SINGAPOREAN
1911 — 2004

Liu Kang was an influential Singapore first-generation artist, art educator and critic. Liu was studied at the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts under Liu Haisu, and in 1928 travelled to Paris to further his art education at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière from 1929 to 1933. It was in France where Liu was exposed to the Post-Impressionist and Fauvist movements, which later inspired his unique artistic language. In 1952, Liu, together with Chen Wen Hsi, Cheong Soo Pieng, and Chen Chong Swee, made the historic trip to Bali, which led to the development of the Nanyang style – a unique synthesis of both Western oil painting and Eastern ink painting traditions to depict Southeast Asian subjects. An influential artist, Liu was also the President of the Society of Chinese Artists and the founding President of the Singapore Art Society. Liu received the Public Service Star in 1970 and the Meritorious Service Medal in 1996 for his contributions to visual arts in Singapore. Liu’s works can be found in important private and public collections in Singapore and abroad.