Chua Mia Tee, the revered realist artist known for his sympathetic depictions of Singaporeans during its formative years, has died at 94. His daughter Chua Yang confirmed that he passed away after being hospitalized for pneumonia on July 10.

No less than Singapore’s president Tharman Shanmugaratnam mourned the loss, praising Chua as a national treasure who captured everyday Singaporeans in his paintings. He also noted how Chua's work helped connect younger generations with their past.

Chua was celebrated for his portraits of ordinary people and pivotal moments in Singapore’s history, including Yusof Ishak on Singaporean currency. His contributions were so significant that the National Gallery Singapore mounted a survey exhibition of his work in 2021, calling him ‘one of the leading realist artists in Singapore’s art history.’

As a founding member of the Equator Art Society, Chua Mia Tee was instrumental in depicting social conditions and the working class. Eugene Tan, director of the National Gallery, said his death is 'a profound loss' to both contemporary art and the nation's identity.

Born in China during the Sino-Japanese War, Chua immigrated to Singapore as a child with his family. He studied at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts before becoming a teacher there, eventually receiving Singapore’s highest cultural award, the Cultural Medallion, in 2015.