LOT 80
KHOO SUI HOE
(B. Kedah, 1939)
Woman with a Man, 1993
Signed “SUI HOE” on lower right
Signed, titled and dated on verso
Oil on canvas
82 x 82 cm
Provenance
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
SOLD – RM 24,780
The Advertiser Australia once stated that Khoo Sui Hoe was a naïve figurative painter with overtones of surrealism, and that he paints scenes with mysterious dream-like figures, unmistakably oriental. It is true that Khoo Sui Hoe’s paintings that are constantly filled with mysticism and charm will transcend boundaries and become truly haunting, as seen in this piece. It is somehow filled with enchantment and meditation, as silhouettes of figures take the center stage. Framed by multiple colourful rays, it is a sublime contrast between the realm of fantasy and spirituality.
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.