LOT 17
Abdul Latiff Mohidin
B. N. Sembilan, 1941
Zwischen Zwei Welten (In Between Two Worlds- Study for Pago-Pago Series, 1966)
Signed, titled and dated “Zwischen Zwei Welten AL 66” on lower right
Ink on paper
16 x 11.5 cm
Provenance Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
RM 16,000 – RM 20,000
The title of this piece is German for ‘Between Two Worlds’. It is a simple sketch, but the message behind it is more than just so. In this piece there is a discernible line between two subjects – one of the buildings that are dedicated to the deities and gods, places of worship, and then there is the humble, rustic wooden houses. This piece reminds one of Latiff’s most sought-after Pago-Pago series.
Born in 1941, Latiff started painting at an early age and by 10 he was holding his first exhibition at Kota Raja Malay School in Singapore, and was dubbed in the local press as the “boy wonder”. He is as well-known a poet as an artist as well. He was trained in art at Hochschule fur Bildende Kunste in Germany, Atelier La Courriere in France and Pratt Graphic Centre in America. Among the honours and awards he has received are the Salon Malaysia’s 1968 second prize in Graphic Design and the Malaysian Literary Awards for four years in a row, the National Literary Award in 1984 and 1986 and the Southeast Asian Writers Award in 1984 for writing.