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.Elgin Bridge was the first bridge to be built across the Singapore River in 1929 and was named after a Governor-General of India, Lord Elgin. This work depicts the Singapore River, crowded with bumboats. The river underwent a decade-long clean up from 1977, resulting in the resiting of the bumboats to Pasir Panjang.
