Sindudarsono Sudjojono (1913-1986) was known as the “Father of Modern Indonesian Art”, a visionary artist and a brilliant thinker, who through his works and thoughts shaped the development of modern Indonesian art  that reflected the spirit of the nation since 1930s.

This exhibition examines the importance of Sudjojono and his contribution in building modern Indonesian art, through one of his masterpieces, The Battle of Sultan Agung and Jan Pieterszoon Coen. The painting was commissioned by Ali Sadikin, who at the time was the Governor of DKI Jakarta, for the museum’s opening ceremony in 1974, and currently in the collection of Jakarta History Museum. The exhibition features a reproduction of the painting and dozens of sketches that Sudjojono had produced in preparation for the making of the painting. All 38 sketches, now belonging to Tumurun Private Museum collection, will be displayed in their entirety for the first time in Indonesia during this exhibition.

Sultan Agung (1593-1645) was the third sultan to rule the Islamic Mataram Sultanate, who during his reign (1613-1645), developed Mataram into one of the largest and most respected kingdoms in the archipelago. Sultan Agung’s most prominent historic battles was his attack on Batavia which at the time was ruled by JP Coen, the Governor General of VOC (Dutch East India Company) in 1628 and 1629. Although the attacks were unsuccessful, they were considered as some of the most colossal assaults between the natives against the Dutch colonists in Indonesian history.

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This exhibition is a collaboration between Tumurun Private Museum and S. Sudjojono Center