LOT 36
CHUAH THEAN TENG, DATO
B. China, 1914 – 2008
Penang Malay Kampong Scene, 1970’s
Batik
87 x 39 cm
Private Collection, Australia
Signed “Teng” on lower right. Exhibited in Singapore Art Society “Seventh Exhibition of Local Artists, April 1956. Provenance label on verso.
RM 20,000 – 45,000
Born in China in 1914, Chuah Thean Teng, or popularly known as Teng, studied at the Amoy Art School. He adapted the age-old craft of batik as a medium of fine art and thus was acknowledged as the Father of Batik Painting in Malaysia. He received international fame when his paintings entitled Two of a Kind and Tell You a Secret were selected by UNICEF for its greeting cards. He had exhibited extensively around the world, and was honoured with a retrospective exhibition at National Art Gallery in Kuala Lumpur in 1965 and Penang State Art Gallery in 1994. A memorial exhibition was also held in 2008 by National Art Gallery to pay tribute to Teng. For his contribution to art, he was awarded the title ‘Dato’ by the Penang State Government in 1998.
This significant batik painting from the 1970’s exemplifies his innovative, pioneering role in transforming batik into a fine art medium, leaving a lasting impact on Malaysian art history.