073

b. Penang, 1930 - d. 2010
Tan Choon Ghee
New Year Hair Cut
1991
signed and dated ‘CHOON GHEE 1991’ (bottom left)
watercolour on paper
52 x 62cm
Provenance
Private collection, Penang; acquired directly from artist.
Estimate
RM 9,000 – 12,000
Price Realised
RM 10,780

This work is a slight variation of another similar work featured in Malaysia Smelting Corp. Berhad’s 1986 Desk Calendar. Like the Chinese samfu-clad amah, the itinerant barbers have disappeared from the urban areas. Their portable kit included combs, brushes, scissors, powder puff, foldable blades (which have since been replaced by disposable blades), talcum powder and mirrors. Here, the barbers are operating in front of a beauty saloon, hua mei mei rong yuan, with the Straits Eclectic façade. A trishaw on the right with two passengers inside looks set to take off (usually, Choon Ghee preferred his trishaw to be ‘stationary’).