Tew Nai Tong was widely regarded as perhaps the last matinee idol of the old Nanyang style. He studied at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore (1957-1958), where he was mentored by pioneering Nanyang artists Georgette Chen and Chen Wen Hsi. He later pursued oil painting and figurative studies at École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris (1967-1968), where he encountered the diverse influences of the Parisian art milieu. Tew held numerous solo exhibitions, beginning with his first at the British Council, Kuala Lumpur in 1964, and later presenting shows internationally in Singapore, South Korea, and China. His major retrospective Odyssey was presented at the National Art Gallery of Malaysia in 2007. Tew's works have been exhibited internationally across Europe, Australia, New Zealand, China, South Korea, Japan, and Bangkok. His paintings have been featured both in local auctions and at prestigious international houses such as Sotheby's and Bonhams, and are included in the permanent collections of the National Art Gallery of Malaysia and the Singapore Art Museum.

张耐冬被誉为二十一世纪南洋画风之中坚力量与代表性人物。1957至1958年就读于新加坡南洋美专,师从南洋画派先驱张荔英与陈文希;1967至1968年负笈巴黎国立高等美术学院深造油画与人物造型,浸淫巴黎艺坛多元风华。他曾于吉隆坡英国文化协会(1964)、新加坡国家图书馆 (1978)、韩国首尔(2009)等地举办个展。2007年于马来西亚国家美术馆举办大型回顾展, 2012年首度在华个展"印象南洋"于上海Loh Gallery亮相。其作品展迹遍及欧洲、澳新、中日韩及泰国,并屡现本地拍卖及苏富比、邦瀚斯等国际拍场。作品为马来西亚国家美术馆、新加坡美术馆典藏。