Lot 71 | Auction XXI

LOT 71

Raphael Scott Ahbeng
B. Sarawak, 1939

Krokong, 2013

Signed, titled and dated “RSA ’13 Krokong” on lower right

Acrylic on canvas
115 x 115 cm

Provenance Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur

RM 11,000 – RM 18,000

In this unique acrylic on canvas painting by Raphael Scott AhBeng, a solitary area filled with a small cluster of trees is represented in shadowy forms and deep red hues set against a stark yellow backdrop. The trees are drooping, with their crowns hunched low, grouped together. The piece is remindful of a bright, sunny day and AhBeng chooses a specific location as his focus, an area in Sarawak dubbed Krokong.

Raphael Scott AhBeng, a Bidayuh, hails from Sarawak and is one of the most prominent Borneo artists.  He attended Bath Academy of Art in Britain, where he studied Art and Photography. He won the First Prize for the Sarawak Shell Open art competition in 1959, 1982 and 1983 Third Prize in the Natural Malaysia art competition in Kuala Lumpur in 1991.