LOT 37
Yusof Ghani
B. Johor, 1950
Segerak Series – Foray, 2007
Signed and dated ‘Yusof Ghani ‘07” on lower right
Signed, titled and dated “Yusof Ghani FORAY SEGERAK SERIES 2007” on reverse
Oil on linen
128 x 95.8 cm
Provenance Private Collection, Australia
Illustrated on page 59 of the Segerak IV, Solo Exhibition by Yusof Ghani
”Commemorative Collection of ‘Segerak IV’ by a Malaysian Master”held at Rotunda, Exchange Square Hong Kong held from 24th till 27th March 2008
An exhibition organised by Gallery @ Starhill, Kuala Lumpur
RM 65,000 – RM 90,000
Commenting on the juxtaposition of graphic and linear elements with chromatic and painterly planes of colours, as evident in this piece, artist Wong Hoy Cheong remarked, “The violent colour and handling is superimposed by delicate, graceful and calligraphical lines. Other times, these lines float over the colours, only scratching the surface. However, when all these elements come together, the visual experience is powerful and compelling”.
Originally a graphic artist in Malaysia between 1969 to 1979, Yusof Ghani’s transition to fine arts started when he received a scholarship from the government of Malaysia to study graphic arts at George Mason University, Virginia, in 1979. It was there that he met Walter Kravitz, a professor in painting, who introduced him to fine arts.
He soon became interested in the works of the American Abstract Expressionist painters such as Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning. After receiving the Dr. Burt Amanda Scholarship for the most outstanding student of art, Yusof took classes in fine arts and eventually graduated with a Bachelor’s degree. He then continued to work for a Master’s Degree at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C., and met Professor Tom Nakashima who taught him the finer points in painting.[4] While studying at the Chatholic University, he be-friended the Malaysian artist Awang Damit whose style is influenced by Abstract Expressionism.
After he completed his Master’s degree, he had his first solo exhibition at the prestigious Anton Gallery in Washington D.C. His Protest series, which protested the US intervention in Nicaragua and El Salvador at that time, was well received and even drew rave reviews from Washington Post’s art critic – Jo Ann Lewis.