Tan Chor Tee 陈楚智

Tan Choh Tee is one of Singapore’s key second-generation artists, renowned for his impressionist style of painting. Named as the “Matisse of the East” by the Tatler (Singapore) magazine for his choice of style, the artist most often paints landscapes and still life.

Tan graduated from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 1962 and subsequently went on to attend a masterclass at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in China in 1987. He delved into full time painting in 1976, painting old Singapore landscapes to immortalize their essence in the face of rapid urbanization. In the 1980s and 1990s, Tan started venturing overseas to countries like Thailand, Indonesia, India, Nepal, Burma (now Myanmar), Cambodia and Taiwan to paint. He also went to the United States and Europe on exchange programmes. The artist received the Ministry of Culture Special Award at the National Day Art Exhibition in 1976 and went on to win the highest Singaporean accolade, the Cultural Medallion, conferred by the Government of Singapore for excellence in the arts, in 2006.

Tan’s artworks are widely demanded and have been collected by many prominent local and overseas organisations such as National Museum of Singapore, National Museum Negara Brunei Darussalam, Monetary Authority of Singapore, Nanyang University Art Museum, Union Bank Of Switzerland, Mcgraw Hill International Book Company, Mitsubishi Corporation (Singapore Branch), USA, Singapore Central Provident Fund, United Overseas Bank, Development Bank Singapore, Swiss Credit Bank, Mitsubishi Bank (Singapore Branch), Tokai Bank (Singapore Branch), Singapore Polytechnic, Dai-lchi Bank Kangyo Bank (Singapore Branch), IBM International Corporation etc.