Sim Tong Khern, a Pioneer of Life Figure Drawing

Artist-educator Sim Tong Khern, one of Singapore's first "street artists" and a core member of early life drawing group, Group 90, has died aged 95.

- Clement Yong

His funeral was held at Mandai Crematorium on May 26. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.

Sim, born in Singapore in 1930, is best known for his large-scale public paintings of streets next to the Singapore River.

He was among the first Singapore artists to work en plein air, befriending pioneer watercolourists Ong Kim Seng and Lim Cheng Hoe over regular weekend outings.

Ong, 79, said Sim was a "low-key" artist who was reticent even during their meetings in the 1980s and early 1990s.

"He is someone we would call a 'Mr Nice Guy', always smiling and making a positive remark about your work and progress. I was young and words like that motivated me to work harder."

A Colombo Plan scholar in 1957, Sim was also among the first Singapore artists to further his art studies in Australia, where he formed a lifelong friendship with pioneer artist Solamalay Namasivayam.