Esteemed publication Time magazine just released its first annual World’s Greatest Places list featuring “100 destinations to experience right now”.
The list of “new and newly relevant destinations” is based on recommendations from its editors, correspondents, and industry experts and based on factors like quality, originality, innovation, sustainability, and influence.
Among the 100 carefully curated selections on the list, the only destination in all of Indonesia was not one of the archipelago’s many gorgeous beach-side destinations but instead a shining beacon of culture right here in the grim and gritty capital of Jakarta: the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara, better known as Museum MACAN
Museum MACAN is not only Jakarta but also Indonesia’s very first proper contemporary and modern art museum. Opened last year in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta, by art collector Haryanto Adikoesoemo, the museum’s much acclaimed initial exhibition featured many works from Haryanto’s private collection of over 800 modern and contemporary artworks, including some of the most celebrated artists in Indonesia, Asia and the rest of the world including Raden Saleh, FX Harsono, Gerhard Richter, Andy Warhol, and Jeff Koons.
As Suyin Haynes describes the magazine for Time’s list, “Indonesia’s famously vibrant modern-art scene finally has the home it deserves. Museum MACAN… sprawls over 43,000 sq. ft. and showcases local talent, such as painter and performance artist Tisna Sanjaya and woodwork specialist Gatot Indrajati, alongside international icons such as Japan’s Yayoi Kusama and China’s Ai Weiwei.”
As Haynes notes, much of the museum’s art comes from businessman Haryanto Adikoesoemo, the museum’s founder who has an extensive collection of over 800 modern and contemporary artworks. Many of those pieces were featured in the museum’s highly acclaimed opening exhibition covering Indonesia’s modern art movement and its connection to international art trends.
