JAKARTA.- Indonesian philanthropist and leading collector Haryanto Adikoesoemo announced today the construction of the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara (Museum MACAN, pronounced Mah-Chahn), the country’s first museum dedicated to international modern and contemporary art. The museum is currently being built in Jakarta, Indonesia – the largest city in Southeast Asia with a metropolitan population of over 25 million— and will provide the public with a valuable cultural and educational resource. Adikoesoemo has named Dr. Thomas J. Berghuis, formerly the curator of Chinese art at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, as the museum’s director.

Supported by a long-term commitment from Adikoesoemo, the new 4,000 sq meter (approximately 43,000 sq foot) museum will provide the community with access to an important and internationally focused collection, a wide variety of public programs, and frequent temporary exhibitions to foster interdisciplinary education and support cultural and artistic exchange. It will be located in a multipurpose landmark building in West Jakarta. Details on the museum’s design will be released in the coming months, with a soft launch expected in the fall of 2016, and the grand opening planned for early 2017.

“Jakarta is one of the most dynamic artistic centers in the world,” said Haryanto Adikoesoemo, “and Indonesia has long been home to countless talented and experimental artists working in all genres. I am delighted to be able to provide the public with the kind of high-caliber arts institution that Indonesia deserves, and to support and expand the existing creative industries and diverse artistic communities. Museum MACAN aims to fill a void in Indonesia, and is committed to exchange with other museums, and to strengthening the network of cultural institutions and artists in the area that are creating an increasingly vibrant and supportive environment for the arts and culture across Southeast Asia and beyond.”

Museum MACAN will provide access to a significant and growing collection of modern and contemporary Indonesian art, as well as many well-regarded modern and contemporary works from across Europe, North America, China, and other parts of Asia. The collection of close to 800 works includes prominent Indonesian artists such as Raden Saleh, S. Sudjojono, Affandi, Lee Man Fong, Heri Dono, FX Harsono, Agus Suwage, Christine Ay-tjoe, and Handiwirman Saputra; key regional artists Fernando Cueto Amorsolo, Sanyu, Yang Maolin, and Wu Guanzhong; as well as renowned international artists such as Robert Rauschenberg, Anish Kapoor, Gerhard Richter, Banksy, Andy Warhol, Jean Michel Basquiat, Jeff Koons, Ed Ruscha, Keith Haring, David Hockney, Frank Stella, and Antoni Tapies.

As part of its mission, Museum MACAN will foster a spirit of participation in the arts, and provide an important platform for emerging and established local and international artists to present their work to a global audience. The museum is committed to curating special project exhibitions and commissioning new works by artists that broaden perspectives on contemporary art in and beyond Indonesia. It will also provide well-researched educational and community outreach programs, and contribute to scholarly discourse and research of Indonesian and international modern and contemporary art. In addition, the institution will offer professional development opportunities for artists, curators, and other art-focused careers.

The museum will be led by Dr. Thomas J. Berghuis, who brings over two decades of experience working as a curator, educator, and museum practitioner to Museum MACAN. He is a distinguished scholar and researcher of contemporary Indonesian art, contemporary Asian performance art, and contemporary Chinese art. He leads a dynamic team of young curatorial professionals working in education, collection management, and outreach.

“I am thrilled to be spearheading Museum MACAN,” said Dr. Berghuis. “It will make a vital contribution to the cultural ecology of Nusantara— the Indonesian archipelago—and will broaden the art world’s perspective to include an often overlooked region. The museum will provide visitors with the opportunity to engage with the most innovative art from Indonesia and beyond, and will give Indonesian artists, and artists from abroad a prominent platform, and opportunities to engage with the public in this important global capital.”

Museum MACAN will join the rapidly expanding art scene in Jakarta, home to the Jakarta Biennale (started in 1974 and expanding to an international biennale in 2009), and several other museums, publicly and privately owned gallery initiatives, independent art spaces, and artist communities and collectives. The museum will further connect to other cultural hubs across Indonesia including Yogyakarta, Bandung, and Bali, and newly emerging centers such as Makassar in South Sulawesi, and Medan in Sumatra. Yogyakarta is a renowned center for artists, galleries, the Biennale Jogja (started in 1988), and ArtJog, an art fair that has been successfully attracting visitors from across Indonesia and the region. Bandung is a popular creative city, and the Bandung Institute of Technology has received international attention as a center for teaching art history, arts management, and curatorial studies. Bali has long been a center for the arts and traditional crafts, and has recently received international acclaim for the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival.

“Southeast Asia is a significant growth area for the world, and Indonesia – with a population of over 250 million people— is an important center for the arts in the region,” said Melissa Chiu, Director of the Hirshhorn Museum. “The creation of a museum of this stature is extremely exciting, and will open up new opportunities for international exchanges with Indonesia.”