Lot 40 | 19 January 2025

 

 

LOT 40

TAN CHOON GHEE

B. Penang, 1930 – 2010

Road Side Stall, 1979

Watercolour on paper

37 x 55 cm

Private Collection, Canada

Signed and dated “Choon Ghee 1979” on lower left

RM 2,000 – 3,500

Tan Choon Ghee was a master in capturing buildings, shops, landscapes and tiny, miniscule details. By infusing the Chinese classical paintings’ calligraphic brushstrokes and the British watercolour approach, Tan Choon Ghee created pieces that are ethereal, desirable and unmitigated in its exquisiteness. With gentle brushstrokes and the way the ink blends into the white background gives it that faint, misty glow that provides his pieces with an air of nostalgia. Tan Choon Ghee was considered one of the most established Malaysian artists. He obtained his training in art from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore in 1951, before continuing his studies at the Slade School of Art in the United Kingdom in 1958, where he was awarded scholarships from the West Germany Government and Australian Broadcasting Commission.