LOT 60
Khalil Ibrahim
B. Kelantan, 1934
Abstract, 1972
Signed “Khalil Ibrahim 72” on lower right
Batik with newsprint
79 x 72 cm
Provenance Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
RM 12,000 – RM 22,000
Throughout Khalil Ibrahim’s career as an artist, the influence of abstract has been present every now and then in some of his works. They are definitely rare, but they are nonetheless glorious. Most of his abstract works were done upon Khalil’s return from his studies in Britain. Khalil uses layers upon layers of colour that gradually change in intensity like a bright, luminous flower in bloom.
This piece is delicate, the soft composition almost spellbinding. It is a turn from his usual study and depictions of the human figures, but it remains vibrant and eye-catching in its unfussiness and choice of subject and direction.
Khalil Ibrahim graduated from the prestigious St. Martin’s School of Art & Design, United Kingdom in 1964. Thereafter, he became a full-time artist and has been so for fifty years now. He has held solo and group exhibitions in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Switzerland, with most of his works center around figures and are heavily influenced by East Coast fishermen and women.