1. Name: Abdullah Ariff
2. Occupation: Art teacher, Water colour artist, Exhibitor
3. Date and place of birth: June 15, 1905, Penang
4. Date of deceased: 1962
5. Contributions:
- First Asian member of Penang Impressionist Society (1932-1941)
- Organiser and instructor of Anglo-Chinese School Art Club, Penang (1932-1941)
- A.R.P. artist (1940-1941)
- Chairman, Penang Teachers’ Union
- Designer, art editor of various magazines, judge of children’s art exhibition
- Committee member of British Arts Council, Penang (1954)
- Cartoonist at The Straits Echo (1954)
- Held one-man show at North Carolina and the Mint Museum of Art at Charlotte, New York, U.S.A. (1954)
- Participated in the United Society of Artists group exhibition at the galleries of the Royal Society of British Artists, London (1955)
- Served as a city councilor (1955)
- Executive member of Penang UMNO (1955)
- Committee member of Employment Exchange Service, Penang (1955)
- Established Ariff Advertising Agency (1955)
- Committee member for association for Prevention of Tuberculosis (1955-1957)
- Took part in “Le Salon” of the Society of French Artist at the galleries at Grand Palais des Champs-Elysees, France (1956)
- His painting was chosen as a personal gift to be presented to Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia’s first Prime Minister on the occasion of the Merdeka (Independence) celebrations (1957)
- Exhibited paintings in the US (early 1959)
6. Honours and Awards:
- Fellow of Royal Society of Arts
- Had a road named after him (Jalan Abdullah Ariff)
Source:
Victor J. Morais (Ed.) (1959). The Leaders of Malaya and Who’s Who 1959-1960 . Singapore: Fisher
www.penang-artists.com
