Anthony Poon

TributeSG

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Published: 12 Oct 2016

Updated: 27 Nov 2025

Time taken: >15mins

TributeSG

Anthony Poon

Prolific second-generation abstract artist and sculptor

Visual Arts

12 Oct 2016

27 Nov 2025

>15mins

“To some extent, everybody has artistic ability. But some don’t develop it; some just do a few paintings; some make a living out of it; some die for it.”

Anthony Poon, The Straits Times, 16 September 1981

Anthony Poon was a pioneering Singapore second-generation abstract artist. The prolific and successful modern artist and sculptor created a multitude of works, experimenting with styles such as abstract expressionism and optical art. Poon was best known for his curvilinear Wave series of works comprising two-dimensional and three-dimensional relief paintings, and for his sculptures. He was also one of the most commissioned artists of his time, and his works can be found in public spaces and public and private collections around Singapore as well as overseas. In 1990, he received the Cultural Medallion for his contributions to visual art in Singapore.

Anthony Poon was born in Singapore in 1945. He started attending the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 1961 and graduated in 1964. He went on to become an industrial artist at Singapore Glass Manufacture for three years, and pursued his artistic endeavours at the same time.

He held his first two solo exhibitions Paintings by Anthony Poon (1964) and Mixed Media (1967) at the National Library, and was involved in two group exhibitions, Southeast Asia Art at Victoria Memorial Hall (1964) and Eighth National Art Exhibition at the National Art Gallery in Kuala Lumpur (1967). His early pieces showed influences of his training at the Academy, where he was inspired by the works of Singapore pioneering artist Cheong Soo Pieng.

In 1968, Poon left Singapore to pursue further studies in the UK, first at the Byam Shaw School of Art in London on a Lee Foundation study grant as well as a scholarship from the school, and then at the Regional College of Arts in Bradford in York.

When he returned to Singapore in 1971, his practice had changed. Under the wing of the new Alpha Gallery, Poon held three solo exhibitions at the gallery and was involved in six group exhibitions from 1971 to 1978 while he worked as its manager from 1973 to 1978. After that, he became a full-time artist.

Works from this period show his enquiry into various forms of abstraction, particularly into geometric art, hard-edge painting and optical art. For instance, his first series upon his return from the UK, known as the Kite series which was conceptualised during his time overseas, was influenced by optical art. The works from this series featured flat, geometric shapes that created optical effects on shaped canvases. His Colour Theory series, developed in the ‘80s, explored chromatic ranges.

But it was his Wave series, developed from the late ‘70s, that led Poon to develop his signature style. The Wave series began as two-dimensional paintings, which later evolved into three-dimensional relief paintings (many of which were named after colour codes in the Liquitex acrylic paint colour chart) in the ‘80s. The works feature curvilinear shapes inspired by frequency waves, yet staying true to Poon’s deep and abiding interest in the harmonious balance and systematic use of art’s most basic components—form, line and colour. He received the first prize at the UOB Painting of the Year Competition in 1983 for one of his Wave paintings.

From working on the Wave relief paintings—which required among other features, the placing of metal strips under the canvas to create a three-dimensional effect—Poon progressed onto metal sculpture in the early ‘90s. From then on, his art practice focused mainly on the creation of sculptures which are meticulously and precisely rendered in metal, featuring geometric shapes, strips, ribbons and twirls in a complex interplay of form, line and colour.

Over the decades, Poon created many works and received numerous commissions from organisations such as Shell, the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts and the National Library Board as well as from overseas companies. He also served on several art advisory boards at the National Arts Council.

In 1990, he received the Cultural Medallion for his contributions to visual arts in Singapore.

In September 2006, Poon passed away from lung cancer in Singapore at the age of 61. That same year, his family donated 23 of his artworks to the Singapore Art Museum in accordance with his last wishes. Three years later, these artworks formed the key pieces in a 2009 retrospective exhibition of his works, Light and Movement Portrayed: A Tribute to the Art of Anthony Poon, held by the National Art Gallery and Singapore Art Museum.

Today, his works continue to be exhibited in public spaces and both public and private collections across Singapore and overseas in countries such as Brunei, Japan, China, Hong Kong, UK and US.

Timeline

1945

Born in Singapore

1961 to 1964

Attended Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.

1964

Solo exhibition Paintings by Anthony Poon, National Library, Singapore.

Participated in Southeast Asia Art, Victoria Memorial Hall, Singapore.

1964 to 1967

Industrial artist, Singapore Glass Manufacturer.

1967

Solo exhibition Mixed Media, National Library, Singapore.

Participated in Eighth National Art Exhibition, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

1968 to 1970

Attended Byam Shaw School of Art in London, and Regional College of Arts, Bradford, York, UK.

1969

Participated in Commonwealth Young Artists, Royal Overseas League, London, UK.

1970

Participated in Young Contemporaries, Royal Academy Galleries, London, UK.

1971

Solo exhibition: Shape Canvases, Alpha Gallery, Singapore.

1972

Participated in Modern Art 72, Modern Art Society, National Library, Singapore.

1973

Participated in Elemental Abstraction, Alpha Gallery, Singapore.

1973 to 1978

Manager, Alpha Gallery, Singapore.

1974

Participated in Art in Singapore Today, Victoria Memorial Hall, Singapore.

1975

Solo exhibition Waves Series, Alpha Gallery, Singapore.

Participated in Contemporary Artists from Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, Penang Museum, Malaysia.

1976

Received Pingat APAD, Angkatan Pelukis Aneka Daya, Singapore.

1977

Participated in Large Paintings, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore.

1978

Solo exhibition: Colour Frequency Waves, Alpha Gallery, Singapore.

Participated in Ten Contemporaries, Alpha Gallery, Singapore.

1979

Participated in 5th Festival of Asian Art, Hong Kong Museum Art Gallery, Hong Kong.

1980

Participated in Contemporary Singapore Paintings, Festival of Asian Arts, Hong Kong Museum Art Gallery.

1981

Participated in Contemporary Form, ASEAN Travelling Exhibition of Visual Art, various ASEAN countries.

1982

Participated in Contemporary Singapore Art, Singapore Festival of Arts 1982, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore.

1983

Received first prize, UOB Painting of the Year Competition, Singapore.

Participated in Singapore Art in the Seventies, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore.

1984

Participated in Singapore Art, A Decade 1974-1984, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore.

Commissioned work B-Fre Waves, R-Fre Waves, Bank of America.

1985

Participated in Second Asian Art Show, Fukuoka Art Museum, Japan.

Commissioned work Waves, Raffles City, Singapore.

1986

Won the Kallang Theatre Mural Competition, Ministry of Culture, Singapore.

Participated in Seoul, Contemporary Asian Art Show, 1986, National Museum of Modern Art, Seoul, South Korea.

1987

Received second prize, Sentosa Waterfront Sculpture Competition, Singapore.

Commissioned work Tradewind, Singapore Mass Rapid Transit Corporation, Singapore.

Participated in New Directions, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore.

1988

Participated in Singapore Contemporary Artist, Hong Kong Art Centre, Hong Kong.

1989

Participated in New Art Expo, New York, USA.

1990

Received Cultural Medallion for contributions to visual art in Singapore.

Participated in Urban Artists, National Museum Art Gallery, Singapore.

1991 to 1993

Participated in Many in One: 25 years of Singapore Art, USA.

1994

Commissioned work Rising in Unison, Bugis Junction Holdings, Singapore.

1994 to 1995

Participated in Contemporary Singapore Art, Hong Kong and seven cities in China.

1996

Participated in Contemporary Singapore Art, Soobin Gallery, Singapore.

1997

Won Sculpture Competition, United Engineers Square, Singapore.

Participated in Singapore Art 97, Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre.

1998

Won Sculpture Competition, Singapore Turf Club.

Participated in Preview of Early Works, Telok Kurau Studios, Singapore.

1999

Won Sculpture Competition, Ministry of Information and the Arts, Singapore.

Commissioned work Aspirations, Ministry of Information and the Arts, Singapore.

Participated in Brave New World, Soobin Gallery, Singapore.

1999 to 2002

Member, Art Specialist Panel, Cultural Medallion and Young Artist Award, National Arts Council.

2000

Participated in Excerpt 2000, Soobin Gallery, Singapore.

2001

Participated in Telok Kurau Studios 2001, Telok Kurau Gallery, Singapore.

2002

Received Excellence Prize, China International City Exhibition & Symposium, Beijing, China.

Vice-Chairman, Art Specialist Panel, Cultural Medallion & Young Artist Award, National Art Council.

Participated in China International City Sculpture Exhibition & Symposium (Beijing 2002), Beijing International Sculpture Park, Beijing, China.

2002 to 2005

Member, Arts Advisory Panel, National Art Council.

2002 to 2006

Member, Singapore Note and Coin Advisory Committee, Board of Commissioners of Currency, Singapore.

2003

Chairman, NAC-Telok Kurau Studios Management Committee, Singapore.

Participated in Telok Kurau Studios 2002, Telok Kurau Gallery, Singapore.

2003 to 2006

Member, Annual Grant Assessment Panel for Visual Arts, National Arts Council.

2004

Won the Sculpture Competition, Housing Development Board, Singapore.

Commissioned work Affinity, Housing Development Board, Singapore.

Participated in Crossroads: The Making of New Identities, National University of Singapore Museum.

2005

Participated in Art of the Second Generation: Beyond Fact and Fiction, NAFA Gallery, Singapore.

2006

Participated in Important Second-Generation Artists Series, DLR Gallery, Singapore.

2 Sep 2006

Passed away in Singapore at age 61.

23 artworks donated by family to Singapore Art Museum.

5 Sep 2009 to 25 Oct 2009

Retrospective exhibition Light and Movement Portrayed: A Tribute to the Art of Anthony Poon, Singapore Art Museum.

Image Gallery

Anthony Poon

TributeSG

TributeSG celebrates the arts community’s most senior members, and those who have made a lifetime of contribution to the arts. These artists, administrators, educators, patrons, and champions include many Singapore arts pioneers who laid the foundations of the vibrant arts and cultural scene we enjoy today. The many profiles in TributeSG let us into the minds and worlds of these pioneers, and help us understand our shared arts heritage. When we revisit their works and rediscover their journeys, we learn where we came from and how we came to be. Collectively, their stories tell the tale of the making of a nation’s artistic identity.

In putting together this collection, the TributeSG team consulted an external advisory panel, consisting of Arun Mahiznan, Choo Thiam Siew, J. P. Nathan, K. K. Seet, Kwok Kian Chow, and Iskandar Ismail. Those selected to be profiled in TributeSG met one of the following criteria: they were at least 60 years of age as of 12 Oct 2016, or deceased, or had received national recognition in the form of the Cultural Medallion. This journey of arts archival officially came to a close on 12 Oct 2016, after four years of extensive research, interviews and collation of information graciously provided by the TributeSG pioneers, their families and peers. TributeSG also benefited from enthusiastic help from like-minded friends and organisations who supported Esplanade’s cause—to remember, honour and celebrate Singapore’s arts pioneers.