(because of the international dimension this item on Lee Man Fong is written in English).

At the end of May 2025, I began organizing my research on Lee Man Fong (LMF), who is by far the most prominent of the Malino students — followed by the Djaya brothers in second place and the violinist-composer Lim Kek Tjiang in third.
A considerable amount of information about LMF is available online, though most of it pertains to the auctioning of his paintings.
A new perspective emerged when I came across the restoration of LMF’s Margasatwa dan Puspita Indonesia (Flora and Fauna of Indonesia), a piece he painted in 1962 as a commission from President Sukarno.

Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta has restored the phenomenal painting of Lee Man Fong entitled “Margasatwa dan Puspita Indonesia” (1913–1988).
[…] As an act of preserving cultural heritage, this 4 metres x 10.85 metres painting and one of the world’s largest paintings, consists of three rather curved panels depicting the rich flora and fauna in Indonesia. […] The physical condition of the “Margasatwa dan Puspita Indonesia” painting was affected after Hotel Indonesia underwent several renovations until finally, Hotel Indonesia decided to restore the painting through a professional painting restoration process. Therefore, Italian restorer who opened a restoration studio in Indonesia named Michaela Anselmini has taken the task of conserving and restoring this masterpiece painting by working very carefully and not changing the original work.’ ¹

Many articles and interviews can be found about this restoration and restorer Anselmini. ^{2 3} In an interview with Madame Exotique, Anselmini comments on the necessity of the project: “For a painting of that age, restoration is not uncommon—especially considering that the conditions in a banquet hall were far from ideal.” [to be verified; Hin] ⁴
This brings up the question about the current condition of MLF’s works from his Malino period? Present day auction descriptions of LMF’s paintings rarely, if ever, mention whether a restoration has taken place or is needed.

1. Indonesia Expat (August 4, 2020). Lee Man Fong’s “Margasatwa dan Puspita Indonesia” Restored. ↩︎
2. Istituto Italiano di Cultura Jakarta (August 5th 2020). Restoration of Lee Man Fong’s great art “Margasatwa dan puspita indonesia. ↩︎
3. Cassandra Lehman (4 September 2020), A bridge to Indonesia, my second home. Garland Magazine. ↩︎
4. Madame Exotique (Instagram, 24 July 2020). Michaela Anselmini aka @artrestaurationstudio. ↩︎