‘Protect our art to preserve history’

BY DEVID RAJAH

PETALING JAYA: Artist-sculptor Lee Kian Seng fears that art pieces depicting the nation’s history will vanish if they are not safeguarded.

Lee, whose works have gone missing on several occasions, said the management of all art galleries in the country should be reviewed and improved.

“A gallery lost my lithographs, one of them from the Hammer and Nail sculptor series, and oil paintings; and some of them remain missing till today.

Lee...'Works of art should be properly handled'

“Although the gallery compensated me for losing the lithographs at an exhibition overseas, works of art should be properly handled,” said Lee, who wants the authorities to protect all works of art.

“Our national heritage will be lost forever if art pieces depicting historical events go missing,” said Lee.

He was commenting on the Auditor-General’s 2004 Report that 127 pieces of art from the National Art Gallery could not be traced.

Lee believes the stolen art had gone on the black market.

“A collector called to inform me that one of my missing pieces was purchased from the black market,” he said, but he could not pursue the matter due to lack of evidence.

Lee, an artist for over 40 years, said if art pieces were not properly documented and protected it could alter the development of art history in the country.

“Works of art are the intellectual property of creative people and should be documented and protected,” he said.

Lee, who is also known as the father of installation art, hopes the Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry will hold dialogues with artists and associations representing them to improve the administration of art galleries and the protection of works of art.