LEE SEE SIN

Lee See Sin was born in 1939. He graduated from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 1959. From 1960 to 1963, he studied at the l'École Nationale Supérieure Des Beaux Arts, Paris, under the Atelier of Prof. J. Souverbie and Prof. Roger Chastel.

He worked in Singapore Broadcasting Corporation for over 20 years. Since his retirement in 1994, he participated actively in many arts activities. He was the Honorary Secretary of NAFA Alumni Association, and Executive Committee member of the Singapore Art Society and Society of Chinese Artists. Between 1977 and 1999, See Sin was the Vice-Principal of Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.

See Sin's first solo exhibition was held in Paris, France in 1962. His works were also selected for exhibitions in the United States of America, Taiwan, China and Malaysia.

Collectors of his works spans across both private individuals and corporations in Singapore and overseas, including the Singapore Ministry of Community Development, Embassy of Singapore in Japan and United Overseas Bank in Singapore. He is currently the Advisor of Fine Art Department, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.


Education
1957-59 Studied at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
1960-63 Studied at the l'École Nationale Supérieure Des Beaux Arts Paris
1964 Sojourned in London, United Kingdom
1965-66 Studied at the Art Students' League of New York

Selected Exhibitions
1960- 1963 Participated in most of the French Salons-Exhibition in Paris.
1963 Solo Exhibition at the Galerie Foyer des Artistes, Paris
1965 XXI American Drawing Biennial Touring Exhibition, USA
1967 Participating in most art exhibitions in Singapore and overseas
1985 Singapore Art Society Taiwan Exhibition
1994 Pont de Art-Nanyang Artists in Paris, Presented by the Singapore Art Museum
1994 Singapore Art Society China Hefei Art Exhibition
1996 NAFA Alumni Association China Chaoshan Exhibition
1997 NAFA Alumni Singapore/Malaysia Art Exhibition in Kuala Lumpur
1998 NAFA 60th Anniversary Alumni Art Exhibition, Singapore
1999 Singapore and Malaysia Alumni Art Exhibition in Penang
1999 Sesshu International Art Exhibition in Japan
1999 Asean Art Exhibition 99 in Kuching, East Malaysia

Awards
1981-1994 Outstanding Creative Art Awards, NAFA Alumni Association
1989
National Day Efficiency Medal by the President of Singapore
1990 Dr. Tan Tze Chor Art Award, Singapore Art Society
1993 National Day 25 years Long Service Medal
1994 Category Winner Representational Medium. UOB Bank Group

Collections
Nanyang University Gallery, Singapore
United Overseas Bank Group, Singapore
Ministry of Community Development, Singapore
Singapore Embassy in Tokyo, Japan
Other private collections in Singapore and overseas

 

A Brief History of the NAFA Alumni Association

Since its inception in 1938, the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts has, through its art educator and pioneer principal Lim Hak Tai and other founding members weathered storms and endured hardships for decades and have groomed numerous talented artists spread out all over Singapore, Malaysia and other regions of South-east Asia. In the 1930s, it was the only fine art school set up in Malaysia.

After a period of closure during the Japanese Occupation years NAFA resumed operations in 1946. The campus was then located at 49, St. Thomas Walk. During the early years NAFA graduates who studied in the 1950s and 1960s had a deep affection for their Alma Mater. They visited the academy frequently to soak in the artistic atmosphere and even felt close to the familiar and warm rambles of Lim Hak Tai, the principal.

For a long time NAFA had to rely entirely on students' fees for survival. For a long time the salaries of the teachers remained meagre, the premises old and equipment outdated. In 1963 after the death of Lim Hak Tai, his son Lim Yew Kuan took over the post of principal and met with difficulty. Student enrolment dropped as a result of the separation of Singapore and Malaya, a new immigration ruling, the institution of the National Service, as well as economic recession. NAFA was in serious financial straits. At the end of 1973, Lim Yew Kuan made an announcement through the press that NAFA faced the crisis of closure due to financial hardship.

Chua Por Teong, then Chairman of NAFA Board of Directors, appealed to NAFA graduates and members of the Board of Directors to render support to rescue the academy. A group of graduates, headed by Song Chew Him, a board member and NAFA graduate, launched a sale of their art works to raise funds for NAFA. They held a large-scale charity art exhibition at the Victoria Memorial Hall on February 8, 1974. Fortunately with the good response from the community, they managed to raise more than S$120,000 with which to tide NAFA over for a while.

In view of the financial crisis, a group of NAFA graduates held several forums to discuss ways of helping the academy to develop, to avoid a recurrence of financial crisis and sustain the life-long devotion of Lim Hak Tai. All those involved felt it was vital to organise these graduates and direct their attention to the future of the academy to sustain its fine artistic tradition and help promote the fine art of our country.

On March 3, 1974, a 15-member team of NAFA graduates headed by Song Chwee Him sat down to hold their meeting, where they discussed the feasibility of forming an alumni association. A panel of 15 committee members was elected to form a working committee for the formation of an alumni association. Members of the working committee were : Song Chwee Him and Seah Kim Joo as chairman and vice-chairman respectively, Lee See Sin and Tan Ping Chiang as secretary (general affairs) and assistant secretary (general affairs), Gog Sin Hooi and Yah Chin Tong as treasurer and assistant treasure, Young Mun Yin and Sim Kok Huoy as Chinese and English secretaries, and committee members comprising Li Peicheng, Wang Yanshun, Khan Siong Ann, Peter Low, Leng Joon Wong, Tan Kian Por, and Lee Hock Moh. They wasted no time in preparing themselves for the launch of the alumni association.

On 18 December 1974, the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Alumni Association was formally registered with the Registry of Societies. On 14 September 1975 the association held its inaugural meeting at the Singaproe Cricket Club, where a nine-member executive council was set up, consisting of Song Chwee Him, Yah Chin Tong, Gog Sin Hooi, Tan Ping Chiang, Lee See Sin, Leng Joon Wong, Li Fengxi, Low Hai Hong, and Ho Chee Park. Song Chwee Him was unanimously voted president of the association. An inaugural art exhibition was held at the Victoria Memorial Hall from the 20th to the 23rd in association with the launch of the association and laying the foundation for the future development of NAFA Alumni Association.

Source: NAFA Alumni Association