Kunstkring Art Gallery
| Kunstkring Art Gallery | |
|---|---|
| Galeri Seni Kunstkring | |
 |
|
| Former names | Buddha Bar, Immigrasie Dienst, Bataviasche Kunstkring |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Dutch Rationalism, New Indies Style |
| Location | Central Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia |
| Address | Jl. Teuku Umar No. 1 Menteng |
| Coordinates | 6°11′20″S 106°50′01″E / 6.188898°S 106.833497°E |
| Current tenants | Bistro Boulevard |
| Construction started | 1913 |
| Completed | 1914 |
| Inaugurated | 17 April 1914 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | P.A.J. Moojen |
The Kunstkring Art Gallery (Indonesian: Galeri Seni Kunstkring) is a heritage building located in Central Jakarta. Built in 1914, following the design of Dutch architect P.A.J. Moojen, it originally housed the local art circle. After several changes of use, in 2011 the building has been restored, with the upper floor used as an art gallery while the ground floor has been converted into a restaurant.
The Kunstkring is the second building designed by P.A.J. Moojen in Jakarta. It was designed as a civic landmark, welcoming visitors to the new Menteng Residential Area. Kunstkring Art Center was intended to become the cultural center of early 20th-century Batavia. Moojen himself was first, the secretary, and then president (1910) of the Bataviasche Kunstkring which was created to advance interest in the visual/plastic and decorative arts.
The building was made possible through the donation of the land by one of the construction companies that participated in building the Menteng Residential Area. Construction of the building started in 1913, and it was inaugurated on April 17, 1914 by the Governor General of Dutch Indies Alexander Willem Frederik Idenburg as the overseer of the Nederlandsch Indische Kunstkring. Through rental of the lower floor to commercial uses, Kunstkring generated a cash flow for its operations. The art gallery historically had exhibited the work of famous European artist, such as Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Paul Gauguin, Piet Ouborg and Marc Chagall.
The building housed the Kunstkring until 1942 before it functioned as the head office of Majelis Islam A’la Indonesia (1942–1945), and then used as the Immigration Office for Central Jakarta (1950–1997).
In 1997, the building was sold to Tommy Soeharto. It was left neglected and thus stripped by robbers. The window frames and stairs were removed, taken to the black market. In 2003, on the order of the then-Governor Sutiyoso, the government bought back the building. The facade of the building was restored gradually, although without clear parameters. Many of the structural and decorative elements of the building were randomly replaced, while the looted parts remained missing.
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