Born in 1941 in Malaysia, Tay Chee Toh studied at Singapore’s Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and has a postgraduate degree (Oil Painting) from China. He is the recipient of numerous painting and sculpture awards, and in 1985 Tay was conferred the Government of Singapore’s Cultural Medallion Award.Following on the colourful surreal heels of ‘Window View’ and ‘Dreams’, ‘Nebula’, ‘Golden Shadow’ and ‘Flying 87’ display a quieter, more reflective mindscape scene. Often perceived as leaning too far toward decorative design, Tay's paintings are inclined to capture the essence of placing a mark in space; each stroke contributes to and builds up a palpable form in space, with capabilities of nascent movement and flight. Having moved from realism to abstract art during the 1970s and 80s, Tay won the first prize in the Abstract Art category in the 1985 UOB Painting of the Year Competition.
