The tightly framed face of a woman gazes directly at the viewer with a severe, even confrontational air. This self-portrait is perhaps the most famous image of Georgette Chen, the only woman in the group of painters who defined the Nanyang style in early Singapore.

She painted this work in Shanghai in 1946 at the age of 40. By this time, she had undergone hardship and loss.

When Hong Kong fell to the Japanese in 1941, the artist and her beloved husband Eugene Chen were held under house arrest. The couple were later moved to Shanghai and interned there till 1944, when Eugene died, aged 66, after a long illness.

There is a distinct sense in this portrait that this is a self-contained woman, aware of her own worth and clear in her purpose.

The careful layering of colours reflects the thoughtful and introspective nature of this self-study, and the meticulous care she took in making this work.

This is a calling card from an artist reasserting her presence in the world. By this time in her life, Chen had exhibited her works at salons in Paris and gained headway as a professional artist. The war had interrupted her life and career.

By 1947, the year after this painting was completed, she had held a solo show of more than 70 works at the Alliance Francaise, Shanghai, and married Dr Ho Yung Chi, her late husband’s former aide and a mutual friend of theirs.

By 1951, she had returned to South-east Asia after stints in New York and Paris. She came to Singapore in 1953 after divorcing Dr Ho. Besides becoming a respected educator at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, the Cultural Medallion recipient produced many of her most famous works rooted in the tropical landscape and multicultural society of Singapore.

The National Gallery Singapore staged a retrospective of her works in 2020. Georgette Chen: At Home In The World was the first major survey in 23 years and may have contributed to collector awareness of this seminal Nanyang painter.

Her still-life works of tropical fruit have been in high demand recently, breaking three records in less than a year. In August 2022, Boats And Shophouses (c. 1963 to 1965) sold for $2.02 million at Sotheby’s.

Three months later, Still Life With Rambutans, Mangosteens And Pineapple (c. 1960s) sold for $2.3 million at Christie’s. Her Still Life With Big Durian capped her achievements in July 2023, going for $2.47 million. It set a personal auction record, as well as a new high for Nanyang artists.

This work is on display at the National Gallery Singapore, DBS Singapore Gallery 1 until April 1, 2024.