A billionaire known for his obsession with art recently bought two Apple paintings by Malaysian artist Lim Kim Hai for RM350,000 (S$145,000) at the 2nd International Art Expo Malaysia (AEM).

What caused a stir was not the purchase, including one costing RM300,000 but the presence of the reclusive Tan Sri, making an entrance as fast as his exit and with typical iron-clad security and secrecy.

It was one of the top sales that saw this year’s art expo gross RM5.3mil in total turnover, defying early fears of poor sales in the wake of the global financial crisis.

The record attendance of 9,000, nearly double that of last year, also proved the growing interest in art despite an increase in parking fees at the Matrade Exhibition and Convention Centre.

The Expo had a double royal boost on VIP Night when both Raja Muda Perlis Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra ibni Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Putra Jamalullail and Raja Puan Muda Perlis Tuanku Lailatul Shahreen Akashah Khalil, the patron of the Art Expo Malaysia, spent hours touring the booths, talking to the artists and gallery owners and posing for pictures.

But the night also brought sad news over the death of Datuk Chuah Thean Teng, Malaysia’s world-acknowledged batik painting founder, at the age of 96. He was to have taken part in the expo together with his three sons and two grandsons, who are all artists.

This year’s AEM featured artists and galleries from Britain, Cambodia, China, France, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, South Korea, Macedonia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Venezuela and Vietnam.

The support of 26 local galleries this year was a vindication of the art expo’s growing stature despite it being the only second art fair in South-East Asia, after Art Singapore which is now in its eighth year.

Double team: Sungai Petani-based artists Loo Hooi Nam and his wife Ung Mooi Leng. Loo reported encouraging sales for his thick impasto works of waterway scenes.

The local galleries included Art Case Galleries, Pelita Hati House of Art, Artseni Gallery, Gal Tangsi Contemporary Art and City Art Gallery.

Unlike last year’s AEM which was more artist-oriented, the AEM ’08 had upgraded to wooing art galleries and entrepreneurs.

This year’s Tribute Pavilion accolade for Living Legend Artist showcased iconic 1950s works by Datuk Syed Ahmad Jamal including works such as Chairil Anuar, Winter Sun and Sungai Batu Pahat.

A special Grandmasters Pavilion also featured the works of French abstract icon Zao Wou-ki, Chinese masters Liu Hai-su and Li-Keran and Malaysian art pioneer Yong Mun Sen, while there was also a documentary/documentation of the 888-Feet Art Banner feat, a project by the AEM organisers earlier this year to mark Beijing’s hosting of the Olympic Games.

June Baharuddin opted to display only the works of Sarawak-based artist Raphael Scott Ahbeng at her Gal Tangsi while the Malaysian artists featured included Peter Liew, Loo Hooi Nam, Chong Hon Fatt, Ng Foo Cheong, Foo Yong Kong, Cheung Pooi Yip, Haron Mokhtar, Dr Wong Seng Tong, Yusof Ghani, Chiang Shih Wen, Chow Chin Chuan, Zaim Darulaman, Ch’g Huck Theng, E.H. Chee and the three Expo advisers Chung Chen Sun, Choong Kam Kow and Cheah Yew Saik.

Autistic Yeak Ping Lian also made his debut with his technically accomplished drawings.

It was also a year of sculptures with works by Malaysia’s Ramlan Abdullah, Rosli Zakaria and glass sculptor Raja Azhar Idris vying for attention with those of China/Taiwan’s Vincent J.F. Huang’s Penguin Men, Spain’s Jesus Curia (Spain’s Art To Rent), and China’s Cynical Realism statues by Chen Wen Ling (Singapore’s Ode To Art).

The South Koreans headed the foreign entries again with notable works by Lee Bung-Lyol, Son Sun-Ok, Oh Ho Sook, Heo Eun-Young, Kim Soon-Jin, Jung Yeon-Heui and Han Youn-Ki.

Spanish flair: The owners of Spain’s Art To Rent standing next to a bronze and wood sculpture by Spaniard sculptor Jesus Curia.

India made its debut with Professor Chandrakant Channe with his apocalyptic work based on the Hindu Mahabharata epic like the one evoking Ashwatthama, the perennial emissary of war and destruction, while the Philippines was represented by the Joaquin Gallery with Ramon Orlina’s crystal sculptures and Lydia Velasco’s paintings.

Indonesian artists involved included Rudy Mardijanto with his gregarious scenes of peasant community, Balinese I Wayan Gede with his abstracts and cynical portraitures, and Edi.a who was attempting the world’s thickest oil painting with a work on koi, the Japanese carps, measuring 6.5cm thick.

Promising Vietnamese artist Ngo Van Sac, who had a sold-out show last year, was back under The Art Room, while Malaysian gallery Kai Boon devoted its polished display to Indonesian artists including R.B. Setiawanta, Aidi Yupri, Mujiharjo and Suitbertus Sarwoko. Vietnam’s premier gallery Mai artists chose to parade works of Tran Huu Dung and Nguyen Van Duc.

Hungary’s father-and-son artists of Zoltan and Daniel Ludwig also returned, while Venezuela’s ArtEve Gallery displayed works of Cuban artists Enrique Wong Diaz besides home-grown Tony Palacious.

Thailand’s Asian Fine Art Co. Ltd had the Bangkok-based, German-trained Myanmar artist Smith Sein Lyn.

It is interesting to compare works by Malaysia’s finest watercolourists under the Malaysian Watercolour Society and Iranian Pegah Samaaie’s, while the National Art Gallery put up facets of Malaysian art history through its Susurmasa (Timelines) Golden Jubilee exhibition.

A special booth was created for a preview of the Henry Butcher Charity Art Auction which is scheduled in Kuala Lumpur for February.

Chldren were not left out as they had a fun time at the interactive/collaborative art project called Visualising Rukunegara.

There were also art talks by art collector-publisher Datuk Dr Tan Chee Khuan and art writer Ooi Kok Chuen and a talk-cum-workshop on Green Art by Macedonian artist Ailina Arsova.