Background
He grew up with a fluency in Chinese and Malay language, and went on to study English and French at the Nanyang University.
陈瑞献
He grew up with a fluency in Chinese and Malay language, and went on to study English and French at the Nanyang University.
Born in Indonesia, Tan migrated to Singapore circa 1946. He began his career life as press attaché Foreign the French Embassy in Singapore, after graduating with a degree in English literature from the University. While working as an attaché he continued pursuing his passion for art
His first foray into the Singapore arts scene was with his first collection of poetry writing titled The Giant in 1968 and held his first art exhibition at the National Library on Stamford Road in 1973.
Deverge went on to organize a successful exhibition of Tan"s new creations at the Gauguin Museum in Tahiti. After 24 years with the Embassy Tan left his position to pursue art full-time.
Tan has been recognised as Singapore"s most expensive artist after he sold his oil-and-acrylic painting, When the Moon is Orbed, for approximately South$3.7m at an auction in Beijing in 2012. The painting, which took Tan five years to complete, was partially damaged by a fire in 2013.
lieutenant depicts Lee and Kwa in their youth, is based on a 1946 black-and-white photograph of the couple in Cambridge University, and incorporates in its background Tan"s poem written in memory of Kwa.
In 2012, fellow Cultural Medallion recipient Yeng Pway Ngon, the Chinese-language novelist, was ordered to pay $10,000 in damages and $20,000 in costs to Tan. Tan had accused Yeng of libelling him in a 2005 letter which the latter had sent to The Straits Times and the National Arts Council.