LOT 73
RAPHAEL SCOTT AHBENG
B. Sarawak, 1939 – 2019
Gawai, 2007
Signed, dated, and titled “RSA 08 Bidayuh ritual dance” on lower right
Oil on board
90 x 120 cm
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
RM 2,800 – 6,000
Raphael Scott Ahbeng was born in Bau in 1939 and was one of Malaysia’s most renowned abstract artists. The recently departed studied at the Bath Academy of Art in the UK and was known for his large canvases of overlapping light-coloured mountains which exude an airy feel. Raphael was once a teacher, cartoonist and a radio producer before becoming a full- time painter. He was always a storyteller of nature and landscapes, and translated this on canvas. This piece embodies Ahbeng’s classic abstract style, depicting the festivities of Gawai, also known as the harvest festival, with subjects playing the drum and other musical instruments. One can’t help but feel peace washing over them when viewing this beauty.