Affandi, a big name known within the art world, received the title of Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Singapore, was honored with the title of Grand Maestro from San Marzano, Florence, Italy, and received other prestigious awards. He has exhibited his works across London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Rome, Venice, San Paulo, North America and South America. It's no wonder that Affandi's greatness and each of his works have made him highly sought after by art collectors all around the world.

Today, we will discuss his iconic series showcasing his favorite object: Self Portrait Eating Watermelon. We will explore its uniqueness and why having the opportunity to collect or preview it is a privilege, let's dive deeper!

Affandi The Expressionist Maestro

As a maestro, his impact has spread widely that make his name known to both art enthusiasts and those less familiar with the art world. As illustrious as his name, Affandi held solo exhibitions in Indonesia and toured Europe, represented Indonesia in international exhibitions in Brazil and Venice, won first prize at San Paolo, and held a solo exhibition at World House Gallery New York.

Affandi, a brilliant avant-garde painter, developed a unique "paint directly from tube" style that is inherent to him. He would extract the paint directly from the tube, and using his fingers and palms, apply it directly to the canvas, allowing his emotion to pour onto the canvas. Affandi received a scholarship to study art in India. Upon arrival, he impressed all the professors with his skills and was deemed as a Master artist, and instead, he lectured to the art students in India. 

Self Portrait Series

'Self-Portrait,' part of a series often produced by the maestro as a means of self-exploration and self-expression. He enjoys spending time in front of the mirror, observing every intricacies on his face. Affandi's self-portrait series showcases his unique character and style in making this series. Just like Picasso and Van Gogh, Affandi is equally obsessed with creating self portraits over the course of his lifetime to explore their own identities, emotions, and inner thoughts, and to communicate these ideas to others through their art. It is also a series to document their physical, emotional and mental state throughout a series of time. 

When His Favourite Series Meet His Favourite Object: The Unique Sides

Courtesy of museum Affandi

Apart from watermelon being his favourite fruit, this painting is unique as there are only a few of his self portraits paintings that feature watermelon. Additionally, this painting has been verified as authentic by Museum Affandi.

Affandi has a unique way of observing his self-portrait while painting, as seen in the picture of him holding a watermelon with his left hand while creating a self-portrait with his right hand. To this day, only 2 works of Affandi's self-portrait painting with a watermelon have been verified by the Museum of Affandi, and one of them is featured in our online live auction.

You can get the chance to preview this curated piece by visiting our art preview from March 4th to 23rd. We also have other valuable paintings for those who want to enjoy or collect Southeast Asian & Chinese Modern, and Contemporary Artwork. Our art previews and auctions always feature a variety of paintings in different styles, such as expressionism, impressionism, and many more.

Mark your calendar for Saturday, March 23rd, 2024, at 4:00 PM (JKT) and join our online live auction. Don’t hesitate to click here for more information and visit our social media for updates!