To commemorate Singapore’s 60 years of nation building, Singapore Mo Yuan Tang Collection is proud to present

2 breathtaking showcases, SG60: The Timeless Lim Tze Peng and Modern Chinese Art Paintings in Singapore at

ArtSpace@Helutrans from 23 February to 9 March 2025.
 

Singapore Mo Yuan Tang (星洲墨缘堂), founded by Mr. Melvin Poh, Founder and Managing Director of homegrown

property developer of the Fission Group, holds one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of Lim Tze

Peng’s work. This exhibition features over 80 paintings and calligraphy pieces by Lim spanning the period of 1960s

to the present, including recently completed works by the now 104-year-old artist.

 

Through this landmark exhibition, Singapore Mo Yuan Tang aims to commemorate SG60 together with the public

and recognise Lim’s contribution to the Singapore’s art scene since her post-independence years to the present.

As highlighted by Mr. Poh:

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“Singapore's transition to a modern economy did not wane Mr. Lim’s continued dedication to the arts. In fact, it

has strengthened his resolve to continue to innovate in his pursuit for breakthrough in his craft, just like

Singapore’s pursuit for excellence in our nation building journey. Mr. Lim's artistry has left an indelible mark on

Singapore's cultural landscape as Singapore’s urban and economic transformation has on the world.”
 

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In addition to SG60: The Timeless Lim Tze Peng, Mr. Poh will showcase around 20 Chinese ink pieces drawn from

his Singapore Mo Yuan Tang’s significant collection of Modern Chinese Art. The selection includes the works of

renowned Chinese masters like Qi Baishi, Fu Baoshi, Wu Guanzhong, Xie Zhiliu, Zhang Daqian, and Xu Beihong. In

fact, some of these Chinese artists were known to have frequented and contributed to the Singapore art scene in

our early nation building years. The inclusion of these paintings provides visitors a rare opportunity to view these

precious historical works and an important window into understanding the rich history and connections that

Singapore’s art scene had always had with Chinese artists.
 

The Singapore Mo Yuan Tang Collection Exhibition – SG60: The Timeless Lim Tze Peng and Modern Chinese Art

Paintings in Singapore will be officially opened by distinguished Guest-of-Honour, Ms. Jane Ittogi on Saturday,

22 February 2025, 3pm (Private opening, by invitation only).

 

SG 60: The Timeless Lim Tze Peng

Born in Singapore in 1921, Lim’s dedicated art journey as well as his rise to become Singapore’s most esteemed

living artist unfolded alongside Singapore’s post-independence growth from a rural to world-class cosmopolitan

city state. Lim delved into painting and calligraphy while still a teenager in the 1940s. He finally became a full-time

artist in 1981 after retiring as the principal of Sin Min School. Though largely self-taught, Lim found critical and

commercial success over the decades with an astounding body of ink work that features scenes of Old Singapore,

Balinese life, abstract trees and modern calligraphy.

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The exhibition particularly highlights an early Kampong series produced en plein air by Lim in the period of late

1960s-1980s, which coincided with the early nation-building era in post-independence Singapore. These Kampong scenes, along with other everyday sights of Chinatown, Tanjong Rhu Port and Singapore River, were fast

disappearing as the young country embarked on a swift and relentless phase of urban modernisation in the 1980s.

Lim’s paintings stand today as precious documents of a bygone era, reflecting the distinct cultural character of

early Singapore life.

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Amongst the ink paintings of Malay Kampongs and Old Singapore scenes featured in this exhibition is the largest

Singapore River piece ever accomplished by the artist. Completed in 2006 when Lim was already an octogenarian,

this large-scale ink painting measures 244 x 488 cm.