‘MINDSCAPE’ FETCHES RM313,000
Auction at Galeri Prima brings in RM2.6 million, with charity auction raising RM246,900
A1983 artwork by artist Abdul Latiff Mohidin,
Mindscape, fetched RM313,000 at the Malaysian and Southeast Asian Art auction at Galeri Prima here yesterday.
The piece, part of his groundbreaking series of the same name from 1979 to 1985, fetched the highest price at the auction, which also saw 188 lots featuring other artists go up for bidding.
The auction, organised by Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers (HBAA), collected RM2.6 million.
Among the pieces featured were those by the late Datuk Syed Ahmad Jamal, the late Datuk Ibrahim Hussein and other famed Southeast Asian artists.
HBAA director Sim Polenn said 65 per cent of the artworks were auctioned off.
The bids for the top four artworks were significant due to the achievements of their respective artists.
“Mindscape received the highest bid as it was the second collection of the same title by Latiff in 1983.
“His experience, coupled with the recognition he received being the first Malaysian artist to display his Pago-Pago collection in the Pompidou Centre, Paris, last year, made his work sought-after by art enthusiasts
“It is the artists’ achievements which will determine the pricing of their artwork,” he said.
Latiff ’s Mindscape 2 Series, from 1979 to 1985, representing his meditative phase in painting, incorporates architectural forms, such as arches and domes resembling doors.
The next highest bids were for Ahmad Fuad Osman’s Imitating
the Woods (2004) at RM123,000, Yusof Ghani’s Siri Tari 2.90
(1990) at RM123,000, and Chang Fee Ming’s Two Woman (1986) at RM112,000.
A charity auction, titled the Blue Art Center Project, was also held in conjunction with HBAA’s 10th anniversary.
The charity auction raised RM246,900 to build art schools for underprivileged children in Cambodia.
Sim said the auction featured 16 works by prominent contemporary artists. The highest bid was for Thailand’s Natee Utarit’s
The Colour Paper 1,2,3 and 4 (2007) at RM55,000.
“We auctioned off all the works donated by the artists and exceeded the targeted amount.
“Thank you to the bidders for their contributions to our charity project and the artists who donated their works for a good cause.”
Another highlight of the event was a “Tribute to Batik Art Masters” section, which paid homage to batik painting. The late Datuk Chuah Thean Teng has been credited with innovating batik painting in the mid-1950s.
The highest bid for the section was for Chuah’s Harapan (1970), auctioned off at RM55,000.
Other lots available at the auction were Nanyang-style paintings from pioneer artists, such as Cheong Soo Pieng, Yong Mun Sen, Chia Yu Chian, Khaw Sia, Tay Bak Koi, and Tew Nai Tong.
In the Young Rising Stars category, notable works by Haafiz Shahimi, Haslin Ismail, Azam Aris, Ismail Awi, Shafiq Nordin, Najib Ahmad Bamadhaj, Arikwibowo Amril, Mohd Khairul Izham, Hirzaq Harris, Gan Tee Sheng, Wan Amy Nazira, Raimi Sani, Azizi Latif, and Melissa Lin were also auctioned.