Lot 72 | 15 August 2021

 

 

LOT 72

KOW LEONG KIANG

B. Selangor, 1970

Portrait Series, 2002

Signed and dated “Kow Leong Kiang 2002” on lower right

Oil on canvas

76 x 92 cm

Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur

RM 30,000 – RM 70,000

Kow Leong Kiang has successfully established himself as one of Malaysia’s respected figurative painters in the last 15 years since he won the grand prize at the Philip Morris ASEAN Art Awards in 1998. Since then, he has been working relentlessly to spread his artwork in the country and abroad. His works have also made their way into some of the permanent collections of corporations, private collectors as well as the likes of the National Art Gallery of Malaysia.

He is widely known for his portraits of East Coast Malaysian women’s beauty and his depictions of nostalgic rural scenes captured through masterful feather-light rendering. He held his first solo exhibition in Singapore, To The Sea at Ernst and Young Gallery under The Asia Outreach Programme. Kow is also open to exploring subjects such as his attempt to use male figures instead.

“Ideas come at any time and at any place because I’m always thinking of new ones all the time. Ideas and inspiration can come from many sources like films, magazines, books and TV. The trick is to just choose the right one and develop it further,” said Kow.