SINGAPORE – Singaporean master of social realism Chua Mia Tee, acclaimed for iconic oil paintings such as National Language Class (1959) and Epic Poem Of Malaya (1955), has died at 94.
Chua Yang, the daughter of the Cultural Medallion recipient, told The Straits Times that her father was recently hospitalised for pneumonia and died at his Bukit Timah home, surrounded by his paintings, at 8.45am on July 10.
He had suffered a stroke in 2021.
Chua Yang, who works as an obstetrician and gynaecologist at Mount Alvernia where her father was hospitalised, said: “Even in the hospital, I’ve been taking photos of him – he was still smiling for my camera. I have his last smiling photo when he was in good spirits and in a moment of energy. He’s always smiling at people who come around.”
Chua Mia Tee’s late wife Lee Boon Ngan was also an artist, who received her own posthumous show in 2025 at The Private Museum. Their daughter, who is also a photographer, adds: “He and mum had been at it the whole life, pursuing their own love and their love of realist art.
“They’ve stayed true to that lifelong passion since the 1950s. It’s a really stunning lifetime of passion and the legacy that he has left the country.”
National Language Class (1959), an oil painting on canvas by Chua Mia Tee.
PHOTO: NATIONAL GALLERY SINGAPORE
Former National Arts Council (NAC) chief executive Low Eng Teong says he met the artist in 2015, when Chua was conferred the Cultural Medallion.
“I had admired his paintings since my student days, and I was deeply touched by his acceptance speech, in which he spoke with quiet conviction about his lifelong pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty. His paintings embody those ideals, and his art will continue to inspire generations to come.”
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