Lot 52
IBRAHIM HUSSEIN, DATUK
b. Kedah, 1936 - d. Kuala Lumpur, 2009
UNTITLED, 1973
Signed and dated 'ibrahim hussein '73' lower right
Acrylic on canvas
39cm x 146cm
PROVENANCE
Private collection, Penang; acquired directly from the artist.
ESTIMATE RM 150,000 - 250,000
PRICE REALISED RM 170,000
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“Destiny, life, art. Whatever one may say, all must have that inexplicable element of mystery - incomplete, yet real and forever growing. Like we cannot explain God satisfactorily. We cannot explain darkness to light, but we do experience them fully. This is the freedom in art, something we cannot explain, nevertheless, all artists need to strive towards.”
~ Datuk Ibrahim Hussein
On offer is a rare gem by internationally acclaimed Malaysian artist Datuk Ibrahim Hussein, or otherwise affectionately known as Ib.
One central motif can be seen throughout Ib’s impressive opus of work – the human figure. His early training in the British art schools had gave him a firm foundation in drawing the human figure. Ib’s figures had transformed from simplified and stylised shapes as seen in one of his earliest works Reclining Women (1957); to aerial views of semi-abstract figures entangled and rolling in fluid unending motions, suggesting scenes of struggle and tumult. Ib’s pictures were inspired by events of human struggle and conflict: demonstrations at Trafalgar Square, London in 1960, the 1969 racial riot in Malaysia, and the 1982 Sabra massacre. However, he was not concerned with the depiction of specific events directly or literally, but rather to convey universal statements on humanity itself. Ib once said: “My role as an artist is to portray man’s basic needs on planet Earth and humanity’s universal sharing in God’s little acre – the art of our time provides us ways of seeing, understanding, criticising, and appreciating the world which we live in.’
But Ib’s figures are not what set him apart from the rest; it is the distinctive ever-changing Ibrahim Hussein lines that have earned him such a high level of recognition. It was not until 1975, when his wife, Datin Sim, gave him a set of graphic pens that Ib’s canvases were filled with sensuous lines of varying weight, direction and character. The primary element of line has taken a whole different role on the pictorial surface, liberating the preconceived notions and fulfilling the roles of the other elements of form, shape and dimension customarily used in pictorial composition.
Dated 1973, this untitled piece is the crucible of Ib’s style of syncopated rhythmic lines and a mass of human figures in movement or interacting, compacted in a placenta-like oblong membrane whose shape is dictated by the movements inside. The mesh of human forms is celebratory of life, lifestyle and the spirit of living and relentless struggles. Here, the lines are dynamic but rendered in broader, staccato strokes seemingly at random, to activate certain areas of the composition. It provide precious glimpses into Ib’s distinctive fine line work that is set to become his inimitable trademark later on.
Presented in a unique horizontal format spanning five feet long, it is noteworthy that six years later Ib decided to revisit this exact format in Monorobos 1 (1979), which was auctioned at Henry Butcher’s May 2012 sale. Never been exhibited in public, this masterpiece has remained in private collection for almost two decades, and will now resurface.
Ib is arguably Malaysia’s most recognisable artist. He first enrolled at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore, in 1956. He received a scholarship to study at the prestigious Byam Shaw School of Drawing and Painting and the Royal Academy in London where he graduated in 1963 and 1966 respectively. A Fulbright Award saw him touring the United States and having exhibitions there. When he returned, he created his controversial May 13 1969 painting. In 1970, he became the first Malaysian to participate in the Venice Biennale. He was chosen to exhibit alongside Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali in Kuwait in 1977. His awards included the Japan Foundation Cultural Award (1981), the Monte Carlo 18th International Exhibition of Contemporary Art (1984), the Order of Andres Bello of Venezuela (1993), the Order of Bernardo O’ Higgins of Chile (1996), the World Economic Forum’s Crystal Award (1997) and the Anugerah Tokoh Melayu Terbilang (2007). A rare recipient of triple “Datuk” titles from various royalties, Ib was honoured with a retrospective by the National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur in 1986. After 11 years of struggles and planning, his Ibrahim Hussein Museum in Langkawi was launched in 2000. Together with his wife Datin Sim, they organised the Club Mediterranee Asian Arts Festival in Cherating (Pahang) and in Bali in Indonesia, and also the 1st Langkawi International Festival of the Arts.
REFERENCE
Ibrahim Hussein: A Retrospective, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 1986.
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