LOT 29
CHEN WEN HSI
B. China, 1906 – 1991
Squirrel and Rambutan
Signed in Chinese character with seal of the artist on upper left
Chinese ink and watercolour on paper
33 x 44 cm
Provenance Private Collection, USA
RM 17,000 – RM 30,000
Born in China in 1906, Chen Wen Hsi is considered a pioneer in Singapore’s modern art scene. His landmark trip to Bali in 1952 with fellow pioneering artists Cheong Soo Pieng, Chen Chong Swee, and Liu Kang would later act as a fuel for developing a form of artistic representation distinctive to Southeast Asia—the Nanyang Art Style. Known for his deep love and appreciation of wildlife, Chen excelled in drawing gibbons, birds, squirrels, and fish. He is said to have kept a ‘miniature zoo’ in his garden in order to closely observe the animals’ individual characteristics and movements. Each of the featured pieces by Chen conveys a sense of natural and harmonious balance.