Chuah Thean Teng, Dato’

Born: 
1912 - 2008
Place: 
Penang
Category: 
Senior
SOLO EXHIBITIONS

1955 | Arts Council, Penang
1959 | Commonwealth Institute, London
1964 | Pomeroy Galleries, San Francisco, California, USA
1965 | Retrospective exhibition, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
1967 | Stichting Twents-Gelders Textielmuseum, Enschede, Holland
1972 | The Gallery, Palm Springs, California, USA
1977 | Churchill Art Gallery, Perth, Australia
1994 | Retrospective exhibition, Penang State Art Gallery

 

EDUCATION

1932 | (Briefly) Amoy Academy of Art, Fujian.

 

HONORS/AWARDS

1962 |

  • International Art Exhibition, Vietnam, Diploma of Merit
  • ‘Datoship’, Penang State Government

 

  • Pioneer of modern batik painting
  • Depicted kampung/village scenes
  • Noted for his imagery of women (sometimes sensuous) and children at work, rest or play
  • Migrated to Penang in 1932
  • Did woodcut prints and drew cartoons for Chinese newspapers during free time as a teacher
  • Experimented with batik painting in 1953, combining the traditional technique of using tjanting (a shoe-shaped, copper tool for applying wax) with Western aesthetics. His technique was honed in 1955

 

AUCTIONS

2010 Aug | Henry Butcher Malaysia | Mixed media (batik technique with acrylic painting) (87cm x 87cm), RM 90,000

2010 Aug | Henry Butcher Malaysia | Batik (85.5cm x 85.5cm), RM 114,400

2011 Jun | Henry Butcher Malaysia | Batik (85cm x 60cm), RM 33,000

2011 Jun | Henry Butcher Malaysia | Mixed media on paper (37cm x 56cm), RM 6,380

2011 Jun | Henry Butcher Malaysia | Batik (90cm x 87cm), RM 170,500

2011 Jun | Henry Butcher Malaysia | Batik (57cm x 40.5cm), RM 70,400

2012 May | Henry Butcher Malaysia | Batik (87.3cm x 86.5cm), RM 137,500

2012 May | Henry Butcher Malaysia | Batik (59.7cm x 44.5cm), RM 50,600

2012 May | Henry Butcher Malaysia | Ink and Colour on rice paper (66.7cm x 43.9cm), RM 16,500

2012 May | Henry Butcher Malaysia | Batik (58.8cm x 44.1cm), RM 46,200

2012 Oct | Henry Butcher Malaysia | Batik (90cm x 87cm), RM 176,000

2012 Oct | Henry Butcher Malaysia | Batik (85cm x 57cm), RM 55,000

2012 Oct | Henry Butcher Malaysia | Batik (61cm x 45.7cm), RM 30,800

2013 Apr | Henry Butcher Malaysia | Batik (56cm x 42cm), RM 52,800

2013 Apr | Henry Butcher Malaysia | Batik (59cm x 44cm), RM 33,000

2013 Apr | Henry Butcher Malaysia | Batik (89cm x 89cm), RM 132,000

2013 Jun | The Edge Auction | Batik (62cm x 88cm), RM 77,000

2013 Jun | The Edge Auction | Batik (61cm x 61cm), RM 46,200

2013 Nov | Henry Butcher Malaysia | Batik (60cm x 80cm), RM 71,500

2013 Nov | Henry Butcher Malaysia | Batik (43.5cm x 58.5cm), RM 77,000

2013 Nov | Henry Butcher Malaysia | Batik (91cm x 89cm), RM 85,000

2014 Apr | Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers | Lullaby, c.1970s-80s | Batik (90cm x 90cm), RM 89,600

2014 May | The Edge Auction | Batik ( 50cm x 70cm),  RM 28,600

2014 May | The Edge Auction | Batik (86.5cm x 61cm ), RM 71,500

2014 Nov | Christie’s Hong Kong 20th Century Art Day Sale (includes buyer’s premium) | Batik dye on cloth (86cm x 63cm), RM33,802

2014 Nov | Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers | Tarian Payung (Umbrella Dance), 1967 | Batik (80cm x 60cm), RM 50,000

2015 Mar | The Edge Auction | Batik ( 53cm x 44cm),  RM 35,200

2015 Mar | Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers | Mother and Children, c.1980s | Batik (61cm x 45cm), RM 56,000

2015 Oct | Sotheby’s Hong Kong Modern & Contemporary Southeast Asian Art | Seated Woman | batik (42.5cm x 58.5cm), RM 25,942.33 (USD 6,451.55)

2015 Oct | Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers | Vanity, 1980 | batik (87.5cm x 87cm), RM 101,448

2015 Oct | Sotheby's Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Art | SEATED WOMAN, batik (42.5 x 58.5 cm) | USD 6,451.55

2015 Nov | Christie’s Hong Kong Asian 20th Century Art (Day Sale) | Mother and Child | batik dye on cloth (59cm x 45cm), RM 38,910.78  (USD 9,676.65)

2015 Nov | Christie’s Hong Kong Asian 20th Century Art (Day Sale) | Woman with Cat | batik dye on cloth (92cm x 63cm), RM 45,395.93  (USD 11,289.43)

2016 Mar | The Edge Auction | Fetching Water | Batik, Circa 1960s (91cm x 61cm), RM 37,400

2016 Mar |  The Edge Auction |  Untitled | Batik. Circa 1960s (54cm x 45cm), RM 27,500

2016 Apr | Christie's Hong Kong Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Art | MARKET SCENE | Batik on cloth fixed onto paper laid on panel | (118cm x 263 cm) | Sold: HKD 287, 500  

2016 Apr | Christie's Hong Kong Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Art  | TWO WOMEN | Batik on cloth fixed onto paper laid on panel | (101.5cm x 61 cm) | Sold: HKD 100,000

2016 Nov | Christie's Asian 20th Century Art | BULLOCK CARTS, 1977 | batik dye on cloth (87.5 x 61 cm) | USD 11,281.46

2016 May | Christie's Asian 20th Century Art  | Gotong Royong,1955 | batik dye on cloth (90 x 76.5 cm) | USD 41,846.65
2016 Oct | Sotheby's Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Art | TWO LADIES | batik on cloth mounted on board (56.5 x 43.5 cm) USD 5,641.21

2016 Oct | Sotheby's Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Art | A FLUTE PLAYER UNDER THE MOON | batik on cloth (44.5 x 57 cm) USD 6,447.10

2017 Apr | Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers | FRUIT SEASON, c. 1970s | Batik (85cm x 58.5cm) | RM53,760

2017 Nov | Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers | Boy and Buffalo, c.1980's | Batik (54.5cm x 42cm) | RM 33,600.00 (price include buyer's premium gst)

2017 Nov | Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers | Indonesian Houses, c.1980's | Oil on canvas (49cm x 38.5cm), RM5,071.70 (price inlcude buyer's premium gst)