LOT 38
CHUAH THEAN TENG, DATO
B. China, 1914 – 2008
Eating Durian, 1980’s
Batik 89 x 59 cm
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
Signed “Teng” on lower right
RM 35,000 – 75,000
Chuah Thean Teng is credited with the first transference of the textile from its status as a craft and function as a garment, to a new identity as an art form to be framed and displayed from the 1950s onwards. Chuah’s distinctive rendering in the medium persists to today as iconic encapsulations of the Malayan landscape and its people. The fluidity of his figures and vibrancy of his dyes combined with the geometric modernity of his compositions imbue his works with an unmistakable vitality and balance.
In Eating Durian, Chuah depicts a two ladies in varying poses of communal and domestic activity as they enjoy the tropical delicacy with a kid overlooking them.