A Snel Repatriated to Bali

tintin

Indeed, no authentication is necessary: this is truly a young, beautiful Ibu Siti. She was (and more than likely still is) a "femme de poigne" (a strong woman), a true Balinese woman, in stark contrast to Han who, even with age and later sickness, kept the care free and relaxed attitude of a young man he was once. Roy, do you own this painting now, or are you its temporary custodian?

Roy

[quote]Roy, do you own this painting now, or are you its temporary custodian?[/quote] In reality both, as all collectors are, in the end, only temporary custodians. I'm glad you enjoyed it! Cheers!

Roy

Working closely with a major auction house in London, who was representing a private collector in England, this superb early portrait by Han Snel (1925-1998) has just been repatriated to Bali after an absence of 44 years. The subject is Ni Made Siti who married Snel in 1958. Siti still runs the Han Snel Bungalows and Han Snel Gallery here in Ubud where a major retrospective exhibition of Snel’s works was held this past May. Born in 1925 in Scheveningen, in the Netherlands, Snel was trained as a graphic artist. He first arrived in Indonesia in 1946 as part of the Dutch military forces intending to retake their colony after the surrender of the Japanese army to the British. He arrived in Ubud in 1949 and later became an Indonesian citizen. It is often written that Snel deserted the Dutch army, which makes for a romantic story, but this was denied by Snel until his death in 1998. Having converted to Bali Hinduism prior to his marriage to Siti, he was very serious about his new culture. He was cremated in the year 2000. This important portrait by Snel shows the early stages of his work as it slowly evolved to a pure abstract style. This work is also from the period when he was heavily influenced by the Tahiti works of Paul Gauguin. Previously unpublished, this is its first “public” appearance.

tintin

Roy, You mention a British auction house, but I thought this particular painting had been auctioned last October, in Singapore. Am I mistaken? By the way is there a book about Han Snel's work?

Roy

This last October...of 2008? I can’t see how it could possibly be the same painting as this one was “buried” in a recent London sale of English topographical and exploration art where it failed to sell…thus opening up the door for private treaty negotiations. Ours is oil on canvas measuring 21 ½ X 19 ½ inches. Snel’s works enjoy a healthy auction record, the highest price for a painting of similar style, size and subject as ours fetched $10,000 at a Christies auction in 2004. This later work, from 1989, fetched US $6,500.00 at Christies: http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.aspx?intObjectID=2016913 There is also this much smaller (almost one third the size) portrait of Siti which was offered by Bonhams & Goodman in Australia in 2005 which was offered with an estimate of AUD $7,000-$10,000: http://www.bonhamsandgoodman.com.au/lot_details.php?lot=38590&auction=172 This additional work is larger, but indicative of the value of Snel’s work. It sold in Singapore for way over the high estimate and was hammered down for US $133,000. http://www.masterpieceauction.com.sg/archive_result/singapore/August_16_17_2008/BL336.jpg While Snel is discussed in numerous books and exhibition catalogues, I am unaware of any book devoted solely to him and his work. Cheers!

tintin

Thanks for the precisions, and sorry for my mix-up. The painting of Ibu Siti I was thinking about had been painted in 1975, and the one you have shown above was painted in 1964.