Synopsis

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Lim Tze Peng (b. 1921, Singapore) has been practising painting and calligraphy for almost seven decades and is one of Singapore’s most popular living artists. Since becoming a full-time artist in 1981, he has achieved critical and commercial success for his nostalgic ink compositions of Old Singapore scenes and an innovative body of calligraphy work that defies centuries-old traditions of Chinese ink art. For his invaluable contribution to Singapore’s artistic heritage, Tze Peng was conferred the Cultural Medallion by the Singapore government in 2003 and the Meritorious Service Medal in 2016.

This comprehensive publication presents the first retrospective study into Lim Tze Peng’s lifetime body of work and was published in conjunction with the milestone exhibition Redefining the Archaic: The Art of Lim Tze Peng at Artspace@Helutrans from 28 July - 12 August 2018. The book comprises 11 chapters of study by young historian, Tan Yong Jun (B.A. Hons. (Cantab) in History from the University of Cambridge) and around 200 artwork images covering the different periods of Tze Peng’s artistic trajectory, including his lesser-known works since the period of 1960s to the present.