The Singapore Mo Yuan Tang Collection Exhibition
23.02// 09.03 2025
SG60: The Timeless Lim Tze Peng and Modern Chinese Art Paintings
in Singapore

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:
“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.”
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.
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.
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.

Lim Tze Peng, Singapore River, 2006, Ink and colour on paper, 244 x 488 cm

Lim Tze Peng, Two Women Talking, c. 1970s, Chinese ink and colour on paper, 68 x 45 cm

Lim Tze Peng, Beneath the Tropical Fruit Trees, 1972, Chinese ink and colour on paper, 45 x 65 cm

Lim Tze Peng, Coloured Calligraphy, Undated, Chinese ink and colour on paper, 100 x 103 cm
Modern Chinese Art Paintings in Singapore
Perhaps unbeknown to many younger Singaporeans today, Singapore was once an important centre for the most
significant collection of Modern Chinese paintings and calligraphy outside of China. Between the late 19th and 20th
century, several famous Chinese artists travelled to Singapore and interacted with the communities here. This
facilitated the development of a local art environment and cultivated in the process, a primary market that catered
to a community of collectors keen on acquiring Modern Chinese ink works.
Locally, these encounters spawned two generations of important collectors of Modern Chinese Art: The group of
first-generation collectors comprised Huang Manshi's Bai Shan Zhai, Tan Tsze Chor’s Xiang Xue Zhuang, Low Chuck
Tiew’s Xu Bai Zhai, and Yeo Khee Lim’s Xiu Hai Lou; the second-generation collectors are namely Cheng YC’s Ci
Quan Tang, Sim Hoay Cheok’s Xu Huai Zhai, and Chan Kok Hua’s Qiu Zhai. At the turn of the millennium, however,
many of these artworks began to flow back into the Chinese market, leading to a sharp decline in the quantity of
these works amongst the remaining collections in Singapore.
Mr. Melvin Poh began his art collecting journey in the early 2010s with works by Singapore pioneer and modern
artists, such as Cheong Soo Pieng, Chen Wen Hsi, Lim Tze Peng, Tan Choh Tee, and Ong Kim Seng. Initially anchored
around the works of Lim Tze Peng, his collecting focus quickly evolved into a passion for Modern Chinese ink
paintings and calligraphy.
Through conscious efforts as well as serendipitous encounters over the next few years, Mr. Poh has successfully
assembled a monumental collection of over 200 Modern Chinese ink works, establishing his role as an important
third-generation collector and custodian of these culturally significant artworks in Singapore. By propelling this
focus back into the Singapore collecting scene and through sharing some of these works with the public, Mr. Poh
aims to continue Singapore’s cultural legacy of being an enduring hub for Chinese ink art collection and
appreciation.


Left: Fu Baoshi. Madame Xiang, 1961, 1961, Chinese ink and colour on paper, 66 x 32 cm
Right: Qi Baishi. Balsam and Butterfly, Undated, Chinese ink and colour on paper, 88 x 38.4 cm

Xie Zhiliu. Snowy Streams, 1960, Chinese ink and colour on paper, 90.5 x 47.5 cm

Wu Guanzhong. Jiangnan Water VIllage, 1985, Chinese ink and colour on paper, 68.5 x 137 cm
About Singapore Mo Yuan Tang(星洲墨缘堂)
Melvin Poh is the Founder and Managing Director of homegrown property developer of the Fission Group. He
graduated from National University of Singapore in 1997 and has been a property developer since 2007. Apart
from property development, Mr. Poh serves as a Board Member in the non-profit organisation, Singapore Thong
Chai Medical Institute. He is also currently the Chairman and business owner of Woodlands Memorial, Singapore’s
largest funeral parlour. Mr. Poh started collecting Lim Tze Peng’s work in 2013. Since then, he had published two
books documenting his collection of Lim’s works over the years, namely Redefining the Archaic: The Art of Lim Tze
Peng, and The Brush & Ink of Tze Peng (Vol. One of Singapore Mo Yuan Tang Collection).
Melvin Poh is the Founder and Managing Director of homegrown property developer of the Fission Group. He
graduated from National University of Singapore in 1997 and has been a property developer since 2007. Apart
from property development, Mr. Poh serves as a Board Member in the non-profit organisation, Singapore Thong
Chai Medical Institute. He is also currently the Chairman and business owner of Woodlands Memorial, Singapore’s
largest funeral parlour. Mr. Poh started collecting Lim Tze Peng’s work in 2013. Since then, he had published two
books documenting his collection of Lim’s works over the years, namely Redefining the Archaic: The Art of Lim Tze
Peng, and The Brush & Ink of Tze Peng (Vol. One of Singapore Mo Yuan Tang Collection).
Private Opening
Date: Saturday, 22 February 2025
Time: 3pm
Guest-of-Honour
Exhibition Period
Date: 23 February - 9 March 2025
Time: 12–7 pm daily
Venue: ArtSpace@Helutrans | 39 Keppel Road, #01-05, Distripark, Singapore 089065
Contact Information
artcommune gallery
76 Bras Basah Road #01-01, Carlton Hotel Singapore 189558
Tel: +65 63364240 M: +65 97479046 www.artcommune.com.sg
For media enquiries or high-resolution image requests, please contact:
Ms. Valerie Anne Lim
M: +65 9820 5731 Email: valerie@artcommune.com.sg