Fine Art and Ceramic Museum building which was the work of architect of Hoofd Ingenier JHR WHFH Van Raders was built in 1870.
This building has architectural features of the neoclassical style. Initially, the building was used as Dutch Supreme Judiciary (Raad van Justice Binnen Het Casteel Batavia). During the Japanese occupation and the struggle for Indonesia independence, the building was used as a dormitory of NMM (Nederlandsche Military Mission) by the Colonial Army soldiers. On the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia submitted to the military and used as a warehouse logistics. Later in the year 1970-1973, this building was used as West Jakarta Mayor’s office.
In 1974, the renovation or restoration of the building was done then used as a Museum and History Office of DKI Jakarta. As the idea of Vice President Adam Malik dated August 20, 1976, this building was inaugurated as the Hall of Fine Arts. Inside this building, namely, Ceramic Museum was inaugurated by Ali Sadikin on June 10, 1977.
This museum has 500 works of art consisting of paintings and sculpture collection of the oldest paintings in the form of paintings by R Regent of Cianjur, Sharif Saleh Bustaman (1870-1880). From the Mooi Indie (1908-1936) there is a collection of paintings which refers to the beauty of the work Wakidi, M Pirngadi, Ernest Dezentje and Basuki Abdullah.
Among its collection is an excellent and very important collection for the history of Indonesian art. Revolution collection entitled Wedding Hendra Gunawan’s work, the Regent of Cianjur work of Raden Saleh, Nursing Mothers Dullah works, works of S Seiko Sudjojono and works of Affandi’s Self-portrait. Another collection of art that is characterized by the classical statues of Balinese traditional, wooden totem magic, and symbolic work of I Wayan Tjokot, totems and wood sculpture by artist G Sidharta, Oesman Effendi, Popo Iskandar, Achmad Sadali, Srihadi S, Fajar Sidik, Kusnadi, Rusli, Nashar, Zaini, Amang Rahman, Suparto, Irsam, Mulyadi W, Abas Alibasyah, Amri Yahya, AS Budiman, Barli, Sudjana Kerton and still many artists from various regions.
