Ng Eng Teng
1934 -2001
Ng Eng Teng Gallery
NUS Museums houses the most comprehensive collection of works by a single artist
in Singapore. It consists of 760 items, spanning more than forty years of
continuous activity by the late Ng Eng Teng, Singapore foremost sculptor. On
display are about 75 sculptures, vessels, ceramic forms, maquettes, paintings
and drawings, testifying to the versatility of the artist in using a variety of
materials as well as his continuous endeavours to explore and experiment with
them.
It is as a sculptor that Ng Eng Teng had made his mark. On display are some of
his most accomplished works, such as Madonna and Child II, Looking Ahead,
Fright, Torso (Rocker), Head Profile and Red Face. These mark high points in the
artist's development. Other exhibits consist of maquettes (models for sculpture)
which provide valuable insights into the ways the artist had developed his
concepts, ceramic vessels which are remarkable in terms of their transformations
as they change their appearances, and drawings and paintings which were produced
early in the artist's career and which are known to few. The first donation of
1997 was swiftly followed by the second donation in May 1998. The third and
final donation came in October 2001, just before his untimely death.
In recognition of Ng Eng Teng's significant contribution to the intellectual and
cultural life of the NUS, the University conferred upon him the degree of
Honorary Doctor of Letters on 14 September 1998.
Crossroads: Collective Works of Second Generation Artists
NUS Museum, Ng Eng Teng Gallery
Now till Jun 2005
This exhibition features Ng Eng Teng’s works in the context of his
contemporaries working in the sixties and seventies, a significant period in
Singapore art history when local artists worked in search of a modern art form.
Apart from Ng Eng Teng himself, some of the artists featured are Anthony Poon,
Choo Keng Kwang, Seah Kim Joo, Tan Teo Kwang, and Jaafar Latiff popularly known
as the Second Generation artists. The exhibition ranges from sculptures to
paintings, some on loan from collectors and artists. A total of forty-one
artists were selected for the exhibition.
1934 Born in Singapore on 12 July
1956 Enrolled in Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
1957 First exhibition experience in group shows as a painter
1962 Met pioneer artist Georgette CHEN who encouraged him to pursue
ceramics. Enrolled in Stoke-On-Trend School of Art in England
1963 Enrolled in the Farnham School of Art
1964-66 Resident designer at Carrigaline Pottery in Ireland. Travelled around
Europe on shows
1966 Returned to Singapore. Set up shop at Joo Chiat Studio
1969 Attended ASTA Convention Exhibition in Tokyo
1970 First one-man show of sculpture and painting in Singapore
1972 Adelaide Art Festival Exhibition
1981 Awarded Cultural Medallion
1988 World Invitation Open Air Sculpture Exhibition in Seoul
1998 Conferment of Honorary Doctor of letters, NUS
2001 Died on 4 November of pneumonia at his 106 Joo Chiat Place studio
