Tan Swie Hian | |
|---|---|
| 陈瑞献 | |
 Tan in 2014 | |
| Born | (1943-05-05)5 May 1943 (age 81) |
| Nationality | Singapore |
| Alma mater | Nanyang University CurrentNational University of Singapore |
| Known for | Contemporaryink wash painting |
| Website | tanswiehian.sg |
Tan Swie Hian (simplified Chinese:陈瑞献;traditional Chinese:陳瑞獻;pinyin:Chén Ruì Xiàn;Pe̍h-ōe-jī:Tân Suī-hiàn) is a Singaporean multidisciplinary artist known for his contemporaryChinese calligraphy,Chinese poetry andcontemporary artsculptures found in Singapore and many parts of the world.
Born in Indonesia, Tan migrated to Singapore circa 1946. He grew up with a fluency in Chinese and Malay, and went on to study English and French atNanyang University.[1] He began his career as a press attaché for 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 writings titledThe Giant in 1968[1] and held his first art exhibition at theNational Library onStamford Road in 1973. He also converted his faith toBuddhism that year; his newfound spiritual experience outweighed his passion for the arts that made him give up painting for the next four years. It was only when the then–French Embassy cultural attaché Michel Deverge threatened to end their friendship if he did not pursue his art again, that Tan resume painting. Deverge went on to organize a successful exhibition of Tan's new creations at thePaul Gauguin Museum inTahiti.[2] After 24 years with the embassy, Tan left his position to pursue art full-time.
Since his first poetry collectionThe Giant in 1968, Tan has authored 35 publications of poetry, essays and stories. In 1978, Tan was conferred with France'sChevalier of theOrdre des Arts et des Lettres for his initiatory Chinese translations of works bySamuel Beckett and Romanian writerMarin Sorescu. In 1987, he was awarded theCultural Medallion in Singapore. In 1998, he won the Marin Sorescu International Poetry Prize inRomania.[3]
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 S$3.7m at an auction in Beijing in 2012. In 2014, he surpassed his previous record after his ink on rice paper work entitledPortrait of Bada Shanren sold for S$4.4m.[4]
In October 2014, Tan completed a painting of former Prime MinisterLee Kuan Yew and his late wifeKwa Geok Choo entitledA Couple. The painting, which took Tan five years to complete, was partially damaged by a fire in 2013. It depicts Lee and Kwa in their youth, is based on a 1946 black-and-white photograph of the couple in theUniversity of Cambridge, and incorporates in its background Tan's poem written in memory of Kwa. Tan said, "I've always felt [Madam Kwa] was a great woman who, despite her intelligence and capability, was also a humble and dedicated wife."A Couple was purchased by art collector Wu Hsioh Kwang.[5]
In 2012, Chinese-language novelistYeng Pway Ngon 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 toThe Straits Times and theNational Arts Council.[6]
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