Lee Hock Moh (1947 - )

Born in 1947 in Singapore, Lee Hock Moh is reputed as one of the top orchid painters in the Southeast Asian region. As an art student at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Lee began to paint by reproducing the works of Chen Zifen and Ren Bonian. Encouraged by his teacher, See Hiang To, Lee decided to portray subjects of local fruits and plants in his garden. It was a watershed moment that turned his love for orchids into a recurring subject in his ink painting practice. He also displays interest in bird-and-flower themes that hark back to the golden age of Chinese classical antiquity during the Song dynasty in China. Lee spent 28 years as a fine art editor at Lianhe Zaobao, contributing to its column Yi Yuan [艺苑]. In 1971, he co-founded the Siaw-Tao Chinese Seal-Carving Calligraphy and Painting Society with fellow calligraphy enthusiasts.

Following his retirement in 1998, Lee journeyed to China, incorporating the delicate, detailed brushwork of gongbi [工笔] in his renderings of lakes and mountains in Sichuan, Jiuzhai Valley and Mount Huangshan. Lee’s ethereal landscape series brought him great acclaim, marking a turning point in his forty years of artistic endeavour. Over the years of his artistic career, Lee received several notable awards from the then Ministry of Culture in Singapore and was conferred the Cultural Medallion in 1981. Lee was also awarded the Achievement Award from Siaw-Tao Chinese Seal-Carving Calligraphy and Painting Society in 2005 and the Outstanding Artist Award at the Annual National Teochew Artists Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition in 2006. Lee was also a member of the Selection Committee for the Dr Tan Tsze Chor Art Award from 2000-2009. He also served as a consultant to the Braddell Heights Constituency Arts Society.