Chen Yue Xiu 陈月秀 (1911 – 2002)
Born in China in 1911, Chen moved to Hong Kong with her family at the age of eight and was educated at the Hong Kong Academy of Fine Arts. In 1939, Chen relocated to Singapore, where she painted alongside the eminent Chinese master Xu Beihong and the Lingnan School painter Yang Shanshen.
A member of the Society of Chinese Artists in Singapore from 1940, Chen nonetheless remained largely low-profile throughout her artistic career. She worked primarily as an art educator, dedicating herself to sharing and passing on her artistic knowledge. At the age of 80, she held her first solo retrospective exhibition, a tribute to her artistic journey and a step beyond the joint exhibitions in which she had long taken part.
As there were few female artists in Nanyang during the 20th century, Chen is today recognised as one of the few women artists of her time.