Lim Kim Hai was born in Malaysia in 1950. He graduated from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore in 1972 before pursuing further studies at the prestigious École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris in 1975. During his 17-year in Paris, he was actively involved in numerous group exhibitions and even held four solo exhibitions. While doing so, he received several prestigious awards, including the Golden Award from the Salon des Artistes Français in 1982 and the Golden and Public Awards from the 52nd Salon des Beaux-Arts, Enghien-les-Bains in 1987. Upon his return to Malaysia, he continued dedicating his time to his art, propelling his career further to become one of the top Malaysian artists on the international stage. He has exhibited extensively around the world and his works are highly sought after by public corporations and private collectors.

Lim is well-known for his rendition of apples on canvas. His earlier works from the 1980s depict apples in a classical style, realistically rendered in subdued tones, with an emphasis on light and shadow. Following 1986, Lim's work took on a surrealist theme. He began experimenting with colour and composition, creating dreamscapes of the popular fruit, where the apples seem to float in the infinite expanse of the universe. These apples represent human and their actions, each with their differences as indicated by the variety of tones, specks and wax surrounding the apples. The humble fruit reflects the artist’s hope for humanity: a world of peace and harmony, where our differences can co-exist in a perfect space.​​​