LOT 18
RAPHAEL SCOTT AHBENG
B. Sarawak, 1939 – 2019
Santubong Boat Race
Signed and titled “RSA Santubong Boat Race” on lower right
Oil on board
22.5 x 30.5 cm
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
RM 1,800 – RM 3,500
Raphael Scott Ahbeng was born in Bau in 1939 and was one of Malaysia’s most renowned abstract artists. The recently departed studied at the Bath Academy of Art in the UK and was known for his large canvases of overlapping light-coloured mountains which exude an airy feel. Raphael was once a teacher, cartoonist and a radio producer before becoming a full-time painter. He was always a storyteller of nature and landscapes, and translated this on canvas. Departing from Ahbeng’s classic abstract style, this beautiful landscape work depicts the majestic Mount Santubong in the distance, overshadowing a township and in the foreground, a gathering of boats occupy the river for the Santubong boat race.