On March 27, 2020, Abdul Latiff’s Growth I, 1968 set a world auction record by selling for £245,000 at the MODERN MADE auction in London. The oil painting is part of the artist’s most recognised series, ‘Pago Pago’. Known as Malaysia’s leading modernist painter, Latiff’s Pago Pago series consists of over 80 artworks, texts, and archival documents that encapsulate his cross cultural journey through Western and Asian societies.
London Auction House Lyon & Turnbull emphasised the significance of the work, saying “Growth I is also significant as a transitional work where [Latiff] is beginning to challenge the ascending vertical thrust of his previous works…the vertical dominance is more muted and he gives more significance to the horizontal axis…”