Teng Nee Cheong, A Pair of Gardenias in a Water Glass, 1971

Watercolour on paper
21 x 26 cm
Condition: Very good
Certificate of Authenticity from the Estate of Teng Nee Cheong available.

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Teng Nee Cheong (Singaporean, 1951–2013) studied at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (1966–1968) under the influence of mentors like Georgette Chen and Ng Yat Chuan. Throughout his career, Teng demonstrated mastery across oil, pastel and charcoal, though it is his intimate still lifes that reveal a quieter, more contemplative strand of his practice 

In these early to mid‑career works, Teng imbued everyday produce with both formality and lyricism. Teng’s still lifes occupy an important place within his wider oeuvre, bridging his training in Nanyang figure and local landscape traditions with the more ornate, symbolic narratives he later developed. They demonstrate his capacity for attentive observation and formal refinement, serving as foundational studies in colour, shape and composition.

Teng’s early career laid the groundwork for what would become a highly individual and expressive body of work. In 1978, he received the Ministry of Culture Special Award, marking a moment of national recognition that affirmed his artistic direction. While he would go on to explore identity and queerness in later decades, his earlier works already signalled enduring interests in visual storytelling, ornamentation, and cultural synthesis—elements that would come to define his singular artistic language.

The artist's chosen focus on the colour "White' captures the essence of the Gardenia's symbolism of purity and love, grace and beauty. An early and valued work, this painting was inspired by the artist's desire to immortalise his first fond memory of this botanical plant, its classic elegance and exquisite fragrance . This ‘Gardenias’ is the only ‘in-watercolour’ piece, and the only one (of Gardenias) left from his inventory, and is a testament to Teng's technical mastery of the colour ‘white'.

(Photographed in June 2025)