Portrait of Dato Loke Wan Tho

Title
Portrait of Dato Loke Wan Tho
Creator
Year/Period
1995
Region
Singapore
Material
Dimension
Image size: 89 x 58.4 cm,
Frame size: 108.9 x 77.8 cm
Accession No.
1995-03397
Collection of

Born in 1931 in China, Chua Mia Tee migrated to Singapore in 1937. A graduate from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 1957, Chua is a highly regarded master of portrait painting. Chua has painted portraitures of prominent public figures, including presidents and prime ministers of Singapore. Besides portraitures, Chua also paints nationalistic and local scenes of Singapore, which serve as historical documentations of the nation’s changing landscape.In the 1990s, Chua was commissioned to paint portraits of eminent personalities and public figures in South East Asia. One of the best known public figures was Dato Loke Wan Tho (1915–1964), a Malaysian cinema magnate who founded the Cathay Organisation in Singapore and Malaysia. He was also an ornithologist and photographer. Dato Loke died in an air crash in Taiwan.