James Phua

James Phua was born in Malaysia in 1970.He is regarded as one of most talented painters of horses in the field of contemporary international art. James Phua served as the Principal of the Malaysian National Art Gallery’s Creative Centre mentoring thousands of students and dedicating himself to art education. As an artist, James Phua, has captured the real spirit of horse and has a profound knowledge of horse anatomy. He emphasizes the study of real horses instead of following other artists’ styles. The revolutionary techniques, conceptions and style employed in his Chinese horse paintings have opened up a new horizon and perspective on the development of Chinese horse painting. What a co-incidence, the birth year of James Phua is exactly the same as the birth year of the greatest horse of the Century: Secretariat. Yet, his birth date also falls on the most important and historical date for Secretariat as it was on this date that this horse won the celebrated Triple Crown in the Belmont Stakes. These co –incidences have helped make James Phua even more of a marvelous one-of-a kind horse painting master. James Phua’s artworks are collected by state leaders, prominent figures and international art collectors. Recently his unique artworks have attracted many art collectors and investors’ attentions and his work Kentucky Derby Horse Racing was sold at a high price. James Phua created the world’s largest Chinese horse painting (12m x 6m) at Suria KLCC (beside the world’s tallest twin towers) in Malaysia on 16 January 2014.This giant masterpiece which was incredibly completed within 35 minutes has been recognized as the longest horse painting by the Malaysia Book of Records. The special miniature version (70 x 138cm) of the ‘Longest Horse Painting’ is now a collection of Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.