Yeoh, in a mid-1990s file photo, remained active in art throughout his life, creating paintings, ceramics and sculpture. Photo: The Star/Filepic
Yeoh Jin Leng, a towering figure in Malaysian modern art whose six-decade career in painting, sculpture and teaching helped shape the nation’s artistic landscape and intellectual discourse, died in Selangor last Friday (Aug 8) at the age of 96, the National Art Gallery (Balai Seni Negara) announced.
Born in 1929 in Kampung Pisang, Ipoh, Perak, Yeoh was among the last generation of Malaysian artists born before the war, experiencing the hardships of the Japanese occupation during World War II. When the conflict ended, he resumed his education at Anderson School, Ipoh, completing his secondary studies in 1949 at the age of 20.
