“We are beyond the Dutch,” declared an Indonesian artist recently, stating that they have outgrown the influence of the Netherlands. Modern Indonesian art arose during the colonial period, but has since gradually wrested itself free.

Beyond the Dutch gives a colorful picture of that struggle. Leading artists, curators and historians from Indonesia and the Netherlands have pored over a series of questions posed by the history of art in the Dutch East Indies/Indonesia. What was and still is Dutch about Indonesian art? What relationship does it have with Western techniques and views on art? How does contemporary art in Indonesia and the Netherlands allow for the links between the two countries? And how do we actually perceive Indonesian art?

Beyond the Dutch is being published to accompany the exhibition of the same name at the Centraal Museum in Utrecht. With its focus on Indonesian art history the book is much more than an exhibition catalogue. The book takes three cross-sections through fine art in the Dutch East Indies/Indonesia: the colonial period around 1900; decolonization and independence around 1950; and the current, post-colonial period around 2000. Only by taking a detailed look at these three pivotal moments can a clear picture be obtained of the turbulent development of art in Indonesia.

Contributors: Hans Belting, Carla Bianpoen, Marieke Bloembergen, Koos van Brakel, Patrick Flores, Jan-Pieter Glerum, Agung Hujatnikajennong, Edwin Jacobs, Nuriani Juliastuti, Meta Knol, Sanne Oorthuizen, Roos van Put, Remco Raben, Helena Spanjaard, Jim Supangkat, Enin Supriyanto, Gerard van Wezel and Pim Westerkamp.