Celebrating Art-Making at its Finest

Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), Singapore

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Themed “Celebrating art-making at its finest”, the 70th anniversary celebrations programme kicked off in April 2008. NAFA alumni, students and staff would be actively involved in the events and celebrate the Academy’s progress. Many of the events are open to public participation. Do take a moment now to browse through this website for information and updates on the anniversary celebrations programme. For enquiries, please email us.

Latest News

25.02.2009

Lim Hak Tai: Quintessential Nanyang
To pay tribute to the Academy’s founding principal, Mr Lim Hak Tai, NAFA has commissioned his son, Mr Lim Yew Kuan to produce a bronze sculpture of him which will be unveiled on Wed, 4 Mar by Dr Lee Boon Yang, Minister for Information, Communication and the Arts. The ceremony will also take place in conjunction with the renaming of NAFA Gallery 3 to ‘Lim Hak Tai Gallery’ and the official opening of the “Lim Hak Tai: Quintessential Nanyang” exhibition. The sculpture is located at NAFA Campus 1 at the doorstep of the ‘Lim Hak Tai Gallery’... more

10.12.2008

Nanyang 70 Years After
A Reunion of Artists in the Academy
The Nanyang style was pursued by artists who taught and studied at NAFA during the post-war years, after the likes of Chen Chong Swee, Chen Wen Hsi, Cheong Soon Pieng and Georgette Chen. They adopted a simple use of colours, lines and forms, inspired by the mood, the people and scenes of Southeast Asia, Nanyang. It produced a blend of classical Chinese and Western influences invoking a style uniquely “Nanyang”. ... more

Click here for online catalogue.

NAFA Celebrates 70 Years of Art-Making

南艺70载辉煌, 艺苑桃李芬芳

The year 1938 bears special significance to the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA). Specifically on 10 March 1938, a handful of 14 students commenced lessons at the then Nanyang Fine Arts College (now known as NAFA), Singapore’s first arts institution. Mr Lim Hak Tai was appointed as Principal by the School Management Committee and he had just three teachers who taught western art, sculpture and applied arts.

Today, NAFA is a pre-eminent arts institution in Singapore, playing a key role in identifying, training and grooming many of Singapore’s successful designers and performing artists. NAFA currently operates eight departments offering a staple of 14 full-time Diploma and 18 Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree programmes to over 2,000 students from diverse nationalities and ethnic backgrounds. NAFA’s School of Young Talents (SYT) offers Certificate and on-going courses in art, music, dance and drama for children and young people between 4 and 17 years of age.