Malaysian and Singaporean art, French style

Johor-born Chia Yu Chian was the first artist from Malaya to gain a French government scholarship to study art in Paris at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts de Paris, from 1959-1961. This is his painting called Paris (oil paint, 1961) on display at National Visual Arts Gallery in Kuala Lumpur. Photos: The Star/Norafifi Ehsan

The French have always inspired art. Have a quick read of art history and you’ll know exactly why.

Some of the greatest artists – through the generations – have come from France. The list is a long one. However, if you’re familiar with artists like Renoir, Cezanne, Monet and Gauguin, right to people like Marc Chagall and Marcel Duchamp, you’ll understand the French imprint when it comes to art.