KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 -- Valentine Francis Willie, the influential curator, gallery owner and arts advocate credited with helping elevate Malaysian and South-east Asian contemporary art, died in Kuala Lumpur this morning, The Star reported.

He was 71.

Born in Sabah, Willie trained as a lawyer and practised in Kota Kinabalu and Labuan before leaving the legal profession to pursue a full-time career in the arts.

During the 1990s, he curated exhibitions featuring artists including Bayu Utomo Radjikin, Awang Damit Ahmad and Yee I-Lann, helping bring greater attention to Malaysian contemporary art.

In 1996, he co-founded Valentine Willie Fine Art (VWFA) with former Sotheby's Hong Kong managing director Mee Seen Loong.

Under Willie's leader...