Family Portrait

Born in China, Georgette Chen Li Ying (1906-1993) received her art education in Paris, New York and Shanghai. Chen's artistic oeuvre can be divided into three phases: French Period from 1927-1933; China-Hong Kong Period from 1934-1948 and Penang-Singapore Period from 1949-1980. Immensely inspired by her surroundings, she produced still lifes, portraits and landscapes from each phase. Settling in Singapore in 1954, she taught at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts until her retirement in 1980. Regarded as a Pioneer Artist of Singapore who developed the Nanyang Style, she was awarded the Cultural Medallion in 1982. The casual poses adopted by the figures of the young family suggest an air of intimacy and informality This work bears witness to Chen's sensitivity to reading and rendering nuances of character of her sitters. This is a rare group portrait by Chen.