Georgette Chen

Life & Legacy

Georgette Liying Chendana Chen (born Chang Li Ying; 23 October 1906 – 15 March 1993), commonly known as Georgette Chen, was a Singaporean painter of the School of Paris and one of the pioneers of modern Singaporean art as well as of the Nanyang style of art in the region.
A key figure in the development of modern art in Singapore, Chen is known for her oil paintings and contributions to art education as a teacher at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) from 1954 to 1981. Prior to being based in Malaya and Singapore from the 1950s onwards, Chen often travelled between cities such as Shanghai, Paris, New York and Tokyo, which led to her fluency in English, French and many other languages. In 1982, Chen was awarded the Cultural Medallion for her contributions to the visual arts in Singapore.
On 15 March 1993, Chen died of complications from rheumatoid arthritis after an 11-year struggle with the ailment.