014
b. Terengganu, 1939 - d. 2000
M. Zain Idris
Drying Fish
1972
signed and dated ‘MZAIN 72’ (bottom left)
oil on canvas
51 x 71.5cm
Provenance
Private collection, Kuala Lumpur.
Estimate
RM 16,000 – 25,000
M. Zain Idris had gone fulltime into art since he was discovered by art critic-gallerist Frank Sullivan, who was the Press Secretary of Malaysia’s first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, and was heavily promoted by collector Puan Sri Koh. Sullivan dubbed him the ‘Fisherman Artist’ for his subjects of coastal landscapes when he staged his first solo at Sullivan’s Samat Art Gallery.
The artist was appointed Terengganu State Artist by the Menteri Besar and given a studio-cum-residence in Kuala Terengganu with a stipend, but according to his fellow artist and close friend, Khalil Ibrahim, he spent more time painting when he was in Kuala Lumpur.
