Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara

The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara, commonly known as Museum MACAN, is an art museum located in the Kebon Jeruk district of West Jakarta, Indonesia. Opened in November 2017, it holds the distinction of being the first museum in Indonesia to assemble a collection of both modern and contemporary Indonesian and international art. The institution quickly gained international recognition, earning a place on Time magazine's list of the World's 100 Greatest Places 2018. The name MACAN, which means tiger in Indonesian, reflects a local identity even as the museum positions itself as a platform for cross-cultural exchange between Indonesia and the global art world.

Museum MACAN was founded by Indonesian businessman and collector Haryanto Adikoesoemo, who pursued the project for ten years before its realization. His initial art collection had been lost during the Asian financial crisis of 1997-1998, when his family nearly lost everything and he was forced to sell all acquired paintings and pieces, including works by Auguste Renoir and Pablo Picasso. The proceeds convinced him that painting could be both a passion and a sound financial investment. He resumed collecting in the 2000s, shifting focus from Impressionists and early twentieth-century works, whose prices had risen further, toward contemporary art. In January 2016, Thomas J. Berghuis, former curator of Chinese art at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, was appointed as the museum's director. The museum opened to the public on 4 November 2017. Adikoesoemo stated that he wanted Museum MACAN to develop and advance Indonesian understanding and appreciation of art, and to serve as a platform for international Indonesian art while bringing international art to Indonesia.

The museum's permanent collection comprises approximately 800 modern and contemporary works. The holdings span Indonesian art from the nineteenth century to the present alongside international contemporary art. The collection includes works by major global artists such as Jeff Koons, Ai Weiwei, Yayoi Kusama, Robert Rauschenberg, and Gerhard Richter, positioned alongside Indonesian modern and contemporary artists. The museum typically displays around 90 works from its collection at any given time, utilizing diverse media and techniques that extend beyond traditional painting to include installation and performance-based practices.

Among the museum's signature works is Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrored Room, a major draw for visitors. The painting collection includes Wang Guangyi's Great Criticism: Coca-Cola, Fernando C. Amorsolo's Baguio Market, Miguel Covarrubias's Peta Bali dengan Mata Angin, FX Harsono's Wipe Out #1, Zhu Wei's China China, two works by Raden Saleh (Lanskap Hindia and Kantor Pos Jawa), Kusama's Swallow's Nest, and Xu Bing's Thought and Method. The installation and performance holdings include Lee Mingwei's Seven Stories, On Kawara's One Million Years, Arahmaiani's The Past Has Not Passed, Kusama's Life Heart Rainbow, and Dunia Dalam Berita. The museum has also organized the exhibition Art Turns, World Turns, Exploring the Collection of the Museum Macan to showcase its holdings.

The museum is situated in the Kebon Jeruk district in western Jakarta. It occupies one floor of a building within a larger mixed-use development that also includes offices, apartments, a hotel, and commercial space. The museum's floor area totals 7,107 square meters (76,500 square feet), with display space of approximately 4,000 square meters (43,000 square feet). Haryanto Adikoesoemo intended for revenue from the broader development's components to contribute to the financial resources available for the cultural institution's operation. The museum's name incorporates the term Nusantara, the Indonesian designation for the archipelago, signaling its national cultural significance.

Museum MACAN is located in the Kebon Jeruk district of Jakarta, Indonesia. The museum is accessible through its website at https://www.museummacan.org/. As a privately founded institution supported by revenue from its surrounding mixed-use development, it operates as a public museum serving both local Indonesian audiences and international visitors. Its establishment in 2017 filled a significant gap in Jakarta's cultural infrastructure as the city's first museum dedicated to modern and contemporary art, and it continues to function as a major venue for the display and promotion of Indonesian and international contemporary art in Southeast Asia.