Tay Bak Koi, Untitled (Golden Harvest), 1989
Watercolour and gouache on paper
60.5 x 60 cm
Condition: Good, with one mould spot on the lower right corner.
Conservation report from PIA Studios available.
-
Tay Bak Koi (Singaporean, 1939–2003) studied under Cheong Soo Pieng (Chinese, 1917–1983) at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 1957. During his three-year course, he supported himself by selling crabs at a market stall while experimenting with oils and watercolours. Frustrated by the structural rigidity and formal instructional methods of art academia, he was determined to pursue a lifelong career in the arts but recognised the need to cultivate a distinctive style to establish himself as an artist.
Tay’s early works captured Singapore’s vanishing landscapes, portraying geometric kelongs and kampongs with a keen sensitivity to texture. His restrained use of colour acted as a form of punctuation, emphasising contrast and meaning within his compositions. Blending fantasy and reality, his art often reimagined urban landscapes through abstraction. A master of elimination and distortion, Tay distilled complex forms to their essence, developing a visual language that was both striking and deeply introspective.
The owner, an art teacher, befriended the artist and purchased several of their works in the late 1980s. The collection reflects the discerning choices of someone trained in art and experienced in teaching it.
Purchased directly from the artist.
(Photographed in August 2025)