraków Society of Friends of Fine Arts, Poland.
Przyjaciól Sztuk Pieknych W Kraowie (a label of the Kraków Society of Friends of Fine Arts is attached to the reverse).
The Kraków Society of Friends of Fine Arts ( Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Sztuk Pięknych w Krakowie, TPSP) is a group of artists, artisans and their supporters founded in Kraków in 1854, under the Austrian Partition of Poland.
S. Sudjojono’s Portrait of Magdy Wawrzynaik painted in the 1965 emerges during a pivotal era in Indonesian history—a time of post-independence diplomacy under Sukarno’s regime. As the daughter of Polish Ambassador Andrzej Wawrzynaik, Magdy’s portrayal symbolizes Indonesia’s engagement with the non-aligned world during the Cold War. Sudjojono, often called the "father of modern Indonesian painting and this portrait reveals his adaptability in depicting international figures, reflecting Indonesia’s burgeoning global identity.
Andrzej Nusantara Wawrzyniak (3 December 1931 - 8 November 2020) was a Polish ambassador who collected art objects from the Pacific and Asia during his career.
This led to the establishment of the Pacific and Asia museum in 1973 after his collection was donated to the Polish state. At that time it numbered 4000 pieces of art and ethnographical objects from Indonesia amassed during his 9-year tenure as a diplomat in that country. Such a private collection was unusual in terms of its value and volume, which was rare at that time. While Andrzej Wawrzyniak was working in the diplomatic service in Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, and Afghanistan, he travelled to almost all countries throughout Asia, and Australia including most of Oceania, although it was Indonesia that inspired him the most. For this reason, the first name of the museum was the Museum of Nusantara Archipelago, as that region is known in the Malaya language. The donator has received a nomination for the position of director, a function he performed until 2013. On 1 January 1976, the name was changed to the Asia and Pacific Museum in Warsaw, which began to gather collections from other regions besides Indonesia. Nowadays, thanks to the activity of the founder and the generosity of donators, it houses over 23 000 objects originating from almost every country within the Asian continent and most of Oceania.