Khoo Sui Hoe Sold at Auction Prices

KHOO SUI HOE : Taking, 1990

Conversely, Taking presents a more contemplative moment, where the figure painted engages in quiet interaction, reflecting on the complexities of human relationships. Khoo Sui Hoe’s works contain symbolic configurations that correspond to the dreamlike, unconscious state of mind.

KHOO SUI HOE : Bathers’ 6

In Bathers’ 6, vibrant hues and dynamic brushstrokes capture the essence of figures immersed in water, embodying the joy and freedom of summer days. The interplay of color and form creates a lively atmosphere, inviting viewers to experience the serenity of the scene. Khoo’s works merge images with familiar landscapes, integrating surrealism with abstract elements. He specifically emphasises certain details to show expressionistic hints. He is well-known for his landscapes, mask-like faces, natural shapes and objects, both figurative and imaginative, all of which are full of emotional power. The fascinating images, colours, styles and themes painted with joy on his canvas create simple yet refreshing worlds.

Khoo Sui Hoe (b. 1939) Deepavali, 1995

The religious festival Deepavali celebrates the triumph of light over darkness. In Deepavali, Khoo Sui Hoe's expression of the festival is reflected in a calming expression with a pair of soft eyes and lips with a smile. The artist employs unique textures and shadows, giving the face a sculptural quality and weight. Khoo won many admirers when he boldly and immediately went full time into art in 1961 after completing his studies at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore. In 1974, he was awarded the John D. Rockefeller III Fund grant to study at the Pratt Graphic Centre in New York. Khoo was honoured with a Retrospective and two mini-Retrospectives. The Penang State Art Gallery honoured him with a Retrospective, The Painted World Of Khoo Sui Hoe, in 2007. His minis are at The Art Gallery Penang, in 2013, of works from 1967 to 2013; and at Wisma Kebudayaan Soka Gakkai Malaysia, in August 2017, apart from two other major exhibitions at HELP Institute in 1992 and Datuk Seri Lim's Bellevue Hotel in Penang Hill in 2000. The Penang Museum Board had in 1978 already given Khoo a solo, of his works from 1963 to 1973. He was also given a two-part An Overview exhibition, the second at the Private Museum, Singapore. Recent Paintings at the prestigious Shanghai Art Museum in July 5-14 add to his stature. Khoo won Honourable Mention in the prestigious Salon Malaysia in 1969 and also 1st Prize (oil) in the Malaysian Art & Craft competition in 1965. Khoo is the spiritual leader of the Utara Group, formed in 1977. He was also a gallerist, handling the Alpha Gallery Singapore in 1972, which was revived in Penang in 2004 as the Alpha Utara Gallery.

KHOO SUI HOE : Vase Flower, 1984

“Vase Flower, 1984” by Khoo Sui Hoe is a mesmerizing masterpiece that captures the essence of nature’s beauty in full bloom. In this stunning artwork, Khoo skillfully renders a bouquet of vibrant flowers cascading from an intricately adorned vase. Each petal and leaf is delicately painted with meticulous detail, imbuing the composition with a sense of lifelike vitality. The bold use of color and dynamic brushwork infuses the scene with a captivating sense of energy and movement, while the interplay of light and shadow adds depth and dimension to the floral arrangement. “Vase Flower, 1984” is a testament to Khoo’s mastery of the medium and his ability to evoke a sense of joy and wonder through his art.

Khoo Sui Hoe (b. 1939) Nude Swim, 1999

The horizontal veneer s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-s the mood of melancholy and solitary bliss with a female nymph skinny-dipping on her side half-exposed front facing viewer. The model has a vacuous look, which diminishes any sense of sensual allure, though the luscious red lips are inviting. This is typical of Khoo Sui Hoe's somewhat awkward posture in a surreal landscape, an island in the mid-distance in what looks like a large lake. Sky, land and water. And nubile woman. In a placid setting playing on reflections, showing a strange affinity with Nature. American-based Khoo Sui Hoe was honoured with a major Retrospective, The Painted World of Khoo Sui Hoe, by the Penang State Art Gallery in 2007, followed by a mini Retrospective, given by Soka Gakkai Malaysia, in 2017. He was also given a mini-retrospective (1963-2013) by The Art Gallery Penang in 2013. He was accorded a two-part An Overview exhibition at the Private Museum, Singapore, in 2015. Sui Hoe has been a cult artist hero of sorts, becoming a full-time artist immediately after graduating from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore in 1961. He also started as a gallerist, first with the Alpha Gallery in Singapore in 1972, and revived later in Penang as the Alpha-Utara Gallery in Penang, in 2004.

KHOO SUI HOE : Little Couple - Moon River, 1978

Khoo Sui Hoe (1939) is an American-based artist born to a fine tailor and homemaker in Kedah, Malaysia. His childhood aspirations of being a journalist led to his ventures outside of Malaysia, and across the border into Singapore, where he received his initial formal art education at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 1959 as apprentice to renowned pioneer artists Georgette Chen, Cheong Soo Pieng and Lai Foong Moi. Furthering his studies in the Pratt Graphic Centre, New York, Khoo’s works are a harmonious fusion of Western influences and British Malaya (Singapore and Malaysia before independence) cultures. An avid traveller, Khoo had the opportunity to engage in intellectual discourse and exchanges with other artists and patrons, broadening his horizon as a documentary painter of communities. His artworks thus serve as documentation of his constantly evolving environment as he travels to other countries like Japan and Thailand.

Khoo Sui Hoe (b. 1939) Posing By The Beach, 1977

Gravity-defying feats are performed with the mind in a state of blissful ecstasy in solitude amidst the salubrious surroundings of Nature. Curvilinear blobs help soothe a transition to tranquillity while a sinuosity suggests smooth movements. When in this exalted state, there is a weightlessness about as the mind soars unfettered, to achieving a new equilibrium. Even the clouds, creamy yellow and like puff balls, assume curvaceous body. Such dreamy seances from the pale lime green of the figures, male and female, floating as if levitated, eyes closed seemingly disparate, yet bound by the intimacy of telepathy. The surreal landscapes of the mind is like no other landscapes known to man. This work was painted in Penang, where Khoo Sui Hoe had his first solo at the British Council in 1965, and where he had set up temporary base since 2004, in between his time in Jacksonville in the United States. Khoo Sui Hoe is the spiritual leader of the Utara Group, formed in 1977. He was a fulltime artist since graduating from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore, in 1961. He was awarded the John D Rockefeller III Fund to study at the Pratt Graphic Centre in New York in 1974. He was accorded a Retrospective, The Painted World of Khoo Sui Hoe, by the Penang State Art Gallery in 2007, and later another by Wisma Kebudayaan Soka Gakkai, Kuala Lumpur. There were mini retros of sorts, given by the Penang Museum Board, in 1978 (works from 1963-1973) and The Art Gallery Penang in 2013 (works from 1967-2013). In 2015, Khoo held a two-part An Overview exhibition, in Singapore. He won Honorable Mention in the prestigious Salon Malaysia in 1969 and also 1st Prize (Oil) in the Malaysian Art & Craft competition in 1965. He was in charge of the Alpha Gallery Singapore in 1972, which he revived in Penang in 2004 as the Alpha Utara Gallery. He was included in the Contemporary Paintings of Malaysia exhibition at the Pacific Museum in Pasadena, California, in 1988.

KHOO SUI HOE : Boys with Bird, 1965

In this particular work of Khoo Sui Hoe, ‘Boys with Bird, 1965’, the figures in the foreground are distinct for the artist’s use of light and shadow to define the characters. The painting evokes a sense of contentment to be found in companionship and the figures are portrayed to be in harmonious balance within their landscape. Khoo Sui Hoe 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 played a vital role in nurturing other artists. Khoo Sui Hoe has also won various 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.

Khoo Sui Hoe (b. 1939) Three Standing In Water, 1973

Like water nymphs, the figures emerge from the waters with the forefront dominated by red reeds flowing right. Interestingly, the faces of the 'three' figures could be poised frontal and in left and right profiles (side portraits). The side configurations are sharply etched, in contrast to the calm and composure under water despite the tide tug. The water element has a cathartic symbolism and Khoo Sui Hoe's figures are usually shown with an affinity with Nature. The tall aquatic reeds found in wetlands have practical uses, like for making flutes and thatching for old huts. Instead of green reeds, he painted red reeds. Sui Hoe's figures are enigmatic, yet simple. The British writer Austin Coates once wrote: "The peculiar quality of Khoo Sui Hoe's art is that it is withal not simply beautiful but in its own domain, entirely real." One of the first to go fulltime in art, Khoo Sui Hoe is somewhat a folk hero among artists. After his tutelage at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore, he got a John D. Rockefeller III grant to tour the United States, where he took the opportunity to study printmaking at the Pratt Graphic Centre in New York (1974). He is best known as the prime-mover behind the Utara group of artists in 1977, and had a stint as a gallerist in Singapore (Alpha Gallery) and later, Penang (Alpha Utara). When Sui Hoe was accorded a Retrospective by the Penang State Art Gallery in 2007, he already had several solos in the United States, Singapore, Thailand, Australia and Malaysia. In the 1960s, he was selected for major exhibitions such as the 1st India Triennial (New Delhi, 1968) and the 10th Sao Paulo Biennial (1969), while his works are in the national collection touring Australia and Europe, besides the Malaysian Art 1965-1978 (Commonwealth Institute, London). He had also been given a Retrospective at Wisma Kebudayaan Soka Gakkai, Kuala Lumpur, and a mini-Retros at The Art Gallery Penang (2013).

KHOO SUI HOE : Two Standing Between Leaves, Jan 1979

Khoo Sui Hoe 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 played a vital role in nurturing other artists. Khoo Sui Hoe has also won various 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. ‘Two Standing Between Leaves’ is a sublime body of work with two silhouettes of subjects in the epicentre illustrated amid nature, representing the leaves. Peace also seems to be the underlying theme with the artist’s use of green and his hallmark of rounded lips on the subject.

KHOO SUI HOE | Rainbow

89 x 75 cm ; 97 x 83.5 cm (with frame) acrylic on canvas, framed signed lower right 丘瑞河《无题》 亚克力 画布 画框 款识：Sui Hoe (右下) Bid online at https://auctions.33auction.com/lots/view/1-6R6GQU/khoo-sui-hoe-rainbow

KHOO SUI HOE | Brown rock

90 x 90 cm ; 98 x 98 cm (with frame) acrylic on canvas, framed signed lower right 丘瑞河《无题》 亚克力 画布 画框 款识：Sui Hoe (右下) Bid online at https://auctions.33auction.com/lots/view/1-6R6GQS/khoo-sui-hoe-brown-rock

KHOO SUI HOE | Untitled

61 x 61cm ; 82 x 72 cm (with frame) watercolour on paper, framed signed lower right 丘瑞河《无题》 水彩 纸本 画框 款识：Sui Hoe（右下） Bid online at https://auctions.33auction.com/lots/view/1-6EP6X1

KHOO SUI HOE | Untitled

38.5 x 37.5 cm ; 48.5 x 47 cm (overall paper) mixed media on paper, framed signed and dated 70 lower right 丘瑞河《无题》1970年作 综合媒材 纸本 画框 款识：Sui Hoe 70（右下） Bid online at https://auctions.33auction.com/lots/view/1-6EP6WZ

KHOO SUI HOE : Little Swimmer, 2005

Khoo Sui Hoe 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 played a vital role in nurturing other artists. Khoo Sui Hoe has also won various 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. Little Swimmer is a sublime body of work with a small boy in the epicentre who looks as if he is carefree represented by a medley of green hues. Peace also seems to be the underlining theme with the artists use of green and his hallmark of rounded lips on the subject. 

Khoo Sui Hoe (b. Kedah, 1939) Match Maker, 1995

Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match Find me a find, catch me a catch... The familiar refrain from the Matchmaker song in the 1971 film adaptation, Fiddler On The Roof, would have conjured different faces of Yenta the wizened matchmaker, according to ethnicities and cultures. Matchmaking in its traditional forms, xiangqin in Chinese, and the tukang risik in Malay, is passe, of course, but the digital revolution has provided singles with opportunities from dating agencies, including the more creative ‘Lunch Actually’. For the artist Khoo Sui Hoe, his stereotyped matchmaker is one with a deadpan face, rouged cheeks and rosy lips but one can sense her years. Perhaps, traditional matchmaking was practiced in the generation of his parents, but as a youth, he had struck out on his own from then agrarian Kedah to Penang and Singapore and eventually, the United States.

Khoo Sui Hoe (b. Kedah, 1939) Fishing, 1960s

Unlike the usual style of the artist this landscape depicts a steady rhythm of nature. With a boat seen floating on the river amidst the green ambiance, the person was indulging himself in his fishing activity, quietly, calmly, and patiently. Khoo Sui Hoe has been an artist all his life, defying conventions from the time he graduated from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore (1961) to his studies at the Pratt Institute in New York (1977), under the John D. Rockefeller III Fund Award. His accolades include Honourable Mention in the 1969 Salon Malaysia and twice the Asian Arts Now Awards (Las Vegas, 2002, 2004). He founded the Alpha Singapore Gallery (1972) and then the Alpha Utara Gallery in Penang (2004) but is best known for founding the Utara Group in 1977. He was honoured with a Retrospective called The Painted World of Khoo Sui-hoe, by the Penang State Art Gallery in 2007, and he had a mini reprisal at the Wisma Kebudayaan Soka Gakkai Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur in 2017. He also held a book launch at PAM (Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia) in 2017. He resides between Jacksonville, Arkansas, USA, and Penang, Malaysia.

KHOO SUI HOE : Two Dancers, 1995

In this particular work of Khoo Sui Hoe, the two faces in the foreground are distinct for the artist's use of light and shadow to decline the characters. The painting evokes a sense of contentment to be found in companionshop and the figures are portrayed to be in harmonious balance. Khoo Sui Hoe 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 played a vital role in nurturing other artists. Khoo Sui Hoe has also won various 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 Awarsds (twice) given by the Last Vegas Museum.

KHOO SUI HOE : Dayak Bride, 1995

Khoo Sui Hoe was born in 1939 in Kedah and is one of Malaysia’s foremost artists who graduated from the prestigious and highly reputable Nanyang Academy of Art in Singapore. He also studied in the United States where he obtained his education through the Pratt Graphic Centre in New York back in 1974. Khoo’s talent doesn’t go unnoticed as he has won first prize in the Oil, Malaysian Art and Craft competition in 1965, received an honourable mention in the Salon Malaysia Art competition in 1969, received the Certificate of Merits, Asian Art Now, and has had his work showcased at the Las Vegas Art Museum in 2002 and 2004.

Khoo Sui Hoe (b. Kedah, 1939) Warrior, 1995

In Warrior, Khoo Sui Hoe captures a figure that poses a calming expression with a pair of attentive eyes. Eyes that are always on alert lookout on the surroundings. The work is further enhanced by a colorful background with rainbow-like colours. Khoo won many admirers when he boldly and immediately went full time into art in 1961 after completing his studies at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore. In 1974, he was awarded the John D. Rockefeller III Fund grant to study at the Pratt Graphic Centre in New York. Khoo is a rare artist with a Retrospective and two mini-Retrospectives. The Penang State Art Gallery honoured him with a Retrospective, The Painted World Of Khoo Sui Hoe, in 2007. His minis are at The Art Gallery Penang, in 2013, of works from 1967 to 2013; and at Wisma Kebudayaan Soka Gakkai, in August 2017, apart from two other major exhibitions at HELP Institute in 1992 and Datuk Seri Lim’s Bellevue Hotel in Penang Hill in 2000. The Penang Museum Board had in 1978 already given Khoo a solo, of his works from 1963 to 1973. He was also given a two-part An Overview exhibition, the second at the Private Museum, Singapore. Recent Paintings at the prestigious Shanghai Art Museum in July 5-14 adds to his stature. Khoo won Honourable Mention in the prestigious Salon Malaysia in 1969 and also 1st Prize (Oil) in the Malaysian Art & Craft competition in 1965. Khoo is the spiritual leader of the Utara Group, formed in 1977. He was also a gallerist, handling the Alpha Gallery Singapore in 1972, which was revived in Penang in 2004 as the Alpha Utara Gallery.

KHOO SUI HOE : Boys with Bird, 1965

In this particular work of Khoo Sui Hoe, ‘Boys with Bird, 1965’, the figures in the foreground are distinct for the artist’s use of light and shadow to define the characters. The painting evokes a sense of contentment to be found in companionship and the figures are portrayed to be in harmonious balance within their landscape. Khoo Sui Hoe 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 played a vital role in nurturing other artists. Khoo Sui Hoe has also won various 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.

Khoo Sui Hoe (b. Kedah, 1939) Encounter, Riverside, 1978

Sweet dreams are made of these… two figures in apparent levitation. Eternal bliss. Good things come in pairs, as in the Chinese adage, in the cusp of Nature – Land, Sea, Mountain and Sky – what more framed by a circle. The wavy sinuous lines make for both slumber and reflection: soothing and therapeutic. When one is in love, when one is in ecstasy, one can fly. Echoes of R. Kelly’s sonorous strains of I Believe I Can Fly. I Believe I Can Fly I Believe I Can Touch The Sky. Human flotsams are one of Khoo Sui Hoe’s favourite devices recalling somewhat Marc Chagall’s rhapsodic lyricism of a world with nary a care in his native Vitebsk. But happiness is not about self-flagellation: it needs the conjunction of a partner, someone to share it with, to celebrate and cavort, to fulfil one’s existence. While the two figures seem caught in one’s own world, the consummate moment is when the twain meet. Though it’s still bliss if the two were to be lost in eternity, wrapped in the cosy cocoon. Khoo Sui Hoe is an artist all his life, defying conventions from the time he graduated from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore (1961) to his studies at the Pratt Institute in New York (1977), under the John D. Rockefeller III Fund Award. His accolades include Honourable Mention in the 1969 Salon Malaysia and twice the Asian Arts Now Awards (Las Vegas, 2002, 2004). He founded the Alpha Singapore Gallery (1972) and then the Alpha Utara Gallery in Penang (2004), but is best known for founding the Utara Group in 1977. He was honoured with a Retrospective called The Painted World of Khoo Sui-hoe, by the Penang State Art Gallery in 2007, and he had a mini reprisal at the Wisma Kebudayaan Soka Gakkai Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur in 2017. He also held a book launch at PAM (Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia) in 2017. He resides between Jacksonville, Arkansas, USA, and Penang, Malaysia.

KHOO SUI HOE : Couple in Love, 1990's

Blissfully expressionistic, Khoo Sui Hoe manages to bring balance and uniqueness into his artworks. Khoo Sui Hoe’s world is one of enchantment and mysticism, nature and magic. The mood is filled with romanticism, as two faces or masks that symbolise a couple, are in love. 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.

Khoo Sui Hoe *1939

RefMod17921 Khoo Sui Hoe *1939 Boys with bird, 1965 Öl auf Hartfaserplatte oben links signiert und datiert SUI-HOE 65 rückseitig auf Künstler-Etikette bezeichnet Boys with Bird 56 x 83,5 cm

KHOO SUI HOE : Couple in Love, 1990s

Blissfully expressionistic, Khoo Sui Hoe manages to bring balance and uniqueness into his artworks. Khoo Sui Hoe’s world is one of enchantment and mysticism, nature and magic. The mood is filled with romantisicm, as two faces or masks that symbolise a couple, are in love. 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.

Khoo Sui Hoe (b. Kedah, 1939) Lake Merah, 2002

Lake Merah captures Khoo Sui Hoe’s unique vision of nature in a poetic work exploring illusion and reality. A symbolic gate like entrance stands amidst a red lake, blending with the sky in perfect harmony. The structure is painted in rainbow like colours, while the sky and water are tinted with a reddish-brown hue. The river provided much inspiration for the artist in his later years. Khoo Sui Hoe won many admirers when he boldly and immediately went full time into art in 1961 after completing his studies at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Art in Singapore. In 1974, he was awarded the John D. Rockefeller III Fund grant to study at the Pratt Graphic Centre in New York. Khoo is a rare artist with a Retrospective and two mini-Retrospectives. The Penang State Art Gallery honoured him with a Retrospective, The Painted World Of Khoo Sui Hoe, in 2007. His minis are at The Art Gallery Penang, in 2013, of works from 1967 to 2013; and at Wisma Kebudayaan Soka Gakkai Malaysia, in August 2017, apart from two other major exhibitions at HELP Institute in 1992 and Datuk Seri Lim’s Bellevue Hotel in Penang Hill in 2000. The Penang Museum Board had in 1978 already given Khoo a solo, of his works from 1963 to 1973. He was also given a two-part An Overview exhibition, the second at the Private Museum, Singapore. Recent Paintings at the prestigious Shanghai Art Museum in July 5-14 add to his stature. Sui Hoe won Honourable Mention in the prestigious Salon Malaysia in 1969 and also 1st Prize (Oil) in the Malaysian Art & Craft competition in 1965. Khoo is the spiritual leader of the Utara Group, formed in 1977. He was also a gallerist, handling the Alpha Gallery Singapore in 1972, which was revived in Penang in 2004 as the Alpha Utara Gallery. He also exhibited at PAM Centre in 2017, and at Daiichi Art Space in 2019.

Khoo Sui Hoe (b. 1939) Girl From Up North, 1995

In Girl From Up North, Khoo Sui Hoe portrays a girl with a peaceful expression and captures the compelling inner world of the sitter. The modelling of the facial planes gives the face structure a sense of three dimensionality. The contrast of green, blue and ochre flows through the entire painting in subtle gradations. Khoo won many admirers when he boldly and immediately went full time into art in 1961 after completing his studies at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Art in Singapore. In 1974, he was awarded the John D. Rockefeller III Fund grant to study at the Pratt Graphic Centre in New York. Khoo is a rare artist with a Retrospective and two mini- Retrospectives. The Penang State Art Gallery honoured him with a Retrospective, The Painted World Of Khoo Sui Hoe, in 2007. His minis are at The Art Gallery Penang, in 2013, of works from 1967 to 2013; and at Wisma Kebudayaan Soka Gakkai, in August 2017, apart from two other major exhibitions at HELP Institute in 1992 and Datuk Seri Lim’s Bellevue Hotel in Penang Hill in 2000. The Penang Museum Board had in 1978 already given Khoo a solo, of his works from 1963 to 1973. He was also given a two-part An Overview exhibition, the second at the Private Museum, Singapore. Recent Paintings at the prestigious Shanghai Art Museum in July 5-14 add to his stature. Khoo won Honourable Mention in the prestigious Salon Malaysia in 1969 and also 1st Prize (Oil) in the Malaysian Art & Craft competition in 1965. Khoo is the spiritual leader of the Utara Group, formed in 1977. He was also a gallerist, handling the Alpha Gallery Singapore in 1972, which was revived in Penang in 2004 as the Alpha Utara Gallery. 30 x 23cm

Khoo Sui Hoe (b. 1939) To Catch A Bird, 1981-2006

It’s foolhardy to think that you can catch a bird with your bare hands, unless if the bird is badly injured or has wings that could not fly. Khoo Sui Hoe has done several versions on this theme, with the type of bird and the numbers varying. Birds have chirped into his composition since as early as 1965, with it being reduced to a simple shade (Bird Greetings, 1978), and then in 1999 Sunset Solitude, the bird still in profile has been given an eye, a nice beak and a little colour to the otherwise monotonous body. It springs from his childhood memories of playing in the padi fields and rivers. Like a crocodile, the two children lie still submerged in water with only part of the head showing, with the open palms on top of the head on the hope that the bird would somehow perch on them. Futile maybe, but it’s a fun way for a child to while away the hours. A bird stands for freedom, but to a child, a bird in hand brings out a grown man’s lust of possession, never mind if he (the child) knows how to maintain it. Sui Hoe helped set up the Utara Group in 1977. In 2004, he set up the Alpha Utara Gallery in Penang based on the Alpha Gallery he set up in Singapore in 1972. His major retrospective, the Painted World of Khoo Sui Hoe, was accorded by the Penang State Art Gallery in 2007. Other retros followed - by The Art Gallery Penang in 2013 and Soka Gakkai Malaysia in 2018, besides a two-part Overview exhibition in Singapore in 2015. He is based in Jacksonville, Arkansas. 86 x 60cm

TWO BY THE SEA - Khoo Sui Hoe

.

LAKE MERAH - Khoo Sui Hoe

.

KHOO SUI HOE : The Swimmer, 1979

Khoo Sui Hoe 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 played a vital role in nurturing other artists. Khoo Sui Hoe has also won various 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. The Swimmer is a sublime body of work with a women in the epicentre who looks as if she is adrift in her thoughts represented with various green hues. Peace also seems to be the underlining theme with the artists use of green and facial expression of the subject.

KHOO SUI HOE : Figure in Day Light, 1970

KHOO SUI HOE (b. 1939) The Blue Sky, 1984

This work features an open window displaying a fascinating gradient of blue coloured sky in the artist's perspective. The soft hues depict a scene in the late afternoon where the skies turn slightly dark but there is still a dash of blue left in the atmosphere. This piece allows the viewer to immerse in contemplation through the serene colours. Khoo won many admirers when he boldly and immediately went full time into art in 1961 after completing his studies at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Art in Singapore. In 1974, he was awarded the John D. Rockefeller III Fund grant to study at the Pratt Graphic Centre in New York. Khoo is a rare artist with a Retrospective and two mini-Retrospectives.

KHOO SUI HOE (b. 1939) Performer II, 1995

In Performer II, Khoo Sui Hoe portrays a figure with a peaceful expression and captures the compelling inner world of the sitter. The modelling of the facial planes gives the face structure a sense of three dimensionality. The contrast of green and blue flows through the entire painting in subtle gradations. Khoo won many admirers when he boldly and immediately went full time into art in 1961 after completing his studies at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Art in Singapore. In 1974, he was awarded the John D. Rockefeller III Fund grant to study at the Pratt Graphic Centre in New York. Khoo is a rare artist with a Retrospective and two mini-Retrospectives. The Penang State Art Gallery honoured him with a Retrospective, The Painted World Of Khoo Sui-hoe, in 2007. His minis are at The Art Gallery Penang, in 2013, of works from 1967 to 2013; and at Wisma Kebudayaan Soka Gakkai, in August 2017, apart from two other major exhibitions at HELP Institute in 1992 and Datuk Seri Lim's Bellevue Hotel in Penang Hill in 2000. The Penang Museum Board had in 1978 already given Khoo a solo, of his works from 1963 to 1973. He was also given a two-part An Overview exhibition, the second at the Private Museum, Singapore. Recent Paintings at the prestigious Shanghai Art Museum in July 5-14 add to his stature. Khoo won Honourable Mention in the prestigious Salon Malaysia in 1969 and also 1st Prize (Oil) in the Malaysian Art & Craft competition in 1965. Khoo is the spiritual leader of the Utara Group, formed in 1977. He was also a gallerist, handling the Alpha Gallery Singapore in 1972, which was revived in Penang in 2004 as the Alpha Utara Gallery.

KHOO SUI HOE : Figure in Day Light, 1970

Khoo Sui Hoe was born in 1939 in Kedah and is one of Malaysia's foremost artists who graduated from the prestigious and highly reputable Nanyang Academy of Art in Singapore. He also studied in the United States where he obtained his education through the Pratt Graphic Centre in New York back in 1974. Figure in Day Light shows a tough, solid figure looking up high and mighty for the coming day, represented by the bright yellow hue background. Where his artworks are concerned, Khoo Sui HoeÕs is a master of abstract and using colourful tones, which one can see that such style and technique of art expressions come through with many years of experience.

KHOO SUI HOE (b. 1939) HEADS ABOVE WATER, 1971, Oil on canvas

Two heads are better than one, and in this piece, a duo of heads emerge from the water, and their eyes tell it all — one isn’t too pleased, while the other is more mellow and laissez faire. A similar work from Sui Hoe, Coo-Coo On Top (1977), was auctioned in Henry Butcher’s recent November 2017 art auction, and was sold for RM 47,040. Khoo won many admirers when he boldly and immediately went full time into art in 1961 after completing his studies at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Art in Singapore. In 1974, he was awarded the John D. Rockefeller III Fund grant to study at the Pratt Graphic Centre in New York. Khoo is a rare artist with a Retrospective and two mini-Retrospectives. The Penang State Art Gallery honoured him with a Retrospective, The Painted World Of Khoo Sui-hoe, in 2007. His minis are at The Art Gallery Penang, in 2013, of works from 1967 to 2013; and at Wisma Kebudayaan Soka Gakkai, in August 2017, apart from two other major exhibitions at HELP Institute in 1992 and Datuk Seri Lim’s Bellevue Hotel in Penang Hill in 2000. The Penang Museum Board had in 1978 already given Khoo a solo, of his works from 1963 to 1973. He was also given a two-part An Overview exhibition, the second at the Private Museum, Singapore. Recent Paintings at the prestigious Shanghai Art Museum in July 5-14 add to his stature. Khoo won Honourable Mention in the prestigious Salon Malaysia in 1969 and also 1st Prize (Oil) in the Malaysian Art & Craft competition in 1965. Khoo is the spiritual leader of the Utara Group, formed in 1977. He was also a gallerist, handling the Alpha Gallery Singapore in 1972, which was revived in Penang in 2004 as the Alpha Utara Gallery.

Khoo Sui Hoe (B. Kedah, Malaysia, 1939) A Portrait of a Man Under the Sea, 1973

Khoo Sui Hoe , A Portrait of a Man Under the Sea, 1973 Oil on canvas 76 x 88 cm

KHOO SUI HOE (b. 1939) PRAISE OF THE DAY, 1966, Oil on masonite board

A major 1960s Khoo Sui Hoe with the pedigree of Children Of The Sun (1965), Praise Of The Day is also one of the last works in the period done on masonite board. A typical scene with evocative figures including a custodian spirit (Earth goddess) with strange postures in a surreal landscapes but with Sky, Land (Mountain) and Water pagan ritual. Here, the sole female apparition looms like a protector spirit in white, with hands upraised as if evoking some supernatural powers. The cachet of parallel lines is also another trademark of the period, of which Children Of The Sun stands arguably as Khoo Sui Hoe’s greatest in an unerring artist’s career spanning five decades. The stirring exhortations of T.S. Eliot’s poem spring to me: “Come in under the shadow of this red rock, and I will show you fear in a grain of dust.” Painted in Sungai Petani where the Kedah-born Khoo was then based in Bujang, it heralded Khoo’s painting ritual of placing the figure in a natural landscape of rocks, plants and water. No wonder the great art-ivist Frank Sullivan dubbed Khoo a “poet in paint”. Khoo, who was honoured with a Retrospective The Painted World Of Khoo Sui Hoe by the Penang State Art Gallery in 2007, will be having another Retrospective, at Wisma Soka Gakkai, Kuala Lumpur, this August. The Penang Museum Board had in 1978 already given Khoo a solo, of his works from 1963-1973. The Art Gallery Penang then mounted a mini Retrospective of his works from 1967-2013 in 2013. In 2015, Khoo held a two-part An Overview exhibition, the second at the Private Museum, Singapore, based on works still with him and those in the collection of Datuk Seri Lim Chong Keat. Chong Keat was at one time, the largest single collector of Khoo’s art since he bought two of his works in Khoo’s first solo at British Council in 1965. “The artist (Sui Hoe) often expresses a subtle humour within the plastic game of merging forms, and more obviously with postures and situations,” said Datuk Seri Lim Chong Keat.Khoo graduated from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Art in Singapore in 1961. In 1974, he received the John D Rockefeller III Fund award to study at the Pratt Graphic Centre in New York. He won Honourable Mention in the prestigious Salon Malaysia in 1969 and also 1st Prize (Oil) in the Malaysian Art & Craft competition in 1965. Khoo is also the spiritual leader of the Utara Group, formed in 1977. He was in charge of the Alpha Gallery Singapore in 1972, which was revived in Penang in 2004 as the Alpha Utara Gallery.

THE HUMAN CONDITION

Painting with frame

OVER THE RED RIVER

Painting with frame

CAMERON LANDSCAPE II

Painting with frame

CAMERON LANDSCAPE I

Painting with frame

KHOO SUI HOE Water Game, 1999 Oil on canvas

KHOO SUI HOE Water Game, 1999 Oil on canvas 76.2 x 88.9 cm

KHOO SUI HOE MALAYSIA, B. 1939) TWO LITTLE SWIMMERS oil on canvas 96.5 x 81

KHOO SUI HOE MALAYSIA, B. 1939) TWO LITTLE SWIMMERS oil on canvas 96.5 x 81.5 cm. 38 x 32 in.)

KHOO SUI HOE (b. 1939) Boy With Pink Lips, c. 1960s, Oil on board

Khoo Sui-hoe likes to do small portraits of ordinary people who could be strangers he meet in the streets. People of all races in the region. To him, it is more spontaneous and fun. The boy with fringe haircut and a prominent nose stands out, but more so for his pink lips. Ditto, the title.Sui-hoe knew he was in the right path when he won 1st Prize (Oil) in the Malaysian Art and Craft competition in 1965 and a Honourable Mention in the prestigious Salon Malaysia in 1969. He studied at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Art in Singapore, graduating in 1961. Under the John D Rockefeller III Fund award, he studied at the Pratt Graphic Centre in New York in 1974.Sui-hoe is the spiritual leader of the Utara Group, formed in 1977. He set up the Alpha Utara Gallery in Penang in 2004, along the lines of his previous Alpha Gallery, which he set up in Singapore in 1972.He was given a solo in 1978, by the Penang Museum Board, for works from 1963-73. In 2007, the Penang State Art Gallery honoured him with a Retrospective called The Painted World of Khoo Sui-hoe, which was followed by a mini retrospective of his works from 1967-2013, by The Art Gallery Penang, in 2013.In 2015, he held a two-part An Overview exhibition at the Private Museum, based on works still with him and those in the collection of Datuk Seri Lim Chong Keat.

KHOO SUI HOE (b. 1939) Two Standing, 1996, Oil on canvas

The tableaux of two female figures, often in abstract, is one of the trademarks of Khoo Sui-hoe’s oeuvre, probably because of the Chinese belief of pairs being auspicious, whether monolithic or in contrast. This work was one of five derived from one same sketch based on similar postures, which he traced with transparency and modified. The figures may be standing, sitting, reclining or literally flying, but varied to suggest resting or dancing, either complement or interacting with each other. The figures are often set in the open, with tropical lushness, but simplified, set in the mould of Man and his affinity with his natural environs.Flushed against three palm-leaf patterns which seemed to support the figures and with the horizon and sky pushed to a thin strip above, the focus is on the eternal beauty of the women with their hourglass physique.A 1st Prize (Oil) in the Malaysian Art and Craft competition in 1965 and a Honourable Mention in the prestigious Salon Malaysia in 1969, are enough to set Khoo Sui-hoe on the right path in art after graduating from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Art in Singapore in 1961. In 1974, he received the John D Rockefeller III Fund award to study at the Pratt Graphic Centre in New York.Sui-hoe is also the spiritual leader of the Utara Group, formed in 1977, and he was also in charge of the Alpha Gallery Singapore in 1972, which was revived in Penang in 2004 as the Alpha Utara Gallery.In 1978, the Penang Museum Board gave him a solo, of his works from 1963-73, and in 2007, the Penang State Art Gallery honoured him with a Retrospective called `, which was followed by a mini retrospective of his works from 1967-2013, by The Art Gallery Penang, in 2013.In 2015, he held a two-part An Overview exhibition at the Private Museum, based on works still with him and those in the collection of Datuk Seri Lim Chong Keat.

+KHOO SUI HOE | Girl with a Flower

61 X 81 cm | oil on board | signed and dated 68 lower right

KHOO SUI HOE (B. Kedah, 1939) Two at the Top, 1982 Oil on canvas

Straightforward and succinct, mysterious and dream-like are telltale signs that this most definitely is a Khoo Sui Hoe. Simplicity at its best, Khoo Sui Hoe focuses on Primitivism here, opting for only a limited palette. Two figures of women are gazing back at the viewer with an unfathomable yet impartial expression, and it gives off the impression of a cross between royalty and a sentry, gaze unwavering from all directions. Their lips are ruby red and pronounced, making this piece evoke elegance. Khoo Sui Hoe works have the ability to transcend the unconscious as seen in this piece, and despite it being primitive, it is also fresh and modern at the same time, topped with an air of surrealism. 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.