Malaysian painter Khoo Sui Hoe died on May 31, 2026, at his home in North Little Rock, Arkansas, at age 86. Born in Baling, Kedah in 1939, he studied at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts under Cheong Soo Pieng, Georgette Chen, and Chen Chong Swee, and gained prominence in 1965 with the commission "Children of the Sun" for the Singapore Conference Hall. Over a six-decade career, he developed a distinctive style of stylized figures in flattened landscapes, and his works entered major collections including the National Gallery Singapore, Singapore Art Museum, and National Gallery of Victoria. He also co-founded Alpha Gallery in Singapore (1971) and Alpha Utara Gallery in Penang (2004), and initiated the Utara Group.
Khoo's death marks the loss of a pivotal figure who helped define modern art in Malaysia and Singapore, blending regional identity with international influences. His role in building artistic infrastructure—founding galleries and artist networks—strengthened the Southeast Asian art ecosystem. His legacy endures in public collections across Asia and Australia, and his practice exemplifies how artists can maintain deep local roots while engaging with global postwar art movements.