Friday, June 07, 2013
Winston Churchill
"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened." Winston Churchill
How to buy genuine art - Article From The Star
How to buy genuine art
GALLERY owners and artists share advice on how to avoid being duped.
· Check ownership records
In the art world, this is called provenance – tracing the history or chain of ownership back from the current holders to the original artist.
“There must be a trail of how the work has changed hands,” says Lim Wei-Ling of Wei-Ling Gallery.
“People bring art works to place in my gallery (for sale). But if I don’t know how or where they got the work from, I will ask them to take it back to the original gallery which sold it.”
Artist Stephen Menon suggests that potential buyers take a picture of a work being offered for sale and e-mail it to the artist to confirm if it is his.
“If I’m no longer around one day, my wife or other family members will have the records.
“Should the artist say he has sold the piece to a certain collector, call up the latter to verify if he still has it. If he does, then the piece being offered for sale must be a fake.”
All established artists have sale records, Menon adds. “The problem starts when some of the younger emerging artists don’t keep their records properly. They should also remember the need to jaga their collectors’ interests from possible forgery.”
All this is linked to supporting documents and records of the art work.
“Check where and when the work was exhibited and the (relevant) gallery’s websites for records of shows,” Lim advises. “Look at the (exhibition) catalogue or books where the works are featured. And ask for certificates. Every art work from my gallery will have one signed by me and the artist.”
Artist Ivan Lam says that “with all the publications about art works nowadays, it’s even easier to trace who bought what, and when.” If a seller cannot provide you the relevant answers for a piece of work, chances are it’s a fake.”
Sim Hussein, wife of the late Ibrahim Hussein, says people should authenticate an art work first before paying money for it. “Check with the artist,” she advises.
“Some pieces of Ib’s Sports series and figurative abstract works were brought to me for authentication. I told the people who brought them that these were not Ibrahim Hussein originals. I also told them that these paintings, which had Ib’s signature, should be destroyed,” Sim adds.
A visitor examining a forged Botero painting at Geert Jan Jansen’s exhibition in the Netherlands. Self-taught Dutch painter Jansen turned to forgery when he couldn’t make a living selling his own work – but he turned out to be so good that some of the artists he copied claimed his works were their own! – Reuters
· Study the artist
“Don’t just buy blindly,” Menon cautions. “Research the artist you are interested in first. Learn about his art techniques, visit galleries where his works are displayed and look at the painting up close, from all angles.
“Then compare the piece you want to buy with other paintings done by the same artist. Painters usually have certain styles and strokes and this may be difficult to copy.”
· Buy from reputable galleries
These are galleries which will have established a relationship with the artist, Lim explains. “Or the artists themselves will have endorsed the gallery to represent them. Then you know you won’t be getting a fake.”
“Sometimes, galleries could be unwitting accomplices as they themselves are not aware of the forgery,” notes art collector Pakhruddin Sulaiman. “But they have a responsibility to collectors. If they cannot really tell you how or where they bought the art works from, then something is not quite right.”
Liew Chin Chin of Starhill Art Gallery concurs that “it’s very important to go to a reputable gallery which does not just view art just as a business, but as a responsibility.”
· Talk to people
Research alone is not enough. Lim says would-be buyers should also talk to collectors, curators, art consultants and gallery people.
“For example, if anybody walks into my gallery and I am around, I will virtually be giving free art consultations!”
· Canvas and paints
Certain artists are known to use certain canvas, Menon explains. “I know a famous one who uses cheap canvas that costs RM6 per metre! And obviously, canvas from the 1960s will be different from the new China-made ones nowadays.”
As for paints, he notes that Latiff Mohideen was known to use paints from hardware shops in the 1960s.
“After all that time, there will be signs of age. In fact, paintings often need to be restored. A brand new fake will have the smell of fresh paint.”
· Role of institutions
Pakhruddin says that the Malaysian art market still lacks fake-spotting expertise. “Very few have the expertise to decide if a work is fake.”
Hence, Liew adds, institutions have a role to play. “People at the National Art Gallery should have the authority to tell whether a work is fake. Many other national art museums have strong curatorial and research teams for this.”
· The artistic eye
While all the above checks can weed out garden variety fakes, determined, expert forgers have figured out the loopholes.
Art critic and artist Jolly Koh says that with the high-technology available nowadays, even experts in the West have been fooled, citing the case of Dutch artist Han van Meegeren, who was notorious for forging Vermeer paintings.
“The signature is the easiest to fake. Forgers can also create stains on old canvas or put paintings in ovens to simulate paint which has cracked with age.”
As for provenance, he adds, the bill of sale can be forged.
“I can always pay someone a few thousand ringgit to swear that they sold the work to me. Even if the provenance is impeccable, I will still prefer to trust my artistic sensibility and knowledge. But people who don’t have an artistic eye will have to rely on provenance.”
He underlines that the hardest thing to fake is the art work itself.
“The devil is in the details. An expert eye can tell the difference, just as an expert palate can distinguish between first- or second-rate pu-erh (Chinese) tea. It’s easier to fake the labels and packaging than the tea itself.
“You can fake provenance, but the work of art itself stands in silent majesty, or ignominy, for you to discern it’s true worth,” Koh adds.
In the art world, this is called provenance – tracing the history or chain of ownership back from the current holders to the original artist.
“There must be a trail of how the work has changed hands,” says Lim Wei-Ling of Wei-Ling Gallery.
“People bring art works to place in my gallery (for sale). But if I don’t know how or where they got the work from, I will ask them to take it back to the original gallery which sold it.”
Artist Stephen Menon suggests that potential buyers take a picture of a work being offered for sale and e-mail it to the artist to confirm if it is his.
“If I’m no longer around one day, my wife or other family members will have the records.
“Should the artist say he has sold the piece to a certain collector, call up the latter to verify if he still has it. If he does, then the piece being offered for sale must be a fake.”
All established artists have sale records, Menon adds. “The problem starts when some of the younger emerging artists don’t keep their records properly. They should also remember the need to jaga their collectors’ interests from possible forgery.”
All this is linked to supporting documents and records of the art work.
“Check where and when the work was exhibited and the (relevant) gallery’s websites for records of shows,” Lim advises. “Look at the (exhibition) catalogue or books where the works are featured. And ask for certificates. Every art work from my gallery will have one signed by me and the artist.”
Artist Ivan Lam says that “with all the publications about art works nowadays, it’s even easier to trace who bought what, and when.” If a seller cannot provide you the relevant answers for a piece of work, chances are it’s a fake.”
Sim Hussein, wife of the late Ibrahim Hussein, says people should authenticate an art work first before paying money for it. “Check with the artist,” she advises.
“Some pieces of Ib’s Sports series and figurative abstract works were brought to me for authentication. I told the people who brought them that these were not Ibrahim Hussein originals. I also told them that these paintings, which had Ib’s signature, should be destroyed,” Sim adds.
“Don’t just buy blindly,” Menon cautions. “Research the artist you are interested in first. Learn about his art techniques, visit galleries where his works are displayed and look at the painting up close, from all angles.
“Then compare the piece you want to buy with other paintings done by the same artist. Painters usually have certain styles and strokes and this may be difficult to copy.”
· Buy from reputable galleries
These are galleries which will have established a relationship with the artist, Lim explains. “Or the artists themselves will have endorsed the gallery to represent them. Then you know you won’t be getting a fake.”
“Sometimes, galleries could be unwitting accomplices as they themselves are not aware of the forgery,” notes art collector Pakhruddin Sulaiman. “But they have a responsibility to collectors. If they cannot really tell you how or where they bought the art works from, then something is not quite right.”
Liew Chin Chin of Starhill Art Gallery concurs that “it’s very important to go to a reputable gallery which does not just view art just as a business, but as a responsibility.”
· Talk to people
Research alone is not enough. Lim says would-be buyers should also talk to collectors, curators, art consultants and gallery people.
“For example, if anybody walks into my gallery and I am around, I will virtually be giving free art consultations!”
· Canvas and paints
Certain artists are known to use certain canvas, Menon explains. “I know a famous one who uses cheap canvas that costs RM6 per metre! And obviously, canvas from the 1960s will be different from the new China-made ones nowadays.”
As for paints, he notes that Latiff Mohideen was known to use paints from hardware shops in the 1960s.
“After all that time, there will be signs of age. In fact, paintings often need to be restored. A brand new fake will have the smell of fresh paint.”
· Role of institutions
Pakhruddin says that the Malaysian art market still lacks fake-spotting expertise. “Very few have the expertise to decide if a work is fake.”
Hence, Liew adds, institutions have a role to play. “People at the National Art Gallery should have the authority to tell whether a work is fake. Many other national art museums have strong curatorial and research teams for this.”
· The artistic eye
While all the above checks can weed out garden variety fakes, determined, expert forgers have figured out the loopholes.
Art critic and artist Jolly Koh says that with the high-technology available nowadays, even experts in the West have been fooled, citing the case of Dutch artist Han van Meegeren, who was notorious for forging Vermeer paintings.
“The signature is the easiest to fake. Forgers can also create stains on old canvas or put paintings in ovens to simulate paint which has cracked with age.”
As for provenance, he adds, the bill of sale can be forged.
“I can always pay someone a few thousand ringgit to swear that they sold the work to me. Even if the provenance is impeccable, I will still prefer to trust my artistic sensibility and knowledge. But people who don’t have an artistic eye will have to rely on provenance.”
He underlines that the hardest thing to fake is the art work itself.
“The devil is in the details. An expert eye can tell the difference, just as an expert palate can distinguish between first- or second-rate pu-erh (Chinese) tea. It’s easier to fake the labels and packaging than the tea itself.
“You can fake provenance, but the work of art itself stands in silent majesty, or ignominy, for you to discern it’s true worth,” Koh adds.
Thursday, June 06, 2013
An Article in The Star About Art Forgery.
Forgery and false claims
Stories by ANDREW SIA
starmag@thestar.com.my
Reproductions of an artist’s paintings are common. But beware of fake works that claim to be the real thing.
ON Nov 1, at the 4th Art Expo 2010 in Kuala Lumpur, a Malaysian collector paid RM2mil for a set of 10 silkscreens by American pop art icon Andy Warhol.
And on Aug 8, Ibrahim Hussein’s 1969 painting, The Dream, fetched RM500,500 at a sale held by Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers in Selangor. It was the most expensive Malaysian artwork sold in a public auction – more than double the record set in 2007 by the late artist’s Falcon (1976), which was sold by Sotheby’s in Singapore for RM236,736.
As the market value of Malaysian art grows in tandem with its popularity, reports of forgers keen to make a killing have begun to surface.
Basically, there are two types of fakes, says lawyer Pakhruddin Sulaiman, a prominent Malaysian art collector.
“One is a genuine fake, a copy of an original work by, say, Van Gogh. These are sold as reproductions but are not signed by the artist. This is quite prevalent in countries like Indonesia, Vietnam and even the West and it’s quite harmless.
“The dangerous fakes are those which claim to be originals.”
Artist Eric Quah recalls: “I travel often to Thailand and Indonesia where I see shop after shop selling copies of art. In China, works by Chen Yifei (classic painter and director; 1946-2005) sell for millions of US dollars. So they ask draftsmen or a contract artist to make reproductions from photos. Some sell for as low as RM50 and may not be well done.
“But some copies can be very good, too. Locally, I have seen fake works of Jehan Chan, who does paintings of koi fish.”
“Unless you know his work well, you can’t really tell they are fakes,” chips in Liew Chin Chin, who runs the Starhill Art Gallery in Kuala Lumpur.
Artist Stephen Menon claims he knows of a hotel in Kuala Lumpur that wanted to buy the paintings of an artist who does Malay silat paintings. “When they realised his prices were high, they asked someone to copy the work, complete with the signature!”
Lim Wei-Ling, who runs Wei-Ling Gallery in KL, fears that local art collectors could become disillusioned if the situation in Malaysia becomes like that of Vietnam’s.
“Art forgery is rampant there. Because art prices have gone up tremendously, people are forging works left, right and centre. Some galleries in Hanoi and Saigon are in on it too. Collectors are paying six-figure US-dollar sums for fakes of artists such as Vietnam-born Le Pho (1907-2001).”
Liew adds that she has heard of a few forgeries in the country, mainly of sketches.
“These are easier to copy and difficult to find in the market. Galleries which have no integrity will demand RM50,000 to RM100,000 even for such small pieces.”
Pakhruddin says he, too, has “heard of” forgeries of works of artists such as AB Rahman, Yong Mun Sen and even Latiff Mohideen.
“And there’s suspicion in the art market that a few Dzulkilfi Buyong fakes are floating around – the strokes (of these) are not similar to that of his other works.”
Artist and art academic Jolly Koh estimates the current market value of Dzulkifli’s works at between RM80,000 and RM120,000. He says he has seen two supposed Dzulkifli works, kept by private collectors, which he is pretty sure are forgeries.
“I have seen lots of his works, both good and bad. But those two stick out like sore thumbs. They could have been done by someone from the roadside.
“Moreover, one of the works was supposedly done in 1968. But Dzulkifli was a child prodigy who was at the peak of his powers then.”
Koh adds that there are “vicious rumours” that when certain famous artists die, leaving behind inferior or unfinished works, their relatives have signed these off as originals.
Forgeries extend to other art works too, such as ceramics. Jasmine Seng, the manager of TY Gallery in Kepong, KL, recalls how her father-in-law, (gallery founder) Tan Tiau Yoke, was often cheated by middlemen in China.
“The middleman would show him the real items, but deliver the fakes. He loves ceramics but his understanding of it was not so deep then. Nowadays, he goes directly to meet the Chinese artists and does not get cheated any more,” Seng says.
The most prominent possible fakes concern Ibrahim’s works.
Quah says: “Ibrahim did a series of sports prints and now the paintings (which the prints are supposedly based on) have emerged. Luckily, the artist’s wife is around and collectors can verify with her whether the pieces are genuine.”
Ibrahim’s Sports series of eight prints was done the year he turned 50, and launched during his Retrospective exhibition in 1986 at the National Art Gallery.
Koh, who went to London to study art in 1959, the same year as Ibrahim, adds: “To fake an Ibrahim Hussein, you need to be a good, mature artist who can understand his art. You also need to be a flexible artist who can adapt yourself to fit his style.”
There is legal recourse for those who think they might have bought a fake work. Lodge a police report, he suggests. The courts have powers to confiscate such works and experts who know an artist’s work well can also be called in to testify.
Fakes are rare
However, while such cases may grab attention, the overall picture is that art forgery is still uncommon in Malaysia.
“Yes, we have the cheap labour, but our industry is not big enough – not at the level of millions of ringgit – for people to want to copy paintings,” says artist Jailani Abu Hassan, better known as Jai.
With contract artists who copy works so common in Thailand and Indonesia, what would stop them from copying Malaysian art works?
“In artistic terms, we are the youngest in South-East Asia. Indonesia’s art market is so much more developed. They have so many good artists at home, I don’t think they would bother to come to Malaysia,” explains Jai.
“Not yet anyway … But as our prices rise, who knows?”
Pakhruddin says fakes are not common in Malaysia right now because we have a primary art market – art works go direct from the artist (or galleries representing them) to the collectors. Thus, it’s easy to verify whether the pieces are authentic.
“Our secondary art market, where collectors sell off what they have, is not well developed. We had our first Henry Butcher art auction recently. This is unlike Indonesia’s buoyant secondary market, which has home-grown art auction houses. But once our secondary market develops, that may attract the forgers.”
Artist Ivan Lam notes that the Western art markets handle works from hundreds of years ago, which cost millions, “so the chances of fakes are higher. Our artists go back only about 50 years.”
Forgeries usually involve weak or minor works by artists which are not well documented, Pakhruddin says.
“Artist are human, and they have their off days. Sometimes, one of their poorer works suddenly appears in the market and it’s far below the market price. Dzulkifli Buyong’s works normally sell for about RM90,000; when someone offers it at RM20,000, that arouses suspicion.”
Lim adds: “If it’s too good to be true, then it’s probably a fake.”
However, there are lots of gullible people, Lam comments.
“We have read about things like the fake US black money scam, but people still fall for it. Art fakes are just another scheme to exploit our weakness.”
At the end of the day, it’s up to the buyer. If you are suspicious, just don’t buy, Pakhruddin advises.
And what of those who have been cheated?
Koh says: “They will never admit to making such an expensive mistake. It’s a matter of ego. So they will just say, ‘Oh never mind, I like it’.”
Wednesday, June 05, 2013
Tuesday, June 04, 2013
An Interesting Article From Sakmongkol
The Coming Clash of Class
The majority of Malays rejected them. The fact stays that way despite
all the fanciful regression and statistical analyses one can muster. UMNO
remains in power simply because of gerrymandering and its success in fabricating
lies and fear.
I will say this again. UMNO got 3.2 million votes. I am being
charitable by saying that 85% of those came from Malay voters. That would be
2.72 million Malay votes. How many Malay voters came out on the 5th
of May? 70% of the 11.2 million because they wanted to defend UMNO and the Malay
government at all cost? That would give us a figure of 7.84 million. If UMNO got
2.72 million, that means more Malays did not vote for UMNO.
We are indeed moving on beyond GE13. That is why we must continue to
expose BN’s hypocrisy, deceit and outright lies to the people. Our agenda isn’t
finished until this corrupt government is finished off. BN won because it is
corrupt and contemptible. A corrupt regime will use anything legal and illegal
to stay on in power.
Each corrupt element at each level of BN organisational structure
will dig in to protect its own turf. Otherwise the whole game is given away-that
BN has its every finger in the kitty and robbing Malaysia to the bone.
Corruption has already become a cultural thing. Each BN politician is wired up
that way. Each UMNO operative right up to their minions at the village level.
We will continue to expose the hypocrisy of UMNO which is claiming,
it is the vanguard which protects, king, religion, race and country. Not in that
order of course. It rearranges its priorities. UMNO was once at the forefront in
the assault against the Malay monarchy. Now, it is playing the role of a
pit-bull body-guarding the Malay Monarchy because such a stand is of strategic
importance.
In an earlier article, I have illustrated the fallacy of UMNO’s
success by using a common denominator- i.e. the total number of votes won over
the number of seats each party actually won. If we had used uncommon
denominators like the number of votes won over the number of seats each party
contested (i.e. including seats each lost), the success claimed by UMNO will
even be hollower.
So in order to disguise and hide its own shortcomings especially of
the abject failure of the UMNO president, BN blamed the Chinese. BN should be
asking, what have they done or not done, which made the Malaysian Chinese reject
them? BN hasn’t given them a trustworthy
and honest government. The Chinese fortunately recognises this. The Malays
unfortunately have not.
The Chinese as a result of their economic independence have been able
to exercise freedom of choice; The Malays because of their dependent mentality
have been mentally enslaved. It’s easy to manufacture and fabricate the
perception and fallacy that continued Malay deprivation is the result of an
increasingly independent and rapacious Malaysian Chinese population.
Where is that clash that will eventually destroy UMNO coming from? It
will come from the burgeoning downtrodden masses of Malays- the urban and rural
poor, hemmed in and flattened by all sorts of injustices and economic
deprivations.
The clash between Malays and Chinese is a myth. Such a scenario is
illogical. The Chinese form 24% of Malaysia’s population. The Malays 65% of the
population. The civil service is almost entirely Malay. The army and the police,
legal owners of the instruments of suppression are also dominated by the Malays.
The important pillars of governance, the civil service, ministerial positions
and the respective ministries, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary
are all dominated by Malays. Village organizations are permeated by Malay
institutions. We have the various village development and welfare committees and
we have the indoctrinating army of KEMAS employees programming the Malay Mind.
The monarchy is of course wholly Malay.
So how can the Chinese rebel against such a formidable fortress of
institutionalised controlling agents of social regimentation and conformity?
They simply can’t.
The coming clash will not be between a Malay dominated government and
the what else do the Chinese want
community; rather the coming clash will be between the unholy partnership of the
Malay pseudo aristocrats and the Malay bourgeoisie with the burgeoning class of
marginalised and disillusioned Malays. It will be clash between feudalistic UMNO
more interested in preserving an aristocratic way of life and the Malay
‘proletariat’ bursting at the seams with notions of every kind of imaginable
social injustices. Injustices that have been inflicted on them by the
feudalistic and aristocratic UMNO.
Saturday, June 01, 2013
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Monday, May 27, 2013
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Friday, May 24, 2013
Thursday, May 23, 2013
The Nine Pieces Of Paintings In Dailogue By Suzlee Ibrahim
The Lost Horizon
The Living Soul
Traces of Memory
The Language of Reality
Activation of Sense
Time and Space
The Inner Voice
Voyage Of Discovery
Between The Words
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
"Calamity is the test of integrity." Samuel Richardson
"Calamity is the test of integrity." Samuel Richardson
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Monday, May 20, 2013
Charles Reade
"Sow a Thought, and you reap an Act;
Sow an Act, and you reap a Habit;
Sow a Habit, and you reap a Character;
Sow a Character, and you reap a Destiny."
Charles Reade
Sow an Act, and you reap a Habit;
Sow a Habit, and you reap a Character;
Sow a Character, and you reap a Destiny."
Charles Reade
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Tew Nai Tong's Last Solo Exibition From 18 Jan 2013 to 2 February 2013.
The last solo exibition of Tew Nai Tong is called "Glories" which was held in Pinkguy Gallery from 18-1-2013 to 2-2-2013.
Below were the 27 paintings displayed in the exibition.
Below were the 27 paintings displayed in the exibition.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Sunday, May 12, 2013
A Top 10 of Malaysia’s survey of the crème de la crème of Malaysian painters
Painters Extraordinaire
The Malaysian Hall of Fame
A Top 10 of Malaysia’s survey of the crème de la crème of Malaysian painters - Capturing the works of the early generation of Malaysian artists (some of whom are deceased) to present day painters, their artistic approaches used and the genres they represented.DATO’ CHUAH THEAN TENG (1912 - 2008)
Born in China, Malaysia’s Father of Batik Painting started in this medium in 1953. His self-portrait in batik, produced in 1955, represented the turning point in his artistic career. In 1959, he became the first artist to be sponsored by the Malaysian Government for an exhibition abroad, at the Royal Commonwealth Institute in London, where he had his solo show. His paintings, Two Of A Kind and Tell You A Secret, were honoured by the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in 1968 and 1988 respectively for its greeting card selections. Teng, as he is popularly known, was awarded an AMN medal by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in 1974 for his art contributions. He was the only Malaysian invited to the Commonwealth Artists of Fame Exhibition in England in 1977. In 2005, he was honoured with Penang Heritage Trust’s Living Heritage Award. 1968 - Musim Buah
DATO’ MOHD HOESSEIN ENAS (1924 - 1995)
The Father of Malaysian Portrait Painting, who hailed from Bogor, Indonesia, was largely self-taught. His mastery of the European realist portraiture saw him painting portraits of several Sultans and Malaysian royalty. He was conferred the title of Royal Portrait Painter by the Sultan of Selangor in 1990 and awarded a ‘Datukship’ the following year.Enas founded the Peninsular Artists Force in 1956, which was dedicated to depicting the Malay ideal of beauty and character. He was its first President. The figurative artist received the UNESCO Fellowship and Asia Foundation grant for a year's study tour round the world in 1960 to observe art development.He was a member of Fellow Royal Society of Arts, London, member of Board of Trustees and former Head of Design and Staging Services, Radio and Television Malaysia. 1951 - Sukiyaki
DATUK SYED AHMAD JAMAL (1929 - 2011)
This 1995 National Art Laureate has contributed towards Malaysian art not only in his teachings but also in his writing and position as art curator and director of the Malaysian National Art Gallery. The Bait, produced by him in 1959, was very much ahead of its time. Deemed the first fully abstract and non-objective painting, it signalled the start of abstract expressionism in Malaysia, whose impact was seen during the 60s and thereafter. 1999 - Semangat Ledang
ABDUL LATIFF MOHIDIN (1938 -)
Influenced by German Expressionism, his early works belong to the Pago-Pago series, for which he is famous. He is also an accomplished print-maker and poet. His woodcut printing skills were mastered while he was in Germany. He has published several anthologies of his poems in Malay. 1964 - Pago-Pago
TEW NAI TONG (1936 - )
Highly versatile in various mediums, the distinctive works of this prolific artist, totalling over 2,000 pieces, span five decades. His Nanyang style, comprises Balinese-Sarawakian figure types and Chinese painting traditions, honed by his natural talen and art education in Singapore and Paris, as well as travels to Bali and Paris, to conduct research of his artworks.Tew bagged the grand prize of the Asia Art Award 2009 at the Asia Invitation Art Exhibition in Seoul, Korea. He is the founder and president of the Watercolour Society of Malaysia. 1960 - A Golden Era
DATUK IBRAHIM HUSSEIN (1936 - 2009)
He founded the non-profit Ibrahim Hussein Museum and Cultural Foundation in Langkawi, which is dedicated to the promotion, development and advancement of art and culture. He devised his main medium, printage, which combines printing and collage. His 1969 acrylic painting on canvas, The Dream, is the most expensive Malaysian artwork sold in a public auction, fetching RM500,500, inclusive of the 10% buyer’s premium, at the art auction held by Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers Sdn Bhd in 2010. 1960 - Manja
AHMAD AZHARI MOHD NOOR (1955 - 2006)
Also known as Jehri Azhari, Malaysia’s self taught pop artist was devoted to the sixties trend which saw ordinary images and items of popular culture transformed into works of art. In his Revolution installation, he painted bottles in vibrant pop colours with alphabets that read “revolution”. Using printage and assemblage techniques, he would use old magazines and transfer the original prints and images onto canvas, thus making them appear "mirror-imaged". The title for his artworks is often picked from the printages. His famous paintings include Malaysia’s first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman and football legend Mokhtar Dahari, which are in the National Art Gallery’s private collection. Jehri received an honourable mention in the Phillip Morris Art Award in 1995. He did eight solo exhibitions and various group shows in Southeast Asia before cancer took his life. 1997 - Dali's Moustache
REDZA PIYADASA (1939 - 2007)
A renowned fine artist from Kuantan, his works encircle around the fusion of art and history. Redza obtained his Diploma in Art and Design from Hornsey College of Art in England in 1963. He did his Masters in Fine Arts at the University of Hawaii’s Art Department in 1997, majoring in Asian Art History Studies and Graduate Sculpture Studies. Redza is a recipient of the Prince Claus Award. 1990 - The Haji Family
LEE KIAN SENG (1948 - )
Malaysia’s progenitor or Father of Installation Art had his first one-man show in 1966 at the age 18. Among his award-winning installation works is Process in Poker Playing, a mixed media at the second Young Contemporaries Exhibition in 1975.He is one of the local batik titans inspired by Dato’ Chuah Thean Teng’s innovation in batik art. Recognised for his achievements in sculpture, Kian Seng represented Malaysia at the ASEAN Square Sculpture Symposium in Jakarta in 1984. 1979 - Test-Tube Baby
YUSOF GHANI (1950 - )
This celebrated fine artist’s works are mostly in acrylic and water colour. They feature Southeast Asian motifs with an abstract expressionist approach. His works include Tari (Dance), Topeng (Mask), Wayang (Theatre), Hijau (Green), Segerak (A Movement), Biring (Fighting Cockerels) and Wajah (Faces). Yusof received a grant to study graphic arts at George Mason University, Virginia, in 1979 but transited to fine arts. He received Dr Burt Amanda Scholarship for being the most outstanding art student. He had received the Most Creative Award for his art project. Yusof graduated with a Bachelor in Fine Art (Graphic Art) in 1981.He obtained his Masters in Fine Arts (Painting) at Catholic University in Washington DC in 1983 and held his first solo exhibition in this city before returning to Malaysia. Yusof represented the country at the Contemporary Paintings of Malaysia exhibition at the Los Angeles Pacific/Asia Museum in 1988. 2008 - Wajah II
http://top10malaysia.com/home/index.php/news-and-events/painters-extraordinaire/#
Thursday, April 25, 2013
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