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1917

Born in Xiamen

1933 - 1935

Studied under Lim Hak Tai in Xiaman Academy of Fine Arts

1936

Moved to Shanghai, studied at Xinhua Academy of Fine Arts

1937

Studies stopped due to war

1942

First solo exhibition of watercolours in China

1945

Left China and visited Hong Kong and Taiwan, stayed in Macau for 6 months

1946

Moved to Singapore

1947

Started lecturing at NAFA, taught landscapes, still lifes, and figure composition in oil, watercolour, and ink media

1948

Started teaching at Chinese High School

1951

23 Nov -2 Dec: Participated in An Exhibition of Paintings by Four Singapore Artists: Liu Kang, Chen Chong Swee, Chen Wen Hsi, Chong Soo Pieng, organized by the Singapore Art Society and held in the British Council

1952

June - Aug: Trip to Bali

1953

7 - 15 Nov: Participated in the landmark exhibition Four Artists in Bali

1955

18 July: Exhibited in Imperial Institute of London, organised by Singapore Art Society

1956

9 Oct: Yi Zheng’s article ‘Notes on Malayan Painter Cheong Soo Pieng’ was published

in Nanyang Siang Pau

1956

11 - 20 Oct: Held solo exhibition Cheong Soo Pieng: Singapore Art Society at the British Council Gallery, sponsored by the Singapore Art Society and opened by Loke Wan

1956

13 Oct: Marco Hsu’s article ‘The Starting Point of Soo Pieng’s Practice’ was published

in Nanyang Siang Pau

1956

15 Oct: Cai Wenchou’s article ‘Thoughts After Viewing Cheong Soo Pieng’s Exhibition’ published in Sinchew Jit Poh

1956

23 Oct: Michael Sullivan’s translated article ‘Cheong Soo Pieng’s Paintings’ published in

Nanyang Siang Pau

1956

11- 14 Dec: Held a solo exhibition of 120 paintings in British Council, Kuala Lumpur, sponsored by the Federation of Malaya Arts Council

1957

5 - 17 Jan: Held solo exhibition of 150 paintings in Hui Aun Association, Penang, sponsored by Penang Arts Council

1959

- A 17x15ft painting commissioned for $3,000 by Telephone Board to be hung in City Exchange Building was exhibited at Singapore Constitution Exposition

- Visited Sarawak and held an exhibition in Borneo

1961

Visited Sabah

Stopped lecturing at NAFA and Chinese High School

1961

18 Oct: Left Singapore for Europe

1962

Travelled through London, Cornwall, Scotland, Luxembourg, Brussels, Paris, Amsterdam, Venice, Rome, and Munich

1962

14 - 28 March: Held solo exhibition at Frost & Reed Gallery, London

1962

2 Nov:

- Held solo exhibition at Galerie Schöniger, Munich

- Represented Singapore at Commonwealth Art Today organized by SAS, held at Commonwealth Institute in London

- Awarded the Meritorious Service Medal

- Christopher Salvesen reviewed Soo Pieng’s exhibition in The Arts Review

1963

Feb: Featured in Free World magazine

1963

23 April - 17 May: Held solo exhibition at Redfern Gallery, London

1963

June: Held solo exhibition at Bear Lane Gallery, Oxford

1963

19 July: Returned to Singapore

1963

30 Oct - 7 Nov: Held solo exhibition at Victoria Memorial Hall, organized by Singapore Art Society, opened by Loke Wan Tho

1963

30 Oct: Cao Shuming’s article ‘The Creative Style of Artist Cheong Soo Pieng’, published in the Nanyang Siang Pau

1963

31 Oct: Frank Sullivan’s feature ‘The man half-way across the bridge’ was published.

1963

4 Nov: Chen Xuehong’s feature ‘Review of Cheong Soo Pieng’s exhibition’ was published in Sinchew Jit Poh.

1964

Jan: Held solo exhibition at Chatham Galleries, Hong Kong

1964

3 - 8 June: Set up studio at 28A Zion Road, Singapore 1024.  

Held small exhibition to mark the occasion

1964

29 July - 8 Aug: Held solo exhibition at British Council Centre, Kuala Lumpur, organised by Arts Council Malaysia

1965

7 paintings were exhibited in the Malaysian Art Exhibition at Commonwealth Arts Festival in Glasgow (Sept) and Dublin (Nov)

1966

Exhibited in Malaysian Art Exhibition in London (Jan), Cologne (April/May), Berlin (Jul/Aug), Hamburg (Sep/Oct).

1966

9 - 16 Aug: Held solo exhibition at Samat Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur

1967

Exhibited in Malaysian Art Exhibition in St. Etienne (Jan) and Paris (Apr)

1967

1 - 28 Feb: Held solo exhibition and first retrospective Twenty Years of His Art in National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, exhibiting 250 works

1967

21 - 26 April: Exhibited in Sculpture 67, Singapore’s first sculpture show,

at the National Library, Singapore

1967

26 July - 12 Aug: Held solo exhibition of 30 paintings at Rudy Koman Gallery, Sydney, sponsored by Malaysia-Singapore Airlines and Rudy Koman Galleries of Sydney

1968

- Held solo exhibition at Grand Centre Art Gallery, Brisbane.

- Exhibited at Five Singapore Sculptors, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.

- Exhibited at Works of 68, Samat Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur

1969

1 - 4 Nov: Exhibited at Second Singapore Sculpture Exhibition, Victoria Memorial Hall

1971

17 Oct: Exhibited at Alpha Gallery’s inaugural 12-man exhibition

1972

16 Sept: Exhibited at 12-man exhibition at Alpha Art Gallery, commemorating the Gallery’s

first anniversary

1974

1 - 15 June:

- Held solo exhibition at Rising Art Gallery, Telok Ayer

- Exhibited in ASEAN Mobile Art and Photographic exhibition

1976

6 Nov - 5 Dec: Exhibited in Sculpture, National Museum Art Gallery

1977

Held solo exhibition in East & West Art, Victoria, Australia; Hilton Hotel Gallery, Melbourne; Manyung Gallery, Mount Eliza

1978

9 - 28 Aug: Exhibited in Singapore Artists Art Exhibition in Friendship House, Moscow

1979

Visited China

1980

- Article ‘Building a Nanyang School of Art’ published in Sinchew Jit Poh.

- Held solo exhibition at Alpha Art Gallery, Taipei

1980

11- 19 Oct: Held solo exhibition at British Council, Singapore

1980

7 July: Exhibited in 5-Man Exhibition, National Museum Art Gallery

1980

16 Nov: Chen Xuehong’s article ‘Reading Mr. Cheong Soo Pieng’s Paintings’ was published

in Nanyang Siang Pau

1981

- Held solo exhibition at National Art Gallery, Taipei

- T. K. Sabapathy’s article ‘Soo Pieng’s Style: The Nanyang Masters’ was published in

The Straits Times.

10 - 16 July: Exhibited in 6-Man Exhibition, National Museum Art Gallery

1981

1 July: Died of heart failure, buried at Choa Chu Kang Cemetery

1983

2 Aug:

- T. K. Sabapathy’s article ‘New Styles from a Turbulent Era’ was published in The Straits Times.

- Low Khee Choon’s article ‘Cheong Soo Pieng, who established the Nanyang School of Art’ was published in Lianhe Zaobao.

1983

11- 27 Nov:

- Paintings exhibited in Third Pioneer Artists of Singapore Exhibition

- Tan Tee Chie’s article ‘Thoughts on an Exhibition of the Late Cheong Soo Pieng’s Works’ published in Lianhe Zaobao.

- Cheong Soo Pieng Retrospective was held at the National Museum Art Gallery.

1983
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