Lot 11
CHUAH THEAN TENG, DATO
B. China, 1914 – 2008
Drying Salted Fish, 1970s
Signed “Teng” on lower left
Batik
86 x 66 cm
Provenance Private Collection, Canada
RM 12,000 – RM 25,000
Dato Chuah Thean Teng was born in 1914 and is the world-acknowledged founder of Batik Painting. He studied at Xiamen (Amoy) Art Institute in China and ever since his break- through exhibition in 1955, he never looked back. Two of his paintings, entitled Two Of A Kind (1968) and Tell You A Secret (1987) were chosen for Unicef greeting cards, earning Teng an iconic status. In 1965, he was honoured with a retrospective exhibition by the National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur and Penang State Art Gallery in 1994. In 1998, the Penang State Government conferred him the title “Dato” and in 2005, he received the Live Heritage Award. In 2009, the National Art Gallery gave him a memorial exhibition. Today, his major works are on show at Yahong Art Gallery in Batu Ferringhi in Penang, which is a veritable museum also showcases the batik works of his sons and grandsons.