Chen Cheng Mei, Bumboats, 1985

Oil on canvas
59 x 73.5 cm (visible), 70 x 88 x 6 cm (framed)
Condition: Very good, with faint craquelure on areas with thicker impasto paint, consistent with the age of the work
Certificate of Authenticity and Proof of Purchase available

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Chen Cheng Mei (Singaporean, 1927–2020) was a second-generation Singaporean painter and a distinguished Nanyang Academy of Fine Art (NAFA) graduate, where she majored in Western painting in 1954. Mentored by pioneering figures of the Nanyang Style, such as Cheong Soo Pieng, Lim Hak Tai, and See Hiang Toh, Chen mastered a variety of mediums, including oil painting, ink painting, printmaking, and Chinese calligraphy, which she learned from Chui Ta Tee. Her early exposure to this artistic diversity shaped her distinctive creative voice.

After graduating, Chen worked as a French translator at the Bank of China while embarking on adventurous travels to distant locales such as Tahiti, Papua New Guinea, and Mexico during her holidays. During the 1960s and 1970s, she was one of three female artists in the Ten Men Art Group, an informal collective that journeyed through Southeast Asia to paint and seek inspiration.

An avid traveller, Chen captured the world around her with an open heart and a distinctive artistic lens. Her style, marked by its naïve approach, emphasises vivid landscapes and topographies. Her work reflects a raw authenticity and an unfiltered connection to her subjects by employing bold, block-like colours enclosed within strong, well-defined outlines. Chen's art remains a vibrant testament to her journeys and the profound influence of the places she encountered.

Exhibited: “Joie de Vivre: Chen Cheng Mei”, Lim Hak Tai Gallery, Nanyang Academy of Fine Art, Singapore, 20 February - 23 March 2014

(Photographed in January 2025)