Henk Ngantung
| Henk Ngantung | |
|---|---|
 Henk Ngantung (1950s) | |
| 7th Governor of Jakarta | |
|
In office 1964–1965 | |
| Preceded by | Soemarno Sosroatmodjo |
| Succeeded by | Soemarno Sosroatmodjo |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
March 1, 1921 Manado, North Sulawesi |
| Died |
12 December 1991 (aged 70) Jakarta |
| Spouse(s) | Hetty Evelyn Ngantung Mamesah |
| Profession | Politician, artist |
| Ethnicity | Minahasan |
| Religion | Christianity (Roman Catholic) |
Hendrik Hermanus Joel Ngantung better known as Henk Ngantung (March 1, 1921 - 12 December 1991) was an Indonesian painter and politician of Minahasan descent. He was appointed Deputy Governor by President Sukarno and then became Governor of Jakarta briefly between 1964 and 1965, the first Christian of the Catholic faith to hold this important post in predominantly Muslim Indonesia.[1][2]
Henk Ngantung was born in the Minahasa heartland of North Sulawesi province in the capital city of Manado to a poor family. Henk was a self-taught painter without any formal education. Together with Chairil Anwar and Asrul Sani, he co-founded the Indonesian artistic movement Gelanggang (meaning the arena). He was also the president of the board of the China-Indonesia Friendship from 1955 to 1958.[1]
Henk Ngantung was married to Hetty Evelyn "Evie" Ngantung Mamesah and they had four children, Maya, Genie, Kamang and Karno Ngantung.[1]
He became Deputy governor of Jakarta during the reign of governor Soemarno Sosroatmodjo. President Sukarno entrusted him of turning Jakarta into a city of culture based on his work as an artist. After holding the post of deputy governor from 1960 to 1964, he succeeded Soemarno Sosroatmodjo as governor of Jakarta but very briefly 1964–1965 before Soemarno Sosroatmodjo retaking the position in 1965 again briefly until 1966. His appointment was vehemently opposed for his left-wing ideology with some opponents accusing him of being a communist.[1][2]
From 1965 onwards, he consecrated his life to the arts. He lived in poverty, suffered bad health and developed heart disease and glaucoma. He lost eyesight completely in his right eye, and just 30% vision in the left eye, but continued painting with great difficulty. In 1990, the Indonesian businessman and philanthropist Ciputra sponsored Henk Ngantung's one and only official exhibition just a month before his death on 12 December 1991.[1][2]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Hendrik Hermanus Joel Ngantung - Profil | merdeka.com". merdeka.com. merdeka.com. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
- 1 2 3 "Henk Ngantung: Korban 1965 yang Terlupakan - KOMPASIANA.com". KOMPASIANA. Retrieved 15 February 2017.