Works of local artists to be shown in Britain

Artist Cheong Soo Pieng

Artist Cheong Soo Pieng was reported this week in 1965 to be one of two from Singapore whose works would be showcased at the Commonwealth Art Festival in Britain.

Along with artist Chen Wen Hsi's paintings, Cheong's works were going to be included in a showcase of Malaysian art.

Born in Xiamen, China, Cheong studied art in Xiamen and Shanghai before moving to Hong Kong, then Singapore after World War II.

He became a lecturer at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and made a name for himself for painting in Chinese and Western styles.

He was known for paintings depicting South-east Asian scenes and became recognised as one of the pioneer Nanyang artists along with Chen, Liu Kang, Chen Chong Swee and Georgette Chen.

Cheong stood out for his way of painting Malay or Balinese women with elongated arms.

He was awarded the Meritorious Public Service Medal in 1962, and died of heart failure at age 66 in 1983.


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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on June 28, 2015, with the headline Works of local artists to be shown in Britain. Subscribe