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| Artist Lim Tze Peng pictured at Becoming Lim Tze Peng. National Gallery Singapore, 2024. |
Discover the artistic journey of 103-year-old Lim Tze Peng, Singapore’s oldest living artist, in Becoming Lim Tze Peng, National Gallery Singapore's first solo exhibition dedicated to this national icon. Open from 25 October 2024 to 23 March 2025, the exhibition offers over 50 works showcasing Lim's nostalgic scenes of everyday Singapore and grand landscapes from around the globe.
This bilingual exhibit includes selected pieces from Singapore’s public art collection, such as a Singapore River piece from The Istana, along with rare archival materials and two previously unseen videos of Lim in his studio. From his early works in 1946 to his most recent piece in 2023, the collection includes sketches, ink paintings, and calligraphy that illustrate Lim’s dedication to his craft and evolving artistic vision.
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| Still from video documentation of Lim Tze Peng at work, 2013. Commissioned by National Gallery Singapore. |
Renowned for his innovative approach to ink painting and calligraphy, Lim has created his own distinctive style, hu tu zi (糊涂字), or “muddled calligraphy.” His work blends ancient practices with a contemporary edge, making him a vital figure in Singapore’s art history. As the fourth installment of the SG Artist series, Becoming Lim Tze Peng shines a light on a visionary artist whose creativity embodies Singapore’s post-independence spirit and modern innovation.
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| Installation view of “From Dàpō to Xiǎopō” section, Becoming Lim Tze Peng. National Gallery Singapore, 2024. |
Lim Tze Peng’s vibrant portrayals of everyday Singapore scenes are a central highlight of Becoming Lim Tze Peng. His favorite subjects — local landmarks like the Singapore River, Sultan Mosque, bustling coffee shops, and wet markets — evoke Singapore’s cultural heritage. In one section, you can explore the unique landscapes of heritage Singapore, referred to by older Chinese-speaking communities as Dàpō to Xiǎopō, stretching from Outram Park to Kampong Glam.
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| Lim Tze Peng. Singapore River II. c. 1976. Oil on canvas. 76.5 × 203 cm. Gift of the artist. Collection of National Gallery Singapore. |
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| Lim Tze Peng. Singapore River (Coleman Bridge). 1979. Ink and colour on paper, 68 × 139 cm. Istana Art Collection. |
Among the highlights are two iconic Singapore River paintings displayed side by side: Singapore River II (1976), an oil painting and the first of Lim’s donations to Singapore’s National Collection, and Singapore River (Coleman Bridge) (1979), an ink piece from the Istana Art Collection. These artworks, created three years apart, showcase Lim’s shift from oil to ink and invite viewers to compare his interpretations of the river in different mediums.
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| Lim Tze Peng. Hawker. c. 2013–2014. Ink and colour on paper. 96.5 × 96.5 cm. Gift of the artist. Collection of Chung Cheng High School (Main). |
Lim’s Hawker (2013-2014) offers a lively ink-and-color scene of a Singaporean market, fusing epigraphy, calligraphy, and painting. This recent work exemplifies his innovative blend of textured ink washes and broken brushstrokes, crafting a dynamic, harmonious portrayal of local life. Untitled (Blue Mosque) (c. Late 1970s) captures Sultan Mosque and its surroundings as Lim remembers them from the 1950s-60s, when he frequently sketched outdoors in Kampong Glam with peers, co-organizing some of the earliest public exhibitions of these neighborhoods.
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| Lim Tze Peng. Untitled (Blue Mosque). c. Late 1970. Ink and colour on paper, 68 × 68 cm. Gift of Mr & Mrs Koh Seow Chuan. Collection of National Gallery Singapore. |
Complementing the artwork are news clippings and rare photographs from the 1970s-1980s, some from Lim’s own archives, that mirror the perspectives of his paintings and capture key moments in his career. These archival materials provide a deeper look at Lim's connections to Singapore’s past.
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| Installation view of “The World Outside” section, Becoming Lim Tze Peng. National Gallery Singapore, 2024. |
Beyond scenes of everyday Singapore, Lim Tze Peng found inspiration during artistic expeditions with fellow artists, extending his creative exploration into Southeast Asia and Europe. This section of Becoming Lim Tze Peng showcases works that capture these experiences and reveal his stylistic evolution.
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| Lim Tze Peng. Ponte Vecchio, Florence. 1996. Oil on canvas. 65 x 80cm. Gift of the artist and family. Collection of Singapore Art Museum |
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| Lim Tze Peng. Venice. 1996. Oil on canvas. 65 × 80cm. Gift of the artist and family. Collection of Singapore Art Museum. |
Two pieces from a 1996 European tour, Venice and Ponte Vecchio, Florence, mark Lim’s first encounters with Europe’s architectural and artistic heritage. Organized by the Society of Chinese Artists, this twenty-day tour exposed Lim to European art traditions. Venice captures the city’s vibrancy with loose, jagged brushwork that conveys movement, while Ponte Vecchio, Florence uses bold lines to contour the iconic bridge’s architecture, gradually fading to suggest depth — a technique rooted in Tang dynasty ink painting.
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| View of the Hills. 2000. Ink and colour on paper. 66.5 × 136 cm. Gift of the artist. Collection of Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. |
View of the Hills (2000) offers a glimpse of Saorge in Southern France, painted during Lim’s Paris residency with the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. Rather than focusing on architecture, this work spotlights natural landscapes, with undulating brushstrokes reminiscent of mountain scenes in Song dynasty ink paintings.
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| Lim Tze Peng. Sumatra. 1970. Oil on canvas, 76 × 101.8 cm. Gift of Mandarin Art Galleries Pte Ltd. Collection of National Gallery Singapore. |
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| Lim Tze Peng. Lake Toba. 1970. Oil on canvas, 60 × 75 cm. Gift of the artist and family. Collection of National Gallery Singapore. |
Closer to home, two 1970 oil paintings, Sumatra and Lake Toba, highlight Indonesian scenery from Lim’s travels with the Ten Men Group. During these expeditions, Lim and fellow artists immersed themselves in local cultures, interacting with villagers and exchanging ideas with local artists. Notably, the Indonesia trip in 1970 inspired Lim’s early exploration of Chinese ink painting, as shown in rare photographs capturing Lim painting with an ink brush by Lake Toba.
Through these artworks and archival materials, visitors can journey alongside Lim as he documented landscapes and cultures across Southeast Asia and Europe from the 1960s through the 2000s.
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| Installation view of “On My Own Grounds” section, Becoming Lim Tze Peng. National Gallery Singapore, 2024. |
On My Own Grounds: Lim Tze Peng’s own rules and distinctive artistic style
The third theme of Becoming Lim Tze Peng explores Lim’s journey toward artistic freedom and his creation of a unique style rooted in his personal aesthetic and creative principles. Over his prolific career, Lim’s style evolved from realistic portrayals to expressive forms that blend various art mediums. This freedom led him to invent “hu tu zi” (糊涂字), or ‘muddled calligraphy,’ an innovative approach merging traditional calligraphy with abstract art.
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| Lim Tze Peng. [Not Titled] (Forest Path). 1985. Ink on paper. 52 × 80 cm. Gift of Mr & Mrs Koh Seow Chuan. Collection of National Gallery Singapore. |
One technique Lim developed was his use of negative space. In [Not Titled] (Forest Path) (1985), a horizontal composition with smooth and broken brush strokes, Lim captures a sense of distance and rhythm using only space, texture, and form inspired by banyan trees. Without any distinct form or color, the voids between branches and roots create visual tension, adding depth and guiding the viewer's eye.
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| Lim Tze Peng. Untitled (Calligraphy No. 7). 2008. Ink on paper. 151.4 × 85.7 cm. Collection of Singapore Art Museum. |
In Untitled (Calligraphy No. 7) (2008), Lim interprets a Tang dynasty poem by Meng Haoran with a blend of traditional Chinese cursive script and a contemporary aesthetic. This piece, composed of fluid and angular lines made with wet and dry brushwork, uses darker tones to convey weight and proximity, while lighter tones suggest distance. The empty spaces rhythmically balance the inked lines, creating visual dynamics similar to musical composition.
Lim’s personal doctrine on “A Good Painting,” recorded in one of his sketchbooks, highlights six guiding principles: aesthetics, locality, rhythm, and perception. Visitors can learn about these principles in the exhibition, gaining insight into Lim’s approach to recurring motifs.
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| Lim Tze Peng. Inroads No.1. 2006. Ink and colour on paper. 263 × 485.5 cm. Collection of Singapore Art Museum. |
One of the most notable works in the exhibit, Inroads No. 1 (2006), spans nearly five meters and showcases Lim’s mastery of ink and color. This monumental piece combines angular and curved lines with rhythmic transitions and dynamic movement. Last shown in Singapore in 2009, it later traveled to the National Art Museum of China and the Liu Haisu Art Museum, exemplifying Lim’s commitment to expanding the boundaries of traditional Chinese ink painting.
Location: Level 4 Gallery, City Hall Wing, National Gallery Singapore
Date: 25 October 2024 - 23 March 2025
Pricing: General Admission (Free for Singaporeans and Permanent Residents)
For more information on the exhibition, please visit: www.nationalgallery.sg/BecomingLimTzePeng.
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