Lee Kian Seng Sold at Auction Prices

b. 1948 -

Lee Kian Seng is one of the most innovative artists working in batik, particularly in his Soul & Form Series, and in other media. His batik-art phase was for over nearly 20 years, and this partly led him to winning Japan’s Creation Award (Overseas Prize) in 1993. He also won Honorable Mention for batik and 3rd Prize for Mixed Media in the 1968 Salon Malaysia. This rare early batik work of his delves into the story of the legendary Judge Dee, a semi-fictional character based on the Di Gong An of the historical figure Di Rentjie (c. 650 - c. 700), a statesman and a wise and brave country magistrate during the Tang Dynasty. Lee is more interested in the persona of Judge Dee as a seeker of truth, with courage of conviction and a sense of righteousness. Judge Dee was made famous by Robert van Gulik, who went on to create his own stories involving complicated cases with interesting twists. Judge Dee has been adapted into newspaper comics, TV series and even movies – Tsui Hak’s two movies in 2010 and 2013, starring Andy Lau and Mark Chao respectively.Self-trained Lee Kian Seng represented Malaysia at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, in 1970. He swept the Major Awards in the Malaysian Landscape competition (1972) and the Young Contemporary Artists competition (1975). He held his first solo in 1966 at the age of 18. He represented Malaysia in the 3rd Asean Square Sculpture Symposium in Jakarta in 1984 when he built the monumental Peace, Harmony And One, and which he translated into miniature art jewellery adornments. His other accolades include 1st Prize (oil) in the Young Artists competition in 1966, 3rd Prize in the Malaysian Art Competition in 1964 and Minor Award in the Man And His World competition in 1973. One can often spot his installation works / conceptual art in important exhibitions at National Art Gallery Malaysia.