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Story of Steuben Crystal in the George Thompson developed
Presidential Palace Collection 1 the design for Basoeki Abdullah’s
Bhima and Snakes and Agus Djaya’s
In the mid-1950s, the Steuben Tarian Pura. While Llyod Atkins
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Glass Company invited artists worked on Made Djata’s Balinese
from sixteen Asian countries, Funeral. Inspired by the form of
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including Indonesia, to participate the Balinese Bade burial tower
in a cultural collaboration program that dominates Djata’s work,
to create an exclusive crystal Atkins created a tiered lid for
collection titled Asian Artists in the crystal vase as a, “… natural
Crystal. Works by three Indonesian evolution in the design process. Ibu Sanjoto and Bapak Djoko Sanjoto, atase kebudayaan Indonesia,
artists are part of the collection: Atkins designed a composition pada pembukaan pameran National Gallery of Art berjudul Asian
Basoeki Abdullah’s Bhima and of vines that are akin to Balinese Artists in Crystal menampilkan karya Steuben Glass, 17 Januari 1956. 14
Snake, The Temple Dance by Agus ornamental vines on their temples
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Djaya, and Balinese Funeral by and other forms of art.” Mrs Sanjoto and Mr. Djoko Sanjoto, the Indonesian cultural attache, at the
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Made Djata, are among the thirty- opening for National Gallery of Art exhibition Asian Artists in Crystal from
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six works in the collection. The works in the collection of Steuben Glass, January 17, 1956.
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Asian Artists in Crystal were
The New York Public Library exhibited at the National Gallery
assigned the Head of the Art of Art, Washington D.C. in the in Cipanas, West Java, on 1 August
Division and Architecture of the beginning of 1956, and then at 1959 on the occasion of the
Spencer Collection, Karl Kup, to the Metropolitan Museum of Art President’s introduction of his
assist Steuben with the program in New York City, before they cabinet to the diplomatic corps. 12
by sending him on series of visits toured 29 cities in 16 countries in
to Asia with the mission of finding Asia. The exhibition concluded at The US Secretary of State,
artists whose artwork could be Maison l’Unesco in Paris, France, John Foster Dulles, stated in his
properly engraved on glass. Kup at the end of 1958. Around opening speech for the exhibition
acquired fifteen images from 500,000 people were estimated at the National Gallery of Art
nine artists: Agus Djaya, Basoeki to have visited the whole series in Washington, “The symbolic
Abdullah, R.M. Boediman, I Made of exhibitions, making it one of meaning of what we see here
Djata, Oesman Effendi, Ida Bagus the prototypes of a blockbuster will have an impact and will
Made Pugug, I Radjeg, Sesangka, exhibition. 11 disseminate its influence on
and S. Sutiksna (see list I). the whole world.” These three
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After the exhibition, the crystals crystals made by Indonesian
The images were subsequently were given to each of the artists are evidence of the “Pameran Asian Artists in Crystal akan
mailed to New York for further participating countries. The successful US diplomatic effort dibuka 18 Januari 1956 di National Gallery
selection by the Steuben Company. ambassador of the United States in the beginning of the Cold War of Art, Amerika Serikat,” rilis pers NGA
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Three designers from the United to Indonesia, Howard Jones, period. But more importantly, tertanggal 15 Januari 1956.
States were responsible for handed the three crystals made these crystals show the spirit of “Asian Artists in Crystal exhibition to open
developing the images into glass by Indonesian artists to President Indonesian artists who desire to January 18th at the National Gallery of
designs and producing them. Sukarno at the Presidential Palace be part of the global world. Art,” press release dated January 15, 1956. 15
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14 National Gallery of Art, Washington, 15 National Gallery of Art, Washington,
D.C.Gallery Archives (Arsip Galeri). D.C. RG14A3. Berkas milik Office of
26B4_66_017 Public Information (Kantor Informasi
Publik), rilis-rilis pers, 1939-2016