Wednesday, April 20, 2011

'Pago-Pago' can go for RM350,000

THE Henry Butcher Art Auction Malaysia 2011 preview that took place last Saturday at MAP@Publika in Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur, marked the return of great things for the art industry.

A teaser for Henry Butcher's main auction event on June 19, there's little doubt that the second installment for the auctioneer has been spurred by the great success of its inaugural event last year, which saw total sales hit the RM1.7 million mark.

Last year's auction was a landmark event in the local art industry, as it signalled the beginning of a veritable platform for the secondary market of modern and contemporary Malaysian art which, until now, has existed predominantly via art galleries or through private sales.


Needless to say, the excitement in the air at last Saturday's preview was palpable. Launched by Raja Muda of Perak Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, art collectors as well as art aficionados eagerly inspected a handpicked selection of 22 of the 104 lots which will be going under the hammer in June.

Older pieces by pioneer artists, such as Peter Harris and the late Datuk Chuah Thean Teng, graced the walls of the gallery, which also saw rare pieces by the late Redza Piyadasa and contemporary works like Bayu Utomo Radjikin's Infinity X.

However, there was one particular work that stood out -- Pago-Pago -- an oil on canvas by Abdul Latiff Mohidin.


Bayu Utomo Radjikin’s Infinity X 2009 (118x152) acrylic on canvas.



Chuah Thean Teng’s Feeding Durian 1988 (90x87) batik.



Art lovers admiring Abdul Latiff Mohidin’s 1968 oil painting, Pago-Pago, in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. It is among 104 works that will be auctioned off at the Henry Butcher Art Auction Malaysia on June 19.





Commanding a wall of its own, Pago-Pago stood with an air of nobility and its large wall text, proclaiming its expected fetching price of between RM280,000 and RM350,000, made no secret that this will be the lot to watch out for on the day of the auction.

Still, Pago-Pago can hold its own. An early work by the artist-poet, the painting from 1968 has an interesting provenance.

An American private collector was Pago-Pago's first owner. A member of the American diplomatic corps, the painting travelled the world with him before it went under the hammer at an auction in New York last May. Abby M. Taylor Fine Art was the gallery that swooped up Pago-Pago, and then it once again switched hands to a Malaysian private collector, who has put this work up for auction.


The lucky bidder at the Henry Butcher Art Auction this June will be its fourth owner and he or she will be able to boast of a painting that as noted in the auction catalogue "represents a great synthesis of the polyglot cultures of the region, with its own symbolic rhythms and beauty".

The forms in the painting were born from the artist's observations, as he found inspiration in pointed forms of bamboo clumps to shells, and even architectural forms like mosque minarets and pagodas. His choice of warm colours -- again, an allusion to the colours of nature -- and an adoption of expressive brushwork only adds further charm to the painting.

At 88cm by 68.8cm, Pago-Pago is larger than its two counterparts in the same series, which sold at Christie's and Sotheby's auctions in 2007 and 2009 respectively.

These Pago-Pago cousins' showings at international auction houses undeniably added value to the provenance of this particular Pago-Pago work, translating more good news for its future owner, who can be assured of a fine art pedigree.

Whether this rare Latiff's work will create the same sort of excitement as Ibrahim Hussein's The Dream did last year when it finally went under the hammer for RM500,500 remains to be seen. However, rest assured that all eyes and ears are waiting eagerly to find out.

Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers complements its main auction event with a series of public art programmes, specifically talks by industry experts.

The first talk, "Malaysian Art: Appreciation and Critique", has already taken place but members of the public can still attend "Art: The New Asset Class in Malaysia" on May 14 and "Caring For Your Art Collection" on June 11. Both talks, jointly organised by Galeri Petronas and Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers, will be held at Galeri Petronas from 10.30am to 12.30pm.

If you miss the preview in Kuala Lumpur, there's still a chance to catch the 22 artworks (all paintings) in Penang at a2 Gallery from May 12 to 15 and at The Luxe Art Museum in Singapore from May 19 to 22.

All 104 works going under the hammer at the second Henry Butcher Art Auction Malaysia will be exhibited from May 24 to June 19, after which the gavels will be polished, the hammers will be dusted, and the bidding will begin.




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