Cartoonist Datuk Mohammad Nor Mohammad Khalid, better known as Lat, had the pleasure of hosting the Sultan of Selangor and his consort at the Lat House Gallery in Batu Gajah, Perak, on Oct 7.
Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj was joined by Tengku Permaisuri Selangor Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin, where they spent an hour with Mohammad Nor and his wife, Datin Faezah Ahmad Zanzawi, at the gallery that houses the cartoonist’s works since his early days in the scene decades ago.
Sultan Sharafuddin is known to admire Mohammad Nor’s work and has always been entertained by them, especially the famous ‘Kampung Boy’ series.
The Selangor Ruler also purchased an artwork by Mohammad Nor several years back, which was enlarged and placed at the Istana Darul Ehsan in Putrajaya.
Sultan Sharafuddin hoped Mohammad Nor would continue producing great and entertaining pieces, and continue to document snippets of Malaysian life, through his work.
He also hoped that Mohammad Nor’s legacy will be preserved, via the gallery, to inspire the younger generation.
For the record, Sultan Sharafuddin, in 2014, awarded the Darjah Kebesaran Dato’ Sultan Sharafuddin Shah (DSIS), which carries the title ‘Datuk’ to Mohammad Nor for his contributions to the art scene and to the nation.
On July 8, Sultan Nazrin Shah conferred Mohammad Nor the title of ‘Royal Artist’ (Seniman DiRaja). The Sultan of Perak announced this during the opening of the Lat House Gallery.
Main image (from left): Faezah, Mohammad Nor, Sultan Sharafuddin and Norashikin at the Lat House Gallery. Image from Royal Selangor Office