LOT 33
KHOO SUI HOE
(B. Kedah, 1939)
Recollection, 1974
Signed “SUI-HOE 74” on lower right
Signed, titled and dated on verso
Oil and acrylic on canvas
86 x 86 cm
Provenance
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
Comes with a certificate of authenticity from Alpha Gallery,
Singapore affixed to the back of canvas
SOLD – RM 30,240
“I paint to glorify the gift bestowed upon me. Art is like a religion,” said Khoo Sui Hoe, and true enough, there is an omnipresent and resilient spiritual presence and aura in his paintings. Anyone familiar with his works would most definitely say that Khoo Sui Hoe has a way with the emotive power of colours and compositional qualities. It was his trademark.
His quote, “my paintings are my memory, my recollections during my childhood days in the kampong”, best describes this painting (apart from the title), he illustrates a window-like frame, set against a backdrop that is remindful of seashore, where waves crash against the sand. This window provides the opportunity to delve into Khoo’s past, his documentation of his past, his dreams, marriage, children and the like. It is calm and tranquil as one reminisces along with Khoo.
Born in 1939 in Baling, Kedah, he studied at Singapore’s prestigious Nanyang Academy of Art and then at the Pratt Graphic Center in the US. He was one of the earliest and courageous people who took the plunge of becoming a full-time artist. Through his Alpha Singapore Gallery and Alpha Utara Gallery in Penang , he has helped promote other artists. Khoo Sui Hoe has also won a lot of awards, among which are the First Prize for the 1965 Malaysian art competition, an Honourable Mention in Salon Malaysia 1969 and the Asian Arts Now Awards (twice) given by the Las Vegas Museum.