KUALA LUMPUR: “Mindscape”, a 1983 artwork by famed artist Abdul Latiff Mohidin, fetched a price of RM313,000 at the Malaysian and Southeast Asian Art auction at Galeri Prima here, on Sunday.
The piece, part of Abdul Latiff’s groundbreaking series of the same name from 1979 to 1985, fetched the highest price at the auction, which also saw 188 lots featuring a host of other artists go under the hammer.
The auction, organised by Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers (HBAA), collected RM2.6 million in total.
Among the pieces featured included 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.
Sim said the bids for the top four artworks were significant due to the high esteem in which the artists are held.
“’Mindscape’ received the highest bid as it was the second collection of the same title by Abdul Latiff in 1983.
“His experience, coupled with the recognition he received by being the first Malaysian artist to display his Pago-Pago collection at the Pompidou Centre in Paris, last year, made his work much sought-after by art enthusiasts.
“It is the artists’ achievements which will determine the pricing of their artwork,” he said.
Abdul Latiff’s “Mindscape 2 Series”, from 1979 to 1985, represents his meditative phase in painting, and has been known to incorporate 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; followed by Chang Fee Ming’s “Two Woman” (1986) at RM112,000.
Meanwhile, a special charity auction, titled the “Blue Art Center Project”, was also held in conjunction with HBAA’s 10th anniversary.
The charity auction raised RM 246,900 to build art schools for underprivileged children in Cambodia.
Sim said the auction featured 16 works by prominent contemporary artists. The highest bid went to Thailand’s Natee Utarit’s “The Colour Paper 1,2,3 and 4” (2007) at RM55,000.
“We were able to auction off all the works donated by the artists and raised more than the targeted amount.
“Thank you to all the bidders for making their contribution to our charity project; and the artists who donated their artworks for a good cause,” he said.
Another highlight of the event was a special Tribute to Batik Art Masters section, which paid homage to batik painting. The late Datuk Chuah Thean Teng has widely been credited with innovating batik painting in the mid-1950s, which in turn pushed more artists to reinvent the art form.
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.