Lee See Sin李士心 (1939 – 2021)

Born in Singapore in 1939, Lee See Sin is an accomplished painter recognised for his mastery of Western classical techniques and his contribution to Southeast Asian modernism. He graduated from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 1959 before pursuing advanced studies at l'École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris under the Atelier of masters J. Souverbie and Roger Chastel. He later honed his craft at the Art Students League of New York, working as a portrait painter in Greenwich Village.

After more than 2 decades of service as TV Designer of Radio and Television of Singapore to the Head of Design at the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (1967-1994), Lee fully dedicated himself to the arts not only as an artist but continued to play a pivotal in the arts landscape, as Vice-Principal of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (1997-1999) and later the advisor for the Academy’s Fine Arts Department. Having amassed a wide breadth of experience in the arts, he served many roles within NAFA in the capacity as Director of Nanyang Fine Arts Foundation, and was a major contributor to the arts community through service. Mr Lee was also the Executive Committee member of the Singapore Art Society and Society of Chinese Artists Singapore. His awards include the National Day Efficiency Medal (awarded by the President of Singapore), the Dr. Tan Tsze Chor Art Award from the Singapore Art Society (1990), the National Day 25 Years Long Service Medal (1993), and being a category winner in the UOB Bank Group Art Competition (1994). Lee’s works were selected for exhibitions at home and abroad and are held in prestigious collections, including the National Gallery Singapore, NUS Museum, United Overseas Bank Group, and the Singapore Embassy in Tokyo.