Gallery Purchase

Seen at the Bechtler: Surrealist Art on Loan, by Gaby Sanclimenti ‘25

Henri Dono was born in Jakarta and is known for his satirical illustrations of dichotomies. After studying at Indonesian Art Institute in Yogyakarta, the artist began studying traditional puppet theatre, known as Wayang Kulit. Dono’s figurative paintings give a complicated picture of Indonesian society and politics that is intertwined with larger international issues and concerns. Having grown up in a tumultuous period of Indonesian history, Dono often confronts violence and social turmoil in his work, as well as Western culture as it is viewed in his country. Dono’s works have been widely exhibited, including at the Venice Biennale in 2003 and 2015, the Gwangju Biennale in 1995 and 2006, the Singapore Art Museum, the National Gallery of Indonesia in Jakarta, Musée d’art contemporain de Lyon, France, and Asia Society New York, among others. His works are in the collections of the Deutsche Guggenheim in Frankfurt, the Fukuoka Art Museum in Japan, the Singapore Art Museum, the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, and the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam.