Born in Muar, Johor, Tan Puay Tee is a talented self-taught artist skilled in various media, such as oil painting, watercolour, woodcut print, Chinese ink painting and more. He began to explore oil painting since 1958, an artistic journey of over 60 years so far. Though self-taught, his fresh, unique style and perspective were greatly admired by the art circle, and he successfully showcased his works in invited exhibitions (1962 – 1969) and Annual Art Exhibitions (1984 – 1985) at the National Art Gallery. His works were selected for the ‘Contemporary Art in Asia’ exhibition in 1965 and the ‘Salon Malaysia’ art exhibition in 1968.

Tan Puay Tee held his first solo exhibition in 1969 back in his hometown, Muar. After that, he held further solo shows, including “A Series of Stories, A Symphony of Life” (2002) which took place in both Muar and Singapore, “Xin Yu”, Muar (2008), and “Life ∙ Bitter”, Younie Gallery, Kuala Lumpur (2012). Other notable group exhibitions include the Muar Art Society Members’ Exhibition (1972 – 95) and the Malaysian-Chinese Artists Art Exhibition, Kuala Lumpur (1985). His collectors include the National Art Gallery Malaysia, as well as numerous Malaysian and Singaporean private art collectors.