LOT 52
KHALIL IBRAHIM
(B. Indonesia, 1944)
Netball Sketch, 1985
Signed and dated “Khalil Ibrahim 85” on lower right
Ink on paper
26.5 x 39.5 cm
Wau Sketch for Malaysia Airlines, 1983
Signed and dated “Khalil Ibrahim 83” on lower right
Ink on paper
26.8 x 39.5 cm
Provenance
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
RM 7,800 – RM 12,000
The XVI Commonwealth Games were publicized through a joint art exhibition on sports by five local artists.
One of those artists happened to be Khalil Ibrahim as well, and him and other artists (Yusof Ghani, Raja Azhar Idris, Ahamd Zakii Anwar, and Datuk Ibrahim Hussein) staged the art exhibition entitled ‘Keeping Pace’. Every artist had their own style and theme, and Khalil Ibrahim, having had a humongous success with depictions of fishermen had done watercolours on games such as netball.
Khalil had originally planned on going to Bandung, Indonesia, to further pursue his studies in the arts but his application wasn’t successful. That didn’t set him back one bit as it was during this period that the artist was first introduced to the District Officer, Claude Gibb Ferguson. With the guidance of Ferguson, Khalil studied English at the Clifford School, Kuala Lipis to gain the necessary language skills for him to continue his studies art in England. Khalil was sponsored by the Pahang state government to continue his studies at the prestigious Central St. Martin’s School of Art and Design in London. Khalil managed to sell his batik works well enough to make a living even though some of his artist friends disapproved of what he was doing. As his fame grew, collectors and companies began to take notice of him. “Malaysia Airlines (MAS) commissioned me to do some batik works – huge pieces – for their first ticketing office in KL. Later, I produced more works for MAS offices in Singapore, Taiwan, Germany, Bangkok and Paris as well,” he says.