THE gavel will soon fall on some of the most iconic pieces of art today as Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers (HBAA) holds its third and final auction of the Southeast Asian's best artworks at Galeri Prima.
The motivation to acquire a work of art is generated much more by the heart than by the mind or by the price of the art itself. To live with a picture that moves you is what should motivate you to buy a work of art. There will be only one person who will own it, wake up and have their coffee in front of it, and experience the emotional resonance of the master's genius.
This latest auction doesn't disappoint in terms of what's on the auctioneer's block. An outstanding selection of 199 artworks are up for grabs, ranging from pioneers, iconic modern masters, established artists to rising young talents.
GRANDMASTERS OF ART
Leading the pack are three exceptional masterpieces by the late Datuk Ibrahim Hussein titled Hillview (Pemandangan Bukit), Yin Yang and London respectively. "My life is made of points, textures, colours, shapes, darkness and light, mass, weight, planes, volumes, sounds, smells and warmth," wrote the late artist in his autobiography, The Light. All these are certainly encapsulated in his artworks.
Fondly known as "Ib", he was an extraordinarily gifted artist who did Malaysia proud by winning prestigious awards, including the Crystal Award (presented by the World Economic Forum, 1977), the Order of Andres Bello of Venezuela (1993), the Order of Bernardo Higgins of Chile (1996), the Japan Foundation Cultural Award (1988) and Malaysia's Anugerah Tokoh Terbilang (2007).
Ib's tripartite exhibition, which also featured Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali in Kuwait in 1977, was a game-changer for him. He was the first Malaysian in the Venice Biennale (1970), through the aegis of the American Smithsonian Institute workshop. He was accorded a Retrospective by the National Art Gallery in 1986.
A national treasure in paint, print (printmaking), bronze and stainless steel (sculpture), and letters (poet, essayist and translator in three languages — Malay, English and German), Abdul Latiff Mohidin hit a career peak in art when his celebrated Pago-Pago series (1960-1969) headlined a three-month exhibition at the prestigious Pompidou Centre in Paris from February to May 2018.
In this outing, two of his artworks will be featured, namely an extremely rare masterwork titled Rebirth and another exquisite piece from the celebrated Pago-Pago series executed in 1967.
Datuk Syed Ahmad Jamal was labelled the "Father of Modern Art" as he championed and promoted Abstract Expressionism as an artistic approach in Malaysia. As an art student, he was already drawn to the theoretical writings of Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee.
In one of his written pieces, he hailed Abstract Expressionism as an important artistic approach in Malaysia, suggesting that the idiom reflected Malaysian independence. However, the late artist's significance to Malaysian artistic modernism wasn't only in the production and promotion of Abstract Expressionism but also in his curation of the Rupa dan Jiwa exhibition held at the Asean Museum of Art at Universiti Malaya in 1979.
This exhibition inspired many artists to explore the possibility of using Malay and/or Islamic aesthetics in their art practice. The artist's masterpiece titled Kampung Sungai Cincin features a beautiful scenery of the village where the artist moved to in 1988.
With these prolific artists leading this exciting auction, here's the place where you'll discover a gathering of serious collectors as well as get the undercurrent of what's happening in the art world beyond the auction.
"In the span of 12 years, Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers recorded art auction sales of RM65 million, selling more than 2,800 pieces of artworks, in which 90 per cent comprise Malaysian art," points out HBAA director Sim Polenn. He acknowledges that the collectors' pool is still growing despite the challenges posed by the ongoing pandemic.
Concludes Sim: "This is the third and final auction of the year so we hope to achieve greater heights (in sales). It is made possible by the tremendous outpouring of support from art lovers and appreciators."
HENRY BUTCHER MALAYSIAN AND SOUTHEAST ASIAN ART AUCTION
Auction Day: Dec 5, 2021, 1 pm – 4 pm
Where: Galeri Prima, Balai Berita Bangsar, 31, Jalan Riong, Bangsar, KL