Peter Harris
Temple on Hill, Cambodia (1968)
Height 50cm x Width 33cm
media :
- Ink and watercolour on paper
Info :
- Signed and dated, lower right: P'68
Estimate:
SGD 2,700 - 3,500
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Peter Harris
United Kingdom
1923 – 2009
Peter Harris was born in Bristol, England, and played a pivotal role in the early development of modern art education in Malaysia. Trained at the West of England Art Academy, he moved to the Federation of Malaya in 1951 as the country’s first art superintendent, teaching art in local schools and shaping early art curricula.
In 1952, Harris founded the Wednesday Art Group (WAG), which promoted freedom of expression and experimentation in painting. The group included key figures of Malaysian modern art such as Patrick Ng Kah Onn, Syed Ahmad Jamal, Dzulkifli Buyong, Cheong Lai Tong, and Dr Jolly Koh. After leaving Malaya in 1960, he was honored with the National Art Gallery’s first retrospective exhibition. Harris later returned to oversee art education in Sabah before settling back in England in 1967. His works are held in the permanent collections of the National Art Gallery Malaysia and the Singapore Art Museum.