Today, Indonesian maestros such as Affandi, Ahmad Sadali, Hendra Gunawan and Srihadi Soedarsono are celebrated as forefathers of Indonesian modernism, their works revered both at home and on the global stage.

But once, they were struggling young artists, striving to make their mark in the newly independent Indonesia. In those formative years, many found themselves drawn to Jl. Pasuruan No. 3 in Menteng, Central Jakarta, the home of Alexander and Caecilia Papadimitriou, where they would sip coffee, tea or whiskey, nibble on pisang goreng, exchange ideas and develop their artistic paths.

There, they found not just friendship, but genuine support; the kind that helped them grow, persevere and realize their full potential.

These precious, yet little-known stories are now revealed in the newly published coffee-table book The Jakarta Salon: The Patronage of the Papadimitrious – Shaping Modern Art in Indonesia. Authored by Hong Kong-based art specialist Rishika Assomull, the 293-page volume was launched at the very place where it all began: the Papadimitrious residence.

A house that made history

“Alexander and Caecilia Papadimitriou’s home was not merely a place to house themselves and their five children,” Assomull said during a special interview with The Jakarta Post at the book launch on June 16. “During the second half of the 20^th century, this was the nucleus of the Indonesian art world, a space that helped transform overlooked, hungering artists into globally revered modern masters.”

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