Valentine Willie, one of Southeast Asia’s most influential art collectors, gallerists and patrons, passed away peacefully on 9 June. He was 71.

A passionate advocate for Philippine and Southeast Asian art, Willie was widely admired not only for his vision and scholarship but also for his deep affection for the Philippines, a country he considered a second home. He delighted in Filipino food, culture and conversation — from lechon and bagoong to Delimondo corned beef and the rich traditions of Filipino Catholicism.

Born on 26 August 1954, in Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia, to a Sino-Kadazan Catholic family, Willie studied law at University College London. His lifelong love affair with art began during his student years in London, where he found refuge from the cold and the expense of heating by spending countless hours in the city’s museums, especially the National Gallery.

After returning to Malaysia in 1978, his legal career took him throughout Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand. These travels deepened both his appreciation of the region’s cultures and his commitment to collecting its art. Over the decades, he assembled an extraordinary collection of approximately 4,000 works, including paintings, sculptures, textiles and ceramics.

In 1996, he founded Valentine Willie Fine Art (VWFA), a pioneering gallery and consultancy dedicated to modern Southeast Asian art. Operating until 2013, VWFA established a presence in Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Singapore, helping shape the regional art market and introducing Southeast Asian artists to broader international audiences. Earlier this year, the gallery’s digital archive was launched, preserving its significant legacy.

Willie’s contributions to Philippine art were particularly profound. Among his landmark projects was “Faith + The City” (2000–2002), a groundbreaking survey of contemporary Filipino art featuring more than 40 artists. The exhibition toured major institutions in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Bangkok, and Manila, and is widely regarded as one of the first major presentations of contemporary Filipino art beyond Philippine shores.

In 2008, with Valeria Cavestany and Evelyn Lim Forbes, he spearheaded the establishment of Manila Contemporary, a gallery that sought to position Manila more prominently on the international art map. Under his leadership, the venue hosted memorable exhibitions, including works by internationally acclaimed artist Julian Schnabel in 2009 and Manuel Ocampo’s celebrated exhibition Painting with a Hammer to Nail the Crotch of Civilization in 2010.

He also fervently promoted Filipino artists in exhibitions throughout Southeast Asia.

Other notable initiatives included the Halo-Halo exhibitions of 2009 and 2010, which introduced his distinctive “mix-hang” approach to the Philippine audience, as well as the influential group exhibitions Monumental, Absence, and I Miss the 20th Century in 2011. These projects were made possible through collaborations with many dedicated colleagues, including Siddharta Perez, who served as exhibitions manager from 2008 to 2011, and Eva McGovern in 2013. He was the visionary for the major multi-museum exhibition of the work of Fernando Amorsolo called “His Art, Our Heart.”

Reflecting on Willie’s impact, Evelyn Lim Forbes remarked: “When Valentine Willie came to Manila to open Manila Contemporary, it signaled that the art market had arrived at a level that made Manila a destination for visitors. His vision was to place Filipino artists alongside their ASEAN counterparts and demonstrate that local artists stood as equals among their neighbors. No one had looked at it that way within our shores.”

Even after retiring at age 60, Willie remained deeply engaged in the arts, serving as Creative Director of Kuala Lumpur’s Ilham Gallery and continuing to champion both scholarship and public access to art.

In a recent interview with Nikkei Asia, he reflected a principle that guided much of his life’s work: “The key to education is making everything accessible, and accessible means free.”

Remembered as a generous host, perceptive mentor, and tireless advocate for artists, Valentine Willie leaves behind a lasting legacy across Southeast Asia’s cultural landscape. Through his vision, countless artists found audiences, institutions found inspiration, and Southeast Asian regional art found a stronger voice on the world stage.

He will be greatly missed by his family, friends, colleagues, artists, and the many communities whose lives he touched.