Kok Yew Puah Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Kok Yew Puah Art Value Price Guide

Aug. 25, 2024
Kok Yew Puah (b. 1947 - 1999) Untitled, 1985
Est: RM13,000 - RM23,000
Kok Yew Puah, as he is more popularly known with his surname pushed behind, plays on the ironic juxtapose and contrast of Tradition and Change, and the inroads of development on ordinary life. From the 1980s to 1990s, the artist translated his observations of the rapid modernisation and environmental impacts into surreal landscapes painted in the hard-edge style with high contrasts of colour. Rendered with one point perspective, a red-coloured pathway flanked by trees lead towards one of the artist's favourite motifs, soft clouds floating amidst the bright blue sky. On the left, a traffic sign placed by the road could be deciphered as a symbol of warning, a gentle reminder to pause and reflect on the journey ahead. Kok Yew Puah studied Painting and Printmaking at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, Australia (1966-1972). His career with a solo at the Samat Art Gallery in 1973, looked promising with abstract Pop graphics using silkscreen, but he had to put his art in the back-burner to concentrate on developing the family chilli-sauce business. A decade and a half later, he made a comeback painting figures with environmental issues and notions of identity, in an exhibition simply entitled, Kok Yew Puah: 1985-1993. He had bad news and good news in 1994. His business failed, but his entry for the Philip Morris Asean Art Awards was adjudged 2nd in the national final, with the Asean finals being held in Singapore. He was one of the five Malaysian winners again the next year, with the Asean final held in Jakarta, Indonesia. In 1997, he held his second and last solo, Klang And Beyond. Ilham Gallery organised Kok Yew Puah: Portrait Of A Malaysian Artist from October 2021 to April 2022.
Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers
Aug. 25, 2024
Kok Yew Puah (b. 1947 - 1999) Untitled, 1980s
Est: RM10,000 - RM18,000
Kok Yew Puah, as he is more popularly known with his surname pushed behind, plays on the ironic juxtapose and contrast of Tradition and Change, and the inroads of development on ordinary life. The artist has produced several variations of a man tilting his neck backwards, gazing upon the sky with wonder. This striking image of a male figure is juxtaposed with the image of an open window painted in the hard-edge style, revealing the broad expanse of blue skies. Set against a bold background of vibrant pop art colours, the scene is filled with aspirations, hopes and dreams. Yearning for freedom, opportunity, or desire to travel? Kok Yew Puah studied Painting and Printmaking at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, Australia (1966-1972). His career with a solo at the Samat Art Gallery in 1973, looked promising with abstract Pop graphics using silkscreen, but he had to put his art in the back-burner to concentrate on developing the family chilli-sauce business. A decade and a half later, he made a comeback painting figures with environmental issues and notions of identity, in an exhibition simply entitled, Kok Yew Puah: 1985-1993. He had bad news and good news in 1994. His business failed, but his entry for the Philip Morris Asean Art Awards was adjudged 2nd in the national final, with the Asean finals being held in Singapore. He was one of the five Malaysian winners again the next year, with the Asean final held in Jakarta, Indonesia. In 1997, he held his second and last solo, Klang And Beyond. Ilham Gallery organised Kok Yew Puah: Portrait Of A Malaysian Artist from October 2021 to April 2022.
Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers
May. 26, 2024
KOK YEW PUAH : Tao’s Orbat Series One, 1970
Est: RM3,500 - RM6,000
“Tao’s Orbat Series One, 1970” by Kok Yew Puah is a captivating exploration of interconnectedness and the fluidity of time. Set against the backdrop of 1970, this series delves into the intricate dance between past, present, and future, weaving a tapestry of stories that transcend conventional narratives. Through vivid prose and evocative imagery, Puah invites readers on a journey through shifting landscapes of memory and possibility, challenging perceptions of reality and inviting reflection on the cyclical nature of existence. With its rich blend of historical detail and speculative fiction, “Tao’s Orbat Series One, 1970” offers a thought-provoking glimpse into the depths of the human experience.
KLAS Art Auction
May. 19, 2024
Kok Yew Puah (b. 1947 - 1999) Untitled, 1971
Est: RM4,000 - RM7,000
The screen-prints produced by Kok Yew Puah are highly distinctive, characterised by a flat pictorial surface, simplified geometrical elements and unique forms made with clearly defined edges of colour. Experimenting with opposing colours, the artist reconfigured lines and shapes in this visually dynamic composition. Puah Kok Yew, better known as Kok Yew Puah after the Westerners habit of putting one's surname last, started his art career with a slew of hard-edged Pop graphic works in abstract using silkscreen. In his art studies at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne, Australia, from 1966 to 1972, he got a diploma for Painting and a Masters-diploma for Printmaking. After a short spell, Puah disappeared completely from the art scene end-1970s to concentrate on setting up the family food business in Klang, especially in ketchup. But business commitments were not the only reason for his withdrawal from art-making. Fellow Australian art-trained buddy Joseph Tan (1941-2001) had confided that it was also a chronic lack of printmaking facilities then, although he was teaching part-time at the Mara Institute of Technology, where Joseph was a full-time staff member. He had a solo to show, at the Samat Art Gallery, in 1973. After a decade and a half, with his business virtually on auto, Puah decided to make a comeback. It was a completely different "artist" for Puah, inspired by David Hockney, had opted for representational art with concerns about the immediate changing environment and identity. Ditto, his comeback solo titled Kok Yew Puah: 1985-1993, which was followed by Klang And Beyond in 1997. In 1994, he divested of his business in acrimonious circumstances, but the good news was that he was adjudged 2nd in the Philip Morris Asean Art Awards - Malaysia. He again was one of the five Malaysian winners the next year.
Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers
Jan. 14, 2024
Kok Yew Puah (b. 1947 - 1999) Untitled, 1972
Est: RM4,000 - RM7,000
The screen-prints produced by Kok Yew Puah are highly distinctive, characterised by a flat pictorial surface, simplified geometrical elements and unique forms made with clearly defined edges of colour. Experimenting with contrasting warm and cool tones, the artist reconfigured lines and shapes in this visually dynamic composition. Puah Kok Yew, better known as Kok Yew Puah after the Westerners habit of putting one's surname last, started his art career with a slew of hard-edged Pop graphic works in abstract using silkscreen. In his art studies at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne, Australia, from 1966 to 1972, he got a diploma for Painting and a Masters-diploma for Printmaking. After a short spell, Puah disappeared completely from the art scene end-1970s to concentrate on setting up the family food business in Klang, especially in ketchup. But business commitments were not the only reason for his withdrawal from art-making. Fellow Australian art-trained buddy Joseph Tan (1941-2001) had confided that it was also a chronic lack of printmaking facilities then, although he was teaching part-time at the Mara Institute of Technology, where Joseph was a full-time staff member. He had a solo to show, at the Samat Art Gallery, in 1973. After a decade and a half, with his business virtually on auto, Puah decided to make a comeback. It was a completely different “artist” for Puah, inspired by David Hockney, had opted for representational art with concerns about the immediate changing environment and identity. Ditto, his comeback solo titled Kok Yew Puah: 1985-1993, which was followed by Klang And Beyond in 1997. In 1994, he divested of his business in acrimonious circumstances, but the good news was that he was adjudged 2nd in the Philip Morris Asean Art Awards, Malaysia. He again was one of the five Malaysian winners the next year.
Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers
Jun. 25, 2023
Kok Yew Puah (b. 1947 - 1999) Untitled (Self Portrait With Aeroplane), 1980s
Est: RM20,000 - RM38,000
Kok Yew Puah, as he is more popularly known with his surname pushed behind, plays on the ironic juxtapose and contrast of Tradition and Change, and the inroads of development on ordinary life. In this, Klang Pop, if you like, a man tilts his neck backwards as a jet plane flies past. The bottom's-up angling is dizzying. One, making the plane looks as if it is flying exceptionally low and the other of the man, looking up with the front neck rendered exaggeratingly large as if he suffered from thyroid, probably to add a touch humour. All the background is cerulean blue, and the picture, which brings to mind the 1966 folk song by John Denver, Leaving On A Jet Plane, is framed in an air-mail envelope. The man, probably a country lad, looks up in awe and with a little trepidation, and probably has never travelled in a plane before, as budget travel like AirAsia started only in November 1996. This is also a subtle contrast between Man and Machine, with the plane stealthily creeping in from the top left and seen as a behemoth. Kok Yew Puah studied Painting and Printmaking at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, Australia (1966-1972). His career with a solo at the Samat Art Gallery in 1973, looked promising with abstract Pop graphics using silkscreen, but he had to put his art in the back-burner to concentrate on developing the family chilli-sauce business. A decade and a half later, he made a comeback painting figures with environmental issues and notions of identity, in an exhibition simply entitled, Kok Yew Puah: 1985-1993. He had bad news and good news in 1994. His business failed, but his entry for the Philip Morris Asean Art Awards was adjudged 2nd in the national final, with the Asean finals being held in Singapore. He was one of the five Malaysian winners again the next year, with the Asean final held in Jakarta, Indonesia. He was again one of the five Malaysian winners of the contest the next year. In 1997, he held his second and last solo, Klang And Beyond. Ilham Gallery organised Kok Yew Puah: Portrait Of A Malaysian Artist from October 2021 to April 2022.
Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers
Jun. 25, 2023
Kok Yew Puah (b. 1947 - 1999) Untitled, 1971
Est: RM3,000 - RM5,000
Kok Yew Puah's compositions are arranged in visual harmony and balance. A variation of dynamic colour contrasts reinforces spatial dimension and effect of depth, resulting in a contemporary vision of abstraction. Compositional symmetry and clean colours are balanced out with the pink forms placed in the centre. Puah Kok Yew, better known as Kok Yew Puah after the Westerners habit of putting one's surname last, started his art career with a slew of hard-edged Pop graphic works in abstract using silkscreen. In his art studies at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne, Australia, from 1966 to 1972, he got a diploma for Painting and a Masters-diploma for Printmaking. After a short spell, Puah disappeared completely from the art scene end-1970s to concentrate on setting up the family food business in Klang, especially in ketchup. But business commitments were not the only reason for his withdrawal from art-making. Fellow Australian art-trained buddy Joseph Tan (1941-2001) had confided that it was also a chronic lack of printmaking facilities then, although he was teaching part-time at the Mara Institute of Technology, where Joseph was a full-time staff member. He had a solo to show, at the Samat Art Gallery, in 1973. After a decade and a half, with his business virtually on auto, Puah decided to make a comeback. It was a completely different "artist" for Puah, inspired by David Hockney, had opted for representational art with concerns about the immediate changing environment and identity. Ditto, his comeback solo titled Kok Yew Puah: 1985-1993, which was followed by Klang And Beyond in 1997. In 1994, he divested of his business in acrimonious circumstances, but the good news was that he was adjudged 2nd in the Philip Morris Asean Art Awards â Malaysia. He again was one of the five Malaysian winners the next year.
Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers
Jun. 25, 2023
Kok Yew Puah (b. 1947 - 1999) Untitled, 1971
Est: RM3,000 - RM5,000
The screen-prints produced by Kok Yew Puah are highly distinctive, characterised by a flat pictorial surface, simplified geometrical elements and unique forms made with clearly defined edges of colour. Experimenting with opposing colours, the artist reconfigured lines and shapes in this visually dynamic composition. Puah Kok Yew, better known as Kok Yew Puah after the Westerners habit of putting one's surname last, started his art career with a slew of hard-edged Pop graphic works in abstract using silkscreen. In his art studies at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne, Australia, from 1966 to 1972, he got a diploma for Painting and a Masters-diploma for Printmaking. After a short spell, Puah disappeared completely from the art scene end-1970s to concentrate on setting up the family food business in Klang, especially in ketchup. But business commitments were not the only reason for his withdrawal from art-making. Fellow Australian art-trained buddy Joseph Tan (1941-2001) had confided that it was also a chronic lack of printmaking facilities then, although he was teaching part-time at the Mara Institute of Technology, where Joseph was a full-time staff member. He had a solo to show, at the Samat Art Gallery, in 1973. After a decade and a half, with his business virtually on auto, Puah decided to make a comeback. It was a completely different "artist" for Puah, inspired by David Hockney, had opted for representational art with concerns about the immediate changing environment and identity. Ditto, his comeback solo titled Kok Yew Puah: 1985-1993, which was followed by Klang And Beyond in 1997. In 1994, he divested of his business in acrimonious circumstances, but the good news was that he was adjudged 2nd in the Philip Morris Asean Art Awards â Malaysia. He again was one of the five Malaysian winners the next year.
Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers
Jun. 25, 2023
Kok Yew Puah (b. 1947 - 1999) One Plus One = One Series Four, 1971
Est: RM3,000 - RM5,000
Kok Yew Puah's abstract compositions are arranged in visual harmony and balance. His recurring use of bold geometric forms in his screen-prints is evident here. High contrasts of blue and green colours reinforce spatial dimension and illusion of depth. Puah Kok Yew, better known as Kok Yew Puah after the Westerners habit of putting one's surname last, started his art career with a slew of hard-edged Pop graphic works in abstract using silkscreen. In his art studies at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne, Australia, from 1966 to 1972, he got a diploma for Painting and a Masters-diploma for Printmaking. After a short spell, Puah disappeared completely from the art scene end-1970s to concentrate on setting up the family food business in Klang, especially in ketchup. But business commitments were not the only reason for his withdrawal from art-making. Fellow Australian art-trained buddy Joseph Tan (1941-2001) had confided that it was also a chronic lack of printmaking facilities then, although he was teaching part-time at the Mara Institute of Technology, where Joseph was a full-time staff member. He had a solo to show, at the Samat Art Gallery, in 1973. After a decade and a half, with his business virtually on auto, Puah decided to make a comeback. It was a completely different "artist" for Puah, inspired by David Hockney, had opted for representational art with concerns about the immediate changing environment and identity. Ditto, his comeback solo titled Kok Yew Puah: 1985-1993, which was followed by Klang And Beyond in 1997. In 1994, he divested of his business in acrimonious circumstances, but the good news was that he was adjudged 2nd in the Philip Morris Asean Art Awards â Malaysia. He again was one of the five Malaysian winners the next year.
Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers
Mar. 19, 2023
Kok Yew Puah (b. 1947 - 1999) Self Portrait In Deep Thoughts, 1993
Est: RM38,000 - RM68,000
Here's the artist, Kok Yew Puah, looking back at you, albeit through the 'sunscreen' of sunglasses. It is framed by perforated film edges and a matrix of white grids which demarcate the face into little rectangles. The shades also conceal the focus of the gaze, whether it is looking at you or the surroundings, as there are no visible reflections, or just a bland vacuous look, wrapped in his own deep thoughts. Voyeur or introspective thinker, Kok Yew Puah was one who very much kept to himself, reticent and serious, and he dramatized family, friends and his children's friends to relay messages about the (ravaged) environment and the rapid urban modernisation, with his hometown Klang as a synecdoche of the wider world, or Malaysia. Puah Kok Yew, better known as Kok Yew Puah, was given a comprehensive Memorial exhibition, Kok Yew Puah: Portrait Of A Malaysian Artist, at Ilham Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, from February to April 2022. Though he had a 1973 solo at Samat Art Gallery, KL, of his large silkscreens, there were limited exposures of his works - in only two subsequent solos, Kok Yew Puah: 1985-1993, and Klang And Beyond (1997), both inspired by the British artist David Hockney. In 2004-2005, he was given an earlier tribute exhibition. In 1994, he was placed 2nd in the Malaysian Philip Morris Asean Art Awards, and was again one of the five jurors' choices the next year. He had lectured part-time on printmaking at the Mara Institute of Technology. He had his art tutelage at the Victoria College of the Arts, Melbourne, Australia, graduating in 1972 with diplomas in Painting and Printmaking. He was also one of the co-founders of the Malaysian Contemporary Watercolours Association (1994).
Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers
Mar. 19, 2023
Kok Yew Puah (b. 1947 - 1999) Two Important Men, 1993
Est: RM45,000 - RM75,000
Puah Kok Yew, better known as Kok Yew Puah, relished in featuring family members and friends on his canvas, the way he projected his hometown Klang onto the world. There are two portraits, one of himself in a slightly skewered baseball cap with the words, White Sox, emblazoned, probably after the professional American baseball team Chicago White Sox, and the other, his friend, still with the crash helmet over his head, but without a visor. It was so casual and informal. The artist himself was clad in a white singlet, and his friend, dark-coloured, likely black, but both were wearing sunglasses, indicating a sweltering weather. The title adjective, Important, was probably just his kind of humour or a clickbait, to intrigue interest on what was so 'important' or why the two unidentified portraits are 'important' at all. In Klang, where Kok Yew Puah was based all his life, except for a studying stint in Australia, it was then easier to travel on a motorbike. With the serrated photo-still reel, it looked like a photograph. Was it copied from a photograph, or was it rendered in mock photo film, numbering 21, 21A and 22? A Photo-Realism take, perhaps? Kok Yew Puah was given a comprehensive Memorial exhibition, Kok Yew Puah: Portrait Of A Malaysian Artist, at Ilham Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, from February to April 2022. Though he had a 1973 solo at Samat Art Gallery, KL, of his large silkscreens, there were limited exposures of his works - in only two subsequent solos, Kok Yew Puah: 1985-1993, and Klang And Beyond (1997), both inspired by the British artist David Hockney. In 2004-2005, he was given an earlier tribute exhibition. In 1994, he was placed 2nd in the Malaysian Philip Morris Asean Art Awards, and was again one of the five jurors' choices the next year. He had lectured part-time on printmaking at the Mara Institute of Technology. He had his art tutelage at the Victoria College of the Arts, Melbourne, Australia, graduating in 1972 with diplomas in Painting and Printmaking. He was also one of the co-founders of the Malaysian Contemporary Watercolours Association (1994).
Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers
Dec. 05, 2021
Kok Yew Puah (b. Selangor, 1947 – d. 1999) Distractions
Est: RM20,000 - RM38,000
One glance, and you would have thrown up your arms and with disdain declared, no, that is not by Puah Kok Yew, or as he has become to be better known Kok Yew Puah, with the Western penchant for shuffling a Chinese surname to the back. What’s so unusual? The figure is rendered in silhouette, not in his usual Pop Realism. There’s half a picture taken up by wildlife, humping pachyderms at that, and what must have looked like Puah’s early Neo-Geo works on his return from art-studies in Australia, has been reduced on the canvas-within-a-canvas to one of fluid mercury. Then there’s the non-copybook art-historical referencing, to Picasso’s Guernica no less. Is that a self-deprecating work, if not, one suspects he was not chuckling, but there was a modicum of rheum, in Puah trying to be a Picasso. He must have felt that the tragic characters in Guernica were having a good laugh, at him. Mischief was afoot. What was he drinking, or smoking, or thinking?” But really, it is such “distractions” that Puah found succour and even some sort of validation, in his pursuit of being an artist instead of a reluctant businessman. Incidentally, a comprehensive exhibition of Puah Kok Yew is on show at the Ilham Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, from October 12, 2021 until April 3, 2022. Coming from a business family, Puah Kok Yew chose to pursue Fine Art, while his brothers took up Engineering. So, at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, Australia, he got his diploma for Painting and another for Printmaking. On his return, he held a solo at the Samat Art Gallery (1973), taught Printmaking part-time at the Mara Institute of Technology and created a series of Neo-Geo silkscreens until the lack of proper printmaking facilities made him concentrate on the family chilli-sauce business until he sold it off in 1994. In the Second Coming of Puah, he was greatly inspired by David Hockney, and became known for strong figurative works on the youth of the MacDonald’s generation, industrialisation and urban decay, and neglect of cultural heritage. It was productive: Two solos – Kok Yew Puah: 1985-1993; Klang and Beyond (1997); and there was the 2nd Prize in the Malaysian level Philip Morris Asean Art Awards in 1994, and he was again among the winning circle of five in the next year.
Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers
Aug. 22, 2021
Kok Yew Puah (b. Selangor, 1947 – d. 1999) Tao's Orbat Series One, 1970
Est: RM2,500 - RM4,500
Kok Yew Puah’s compositions are arranged in visual harmony and balance. A variation of blue and green colours reinforces spatial dimension and effect of depth, resulting in a contemporary vision of abstraction. Compositional symmetry and clean colours are balanced out with the pink forms placed in the centre. Puah Kok Yew, better known as Kok Yew Puah after the Westerners habit of putting one’s surname last, started his art career with a slew of hard-edged Pop graphic works in abstract using silkscreen. In his art studies at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne, Australia, from 1966 to 1972, he got a diploma for Painting and a Masters-diploma for Printmaking. After a short spell, Puah disappeared completely from the art scene end-1970s to concentrate on setting up the family food business in Klang, especially in ketchup. But business commitments were not the only reason for his withdrawal from art-making. Fellow Australian art-trained buddy Joseph Tan (1941-2001) had confided that it was also a chronic lack of printmaking facilities then, although he was teaching part-time at the Mara Institute of Technology, where Joseph was a full-time staff member. He had a solo to show, at the Samat Art Gallery, in 1973. After a decade and a half, with his business virtually on auto, Puah decided to make a comeback. It was a completely different “artist” for Puah, inspired by David Hockney (who is having a major retrospective at the Tate Modern, London, now) had opted for representational art with concerns about the immediate changing environment and identity. Ditto, his comeback solo titled Kok Yew Puah: 1985-1993, which was followed by Klang and Beyond in 1997. In 1994, he divested of his business in acrimonious circumstances, but the good news was that he was adjudged 2nd in the Philip Morris Asean Art Awards – Malaysia. He again was one of the five Malaysian winners the next year.
Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers
Aug. 22, 2021
Kok Yew Puah (b. Selangor, 1947 – d. 1999) Untitled, 1971
Est: RM2,500 - RM4,500
Kok Yew Puah’s compositions are arranged in visual harmony and balance. A variation of blue and white colours reinforces spatial dimension and effect of depth, resulting in a contemporary vision of minimalistic abstraction. Compositional symmetry and clean colours are balanced out with the green organic forms placed in the centre. Puah Kok Yew, better known as Kok Yew Puah after the Westerners habit of putting one’s surname last, started his art career with a slew of hard-edged Pop graphic works in abstract using silkscreen. In his art studies at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne, Australia, from 1966 to 1972, he got a diploma for Painting and a Masters-diploma for Printmaking. After a short spell, Puah disappeared completely from the art scene end-1970s to concentrate on setting up the family food business in Klang, especially in ketchup. But business commitments were not the only reason for his withdrawal from art-making. Fellow Australian art-trained buddy Joseph Tan (1941-2001) had confided that it was also a chronic lack of printmaking facilities then, although he was teaching part-time at the Mara Institute of Technology, where Joseph was a full-time staff member. He had a solo to show, at the Samat Art Gallery, in 1973. After a decade and a half, with his business virtually on auto, Puah decided to make a comeback. It was a completely different “artist” for Puah, inspired by David Hockney (who is having a major retrospective at the Tate Modern, London, now) had opted for representational art with concerns about the immediate changing environment and identity. Ditto, his comeback solo titled Kok Yew Puah: 1985-1993, which was followed by Klang and Beyond in 1997. In 1994, he divested of his business in acrimonious circumstances, but the good news was that he was adjudged 2nd in the Philip Morris Asean Art Awards – Malaysia. He again was one of the five Malaysian winners the next year.
Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers
Mar. 21, 2021
Kok Yew Puah (b. Selangor, 1947 – d. 1999) Untitled, 1970
Est: RM2,500 - RM4,500
Puah Kok Yew, better known as Kok Yew Puah after the Westerners habit of putting one’s surname last, started his art career with a slew of hard-edged Pop graphic works in abstract using silkscreen. In his art studies at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne, Australia, from 1966 to 1972, he got a diploma for Painting and a Masters-diploma for Printmaking. After a short spell, Puah disappeared completely from the art scene end-1970s to concentrate on setting up the family food business in Klang, especially in ketchup. But business commitments were not the only reason for his withdrawal from art-making. Fellow Australian art-trained buddy Joseph Tan (1941-2001) had confided that it was also a chronic lack of printmaking facilities then, although he was teaching part-time at the Mara Institute of Technology, where Joseph was a full-time staff member. He had a solo to show, at the Samat Art Gallery, in 1973. After a decade and a half, with his business virtually on auto, Puah decided to make a comeback. It was a completely different “artist” for Puah, inspired by David Hockney (who is having a major retrospective at the Tate Modern, London, now) had opted for representational art with concerns about the immediate changing environment and identity. Ditto, his comeback solo titled Kok Yew Puah: 1985-1993, which was followed by Klang and Beyond in 1997. In 1994, he divested of his business in acrimonious circumstances, but the good news was that he was adjudged 2nd in the Philip Morris Asean Art Awards – Malaysia. He again was one of the five Malaysian winners the next year.
Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers
Mar. 24, 2019
Kok Yew Puah (b. 1947 - d. 1999) Tradition & Change, 1996
Est: RM50,000 - RM80,000
Technology has changed the way we live, signaled by the 2G bulkier cell phone in 1996, when Kok Yew Puah made this prophetic work. The Internet is incorporated into 4G today and with Huaweiâs 5G, unimaginable strides will be made in communication and fact-processing. In Tradition & Change, the masks both represent both, with the one on the third person fused onto his face, usurping his identity and character. The one in the middle, naked for his jelutong shorts, has his hands covering his face in fear and shame. Puahâs works are comment on socio-cultural and environmental issues. The critic-artist Redza Piyadasa noted about Puah: âHis art is about today. There is an authenticity about the man and his art. There is a contemporaneity in his art.â Kok Yew Puah started as an immaculate printmaker known for his hard-edged Pop abstracts using silkscreen after returning from the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne, Australia, from 1966 to 1972 (diplomas in Painting and Printmaking). He held a solo at the Samat Gallery in 1973, but it was his second, his first being in Brisbane, in Gallery III, in 1972. Then he disappeared to concentrate on his familyâs food business in Klang, until his comeback in the solo, Kok Yew Puah: 1985-1993, but he had switched to representational art, having been inspired by David Hockney. It was followed by another solo, Klang and Beyond in 1997, and a posthumous tribute exhibition in 2004-2005. In 1994, he won 2nd Prize in the Malaysian-stage of the Philip Morris Asean Art Awards. 170.5 x 170.5cm
Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers
Mar. 11, 2018
SELF PORTRAIT IN DEEP THOUGHT
Est: RM48,000 - RM50,000
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The Edge Auction
Jul. 30, 2017
Kok Yew Puah (B. Selangor, Malaysia, 1947-1999) Temple Figures, 1997
Est: RM7,000 - RM11,000
Kok Yew Puah Temple Figures, 1997 Acrylic and charcoal on paper 78 x 108 cm
KLAS Art Auction
Apr. 23, 2017
KOK YEW PUAH (b. 1947 - d. 1999) TAOS ORBAT SERIES 3, 1971, Silkscreen on paper, edition 8 of 14
Est: RM2,500 - RM4,000
Puah Kok Yew, better known as Kok Yew Puah after the Westerners habit of putting one’s surname last, started his art career with a slew of hard-edged Pop graphic works in abstract using silkscreen. In his art studies at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne, Australia, from 1966 to 1972, he got a diploma for Painting and a Masters-diploma for Printmaking. Orbat is an acronym for “order of battle” but it’s moot if Puah was referring to any Sun Tze strategic military manual. After a short spell, Puah disappeared completely from the art scene end-1970s to concentrate on setting up the family food business in Klang, especially in ketchup. But business commitments were not the only reason for his withdrawal from art-making. Fellow Australian art-trained buddy Joseph Tan (1941-2001) had confided that it was also a chronic lack of printmaking facilities then, although he was teaching part-time at the Mara Institute of Technology, where Joseph was a full-time staff member. He had a solo to show, at the Samat Art Gallery, in 1973. After a decade and a half, with his business virtually on auto, Puah decided to make a comeback. It was a completely different “artist” for Puah, inspired by David Hockney (who is having a major retrospective at the Tate Modern, London, now) had opted for representational art with concerns about the immediate changing environment and identity. Ditto, his comeback solo titled Kok Yew Puah: 1985-1993, which was followed by Klang and Beyond in 1997. In 1994, he divested of his business in acrimonious circumstances, but the good news was that he was adjudged 2nd in the Philip Morris Asean Art Awards – Malaysia. He again was one of the five Malaysian winners the next year.
Henry Butcher Art Auctioneers
Oct. 23, 2016
KOK YEW PUAH (B. Selangor, 1947-1999) Untitled, 1971
Est: RM3,000 - RM5,000
KOK YEW PUAH (B. Selangor, 1947-1999) Untitled, 1971 Signed and dated “KOK YEW PUAH 1971” in pencil on lower edge of paper Silkscreen on paper 88 x 67 cm
KLAS Art Auction
Sep. 04, 2016
KOK YEW PUAH (B. Selangor, 1947-1999) JIRIKI, 1970 Silkscreen on paper
Est: RM3,000 - RM7,000
“His art is about today. There is an authenticity about the man and his art. There is a contemporaneity in his art.” Kok Yew Puah studied at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne. He obtained a Diploma in Painting and Master Diploma in Printmaking. He was recognised as an accomplished and innovative printmaker shortly after returning from his studies and created works of abstract art in hard-edged and silk-screen print techniques, before moving on to other realistic works that quickly made him known as the documenter of the changing environment in Malaysia. Among the awards he had won are the Philip Morris Malaysia Art Awards (2nd Prize), Honourable Mention at the 1997 Philip Morris Malaysia Art Awards. Throughout his career, he held solo exhibitions in Australia and Malaysia.
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