LOT 47
TAY CHEE TOH
B. Johor, 1941
Hair Dressing, 1968
Signed “Chee Toh” in chinese characters with a seal on lower right
Ink and gouache on paper
95 x 46 cm
Provenance Private Collection, USA
Tay Chee Toh is a second-generation Singapore artist. His works, which range from paintings to sculptures and prints, have been associated with figurative and abstract art, and draw on a diverse range of influences including batik painting, industrial objects and the surreal. In 1985, Tay received the Cultural Medallion. He also won the second and first prizes in the United Overseas Bank (UOB) Painting of the Year competition in 1982 and 1985 respectively. Tay’s artistic practice took various paths in the choice of media and modes of visual expression. One of the founding members of the Modern Art Society, he forged directions in figuration and abstraction. His body of work, while registering formal sensibilities, reveals surreal expressions that have origins in fantasy. His works portray an endearing quality to them, evident in ‘Hair Dressing 1968’ where two ladies are seated and one tends to the other’s hair.