Yeh doing calligraphy in his studio. Photograph courtesy of Yeh Toh Yen

Considered
 one
 of
 Singapore’s
 most
 influential
 mentors,
 teachers
 and
 innovators,
 Yeh
 Chi 
Wei 
was 
a 
well‐respected 
art 
educator
 and 
leader 
in 
the 
Singapore 
art
 scene
 in 
the 
mid‐ 20th
 century.
 
 The
 leader
 of
 the
 significant
 Ten
 Men
 Group,
 Yeh, who passed on in 1981,
 left
 a
 monumental
 mark
 on
 Singapore’s
 fledgling 
art 
scene.

Yeh 
Chi 
Wei, 
Musician, 
1975, 
Oil 
on 
canvas,
 104
x
85cm, 
Collection 
of 
National
 Heritage 
Board

Yeh
 led
 the
 Ten
 Men
 Group,
 comprising
 prominent
 artists
 such
 as
 Choo
 Keng
 Kwang
 and
 Lim
 Tze 
Peng, 
on 
painting
 expeditions
 to
 Southeast 
Asian
 and
 Asian 
countries 
in 
the
1960s 
and
 1970s.
 
 He
 was
 a
 great
 source
 of
 inspiration
 and
 encouragement
 to
 many
 artists,
 and
 was
 widely
 considered
 to
 be
 a
 true
 Singapore
 artist.
 Yeh
 drew
 inspiration
 from
 a
 wide
 range
 of
 cultural
 sources,
 such
 as
 ancient
 Chinese
 rubbings,
 carvings
 and
 Javanese
 batik.
 
 He
 created
 highly 
distinctive
 oil 
paintings
‐
works 
that 
bear
 witness 
to
 a 
powerful
 interweaving 
of 
Asian 
and
 Western
 art 
histories, 
diverse
 cultural 
sources 
and
 travels 
around 
Southeast 
Asia.

From 27 May to 12 September 2010, an exhibition, titled The Story of Yeh Chi Wei, was organised by The National Art Gallery. The exhibition, which was Yeh’s first survey show 
after 
his 
only
 solo 
exhibition 
in 
1969, showcase
d his
 artistic
 achievements
 and
 contributions
 to
 Singapore,
 as
 well
 as
 his
 celebration
 of
 Southeast
 Asia
 through
 his
 art.