Art at Yale-NUS College
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CONTENTS 4
Foreword
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About Hogi Hyun
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Biography of Dr. Edmund P. Pillsbury (1943–2010)
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Saga College
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Elm College
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Cendana College
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Performance Hall
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Admissions & Financial Aid and Public Affairs Office
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Centre for International & Professional Experience Office
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President’s Office
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President’s Foyer
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President’s Home
FRONT & BACK COVER Ships in an Indonesian Bay
Jacob Eduard Heemskerck van Beest
INSIDE FRONT COVER Food for Thought Eugene Soh
INSIDE BACK COVER View of Sawah at Dask
Wilhelminus Jean Frederic Imandt
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foreword
by Pericles Lewis, President of Yale-NUS College
The Yale-NUS College campus is one of courtyards punctuated by towers, set in lush landscapes; a close community of learning and social spaces, inviting entrances, and beautiful artwork from varying periods in time and different regions of the world. Our campus art matches the openness, energy, and optimism of our innovative institution. Southeast Asian elements in the wood, courtyards, and ceilings reinforce our commitment to this region and add a cosmopolitan worldview. The art at Yale-NUS College is accessible to everybody. Of course, there are environmental considerations like air conditioning and security, but at the same time we want everyone to be able to see our art. It graces the learning commons, as well as the administrative and rectors’ offices, and the Centre for International & Professional Experience (CIPE), as these are places where students, staff, and visitors frequently come and go. I feel especially fortunate that a traditional Chinese ink painting by the artistically gifted Tan Chorh Chuan, President of the National University of Singapore (NUS), hangs outside my office. In his work on Jing Hao’s Bifa ji (‘Notes on the Method for the Brush’), the Sinologist Stephen West argues that in this early Chinese text, there is a parallel between “the perfection of ethical knowledge through sustained moral action and the perfection of artistic style by tenacious practice and devotion”. In traditional Chinese painting, nature looms large and people and objects crafted by human hands are comparatively small. This style stands in sharp contrast to, for example, the sculpture of classical Athens, in which the human form is sometimes the sole celebratory focus of the artwork.My good friend Tan Chorh Chuan presents us with a vivid depiction of tremendous mountains, rolling fog, tiny houses and a small, narrow bridge: he has bestowed on us a representation of our common journey. At times we feel overpowered
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by enormous craggy mountains and thick banks of fog. Even so, we strive to build a bridge over the gorge between two rocky peaks. With the support of NUS and Yale University, we at Yale-NUS College cross divisions and transcend boundaries. In building innovation into the core structure of liberal arts and sciences education at Yale-NUS College, we seek faculty who are champions of change. By placing faculty in divisions that are inherently interdisciplinary, we strive to break down the silos inherited from the traditional nineteenth century organisation of research universities into disciplinary departments. The result is an integration of disciplines that reinforces our Common Curriculum. Because our school is in this cosmopolitan city in Asia, we bring together young men and women from a variety of backgrounds, including adventurous students from all over the world. Because our students come from far and near, and from diverse socio-economic strata, they are primed to probe traditional knowledge with open but critical minds. We are firmly committed to the free expression of ideas in all forms, of understanding particular differences and celebrating them. We have built a campus in which the arts intertwine with the broader learning of our students, and every day from our central courtyard we can see students dancing, acting, performing music, and creating art. The art we display in our colleges and our courtyards, whether it is by Sol LeWitt, Tan Chorh Chuan, Heri Dono, or Affandi, is a material representation of our collective devotion to these ideals. We are grateful to the donors who have given or loaned us so much wonderful art, and to the volunteers who have helped to curate it. I hope you enjoy this guide to the art of Yale-NUS.
about Mr. Hogi Hyun 40 paintings are currently on loan to Yale-NUS College from Mr. and Mrs. Hogi Hyun’s collection. They hang in various locations on campus. Mr. Hogi Hyun is the founder and Managing Director of Abacus Capital, an Asian investment management group. Mr. Hyun was formerly a Managing Director at Bankers Trust Company in Singapore where he established and managed corporate finance, risk management and investment management businesses for Southeast Asia. He graduated magna cum laude from Yale University in 1985 with a Bachelor of Arts in East Asian Studies and studied at the Beijing Foreign Languages Institute and Fudan University in Shanghai. He holds the Grand Diplôme from La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine in Paris. Working in Southeast Asia, Mr. Hyun has been collecting art for fifteen years as a way of keeping a long term link with the countries he visits—a connection that goes beyond business. Similar to Abacus’ ethos, his art collection reflects an awareness and knowledge of local cultures, countries and the developments within, in both finance and the artistic sphere. Mr. Hyun’s art collection spans major periods: colonial, post-colonial, modern and contemporary. Some of his oldest artworks are nearly two hundred years old, mid-1800 pieces that were made pre-photography, and served as reportage to the Netherlands, United Kingdom or France of what their colonies looked like. He is also an avid supporter of young talent—echoing his objective to help young businesses grow out of the region—investing in contemporary artists with deep experiences and the intellect and technique to communicate their perspectives.
In 2009, Mr. Hyun received the Diplôme Universitaire d’Aptitude à la Dégustation des vins (DUAD) from the Faculty of Oenology, University of Bordeaux. He finds an inherent similarity between art collection and the appreciation of fine wine. He says, “If you sit down and try to capture the description of a piece of art, or the experience of tasting wine, it’s similar. You can approximate, come up with analogies or a literal description, but it is very difficult to capture its essence.” As a Yale alumnus, Mr. Hyun has supported Yale-NUS since its conception, appreciating the groundbreaking and unique position Yale-NUS College holds as a liberal arts college in Asia. He says of Yale-NUS: “The idea of having the liberal arts in Asia is a bit controversial but a terrific idea. Perhaps underappreciated in how far it goes in terms of breaking the norm.” Having had a great experience at Yale, he stays involved in the hope of getting other young people to benefit from a similar education. Besides interviewing prospective students for Yale Admissions, he is excited about how the loan of his collection ties him to the Yale-NUS campus, faculty and students, both visually and physically.
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Dr. Edmund P. Pillsbury (1943 – 2010) The paintings Portrait of George Kuehn (by Frances Kuehn), North Philadelphia #30 and Black Tray (both by John Moore) were donated to Yale-NUS College by the Pillsbury family in memory of Dr. Edmund P. Pillsbury, known as Ted to his family. Dr. Edmund P. Pillsbury (born 28 April 1943) was a native of Minneapolis, USA. He was a Yale graduate (BA 1965) who held a PhD in Italian Renaissance Art from the University of London’s Courtauld Institute of Art. He was also a Harvard University Fellow at Villa I Tatti in Florence, 1967-69, received a six-month travel grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1974, and held a Morse Fellowship at Yale in 1975. Dr. Pillsbury’s professional training began at the National Gallery of Art in Washington (from 1966-70, as a David E. Finley Fellow) and at the Cleveland Museum of Art (1970-71, as a Ford Foundation Fellow). In 1972, he joined the staff of the Yale University Art Gallery as its first Curator of European Art and a lecturer in the History of Art faculty, where he taught courses on Italian Renaissance painting, drawing, and the rudiments of connoisseurship; he subsequently became an adjunct professor. During his years at Yale, he continued to teach and write in the field of Italian art while editing works on a variety of subjects, and presented lectures at universities and museums in the United States and abroad. At the age of thirty-two, Dr. Pillsbury was appointed to his first major management position as Director of the Yale Center for British Art and Chief Executive Officer of the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, London. During his five-year tenure (1976-80), he oversaw the completion of Louis Kahn’s award-winning building; installed the comprehensive collection of British art assembled by Paul Mellon; recruited and trained a large professional and technical staff; initiated a full range of loan exhibitions, publications, and educational services; developed and implemented strict budget controls; and recommended a series of notable acquisitions by artists as diverse as Turner Constable, Zoffany, Stubbs, Gainsborough, Blake, Millais, and Sickert, as well as Rubens, Canaletto, and other Maters. From 1980 to 1998, Dr. Pillsbury was the Director of Fort Worth’s famous Kimbell Art Museum, a midsize institution founded in 1964 that serves one of the country’s largest metropolitan and regional audiences, where he oversaw one of the nation’s most ambitious acquisition and exhibition programmes. The consistently high quality and importance of Dr. Pillsbury’s acquisitions brought international attention to the Kimbell Art Museum, whose collections now rival in scope and quality—not size—many of the finest institutions in the world. Dr. Pillsbury met his wife during his studies in Europe: Mireille, a native of Grenoble, France, whom he married in 1969. They have two children, Christine (Princeton, 1992) and Edmund III (Yale, 1998).
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SAGA COLLEGE OFFICE
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Memories
2007 Oil on canvas
Jerry Morada Paete, Laguna, The Philippines b. 1979
On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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ELM COLLEGE OFFICE
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Towering Myth 1 2009 Oil on canvas
Alfredo Esquilo Jr. Manila, The Philippines b. 1972
On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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CENDANA COLLEGE OFFICE
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Asinta
2010 Oil on canvas
Alfredo Esquilo Jr. Manila, The Philippines b. 1972
On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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PERFORMANCE HALL
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Wall Drawing #442
Asymmetrical pyramid with colour ink washes superimposed Sol LeWitt American, 1928–2007 Installation in 2015. Gifted by three founding members of the Governing Board of Yale-NUS College: Richard C. Levin, 22nd President of Yale University; Linda Koch Lorimer, former Fellow and Senior Counselor to the President and Provost, Yale University; and Roland W. Betts, former Senior Fellow of the Yale Corporation Lent by Yale University Art Gallery, Gift of the LeWitt Collection, Chester, Conn., in honour of Dorothy K. Robinson’s service as Yale University Vice President and General Counsel First installation: Sala de Exposiciones de la Fundacion, Caja de Pensiones, Madrid, May 1985 First drawn by: David Higginbotham and Joe Watanabe Current installation by Parag Bhatnagar, Alexandra Bouwsma, Samantha Chiang Siew Ting, Chua Sze Ying, Sarah Heinemann, and Yuen Yu May Angella
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Portrait of George Kuehn 1971 Acrylic on canvas
Frances Kuehn United States of America, b.1943
Donated to Yale-NUS College in memory of Dr. Edmund P. Pillsbury (Yale Class of 1965 and Founding Director of the Yale Center for British Art) by his family
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ADMISSIONS & FINANCIAL AID AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE
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Cathay
2011 Acrylic on canvas
Safaruddin Bin Abdul Hamid - Dyn Singapore b. 1977
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On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
Raffles Hotel
2013 Acrylic on canvas Safaruddin Bin Abdul Hamid - Dyn Singapore b. 1977 On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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Central Fire Station 2013 Acrylic on canvas
Safaruddin Bin Abdul Hamid - Dyn Singapore b. 1977
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On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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CENTRE FOR INTERNATIONAL & PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE OFFICE
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Food for Thought 2014 Print on canvas
Eugene Soh Singapore b. 1987
On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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Ladies of Peace
Mixed media on canvas Astari Jakarta, Indonesia b. 1953
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On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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Creatures of Eccentricity 1 (Day)
2010 Silkscreen print on KAKITA paper with hard gloss, pearl effect :phunk in collaboration with Keiichi Tanaami Singapore b. 1974
On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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PRESIDENT’S OFFICE
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Mother, Multi-tasking 2010 Oil on pelon
Alfredo Esquilo Jr. Manila, The Philippines b. 1972
On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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Untitled
2002 Acrylic on canvas Heri Dono Yogyakarta, C. Java, Indonesia b. 1960 On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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On Borrowed Skies 2008 Ink on paper
Hong Sek-Chern Singapore b. 1967 On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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PRESIDENT’S FOYER
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An Evening at the Temple
1994 Acrylic on canvas laid down on board Arie Smit Zaandam, The Netherlands b. 1916
On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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Pura
Acrylic on canvas
Arie Smit Zaandam, The Netherlands b. 1916
On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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Ships in an Indonesian Bay Oil on panel
Jacob Eduard Heemskerck van Beest Kampen, The Netherlands 1828 - 1894
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On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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The Rice Fields Oil on canvas
Leonardus Eland Salatiga, C. Java, Indonesia 1884–1952
On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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Harvest Scene near Bukittinggi Oil on board
Leonardus Eland Salatiga, C. Java, Indonesia 1884–1952
On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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Landscape Oil on board
Willem Jan Pieter van der Does Rotterdam, The Netherlands 1889–1966
On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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Country Road under Leafy Bamboos Oil on board
Carel Lodewijk Dake Jr. Schaerbeek, Belgium 1886–1946
On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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View of Sawah at Dusk Oil on canvas
Wilhelminus Jean Frederic Imandt St. Jansteen, The Netherlands 1882–1967
On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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A Mosque with Mountain in the Distance Oil on canvas laid down on board
Willem Jan Pieter van der Does Rotterdam, The Netherlands 1889–1966
On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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Spirit of the Explorer
2015 Chinese ink and colour on paper Tan Chorh Chuan Singapore b. 1959 Presented to Yale-NUS College at the inauguration of the Yale-NUS College campus on 12 October 2015
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North Philadelphia #30 1971 Oil on canvas John Moore United States of America b. 1941
Donated to Yale-NUS College in memory of Dr. Edmund P. Pillsbury (Yale Class of 1965 and Founding Director of the Yale Center for British Art) by his family.
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Black Tray
1973 Oil on canvas with pumice John Moore United States of America b. 1941
Donated to Yale-NUS College in memory of Dr. Edmund P. Pillsbury (Yale Class of 1965 and Founding Director of the Yale Center for British Art) by his family.
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Water Garden (Do Not Cry Babe!) 2010 Mixed media on canvas
Ayu Arista Murti Surabaya, Indonesia b. 1979
On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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The Last Kopitiam
2010 Print on canvas
Eugene Soh Singapore b. 1987
On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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Cost of Living 2013 Plexiglass
Eugene Soh Singapore b. 1987 On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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PRESIDENT’S HOME
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Dalang Cilik 1977 Oil on canvas
Hendra Gunawan Bandung, Indonesia 1918 - 1983
On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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Temple Complex 1969 Oil on canvas
Rusli Medan, N. Sumatra, Indonesia 1916–2005 On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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Self-portrait
1977 Spidol on paper Affandi Cirebon, Indonesia 1907–1990 On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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Portrait of a Seated Girl 1964 Ink and watercolour on silk
French School of Fine Art, Hanoi
On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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Portrait of a Girl 1973 Oil on canvas
Abdul Aziz Indonesia 1928–2002
On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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Seated Lady ca. 1960 Oil on board
Lee Man Fong Guangzhou, Canton, China 1913–1988 On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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A Portrait of Princess of Yogyakarta as a Serimpi Dancer Oil on canvas
Josephus Hubert Vos Maastricht, The Netherlands 1855–1935
On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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Self-portrait 1953 Oil on canvas
Willem Gerard Hofker The Hague, The Netherlands 1902–2002
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On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
Portrait of an Elderly Lady Oil on canvas
Dullah Solo, C. Java, Indonesia 1919–1996 On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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Wanita Berkebaya Merah 1969 Oil on canvas
Soedibio Madiun, E. Java, Indonesia 1912–1981 On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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Portrait of a Woman with a Cup of Tea
Oil on canvas
Willem Jacob Haan Amsterdam, The Netherlands 1913–1967 On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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Pasyonista 2 2006 Oil on canvas Alfredo Esquilo Jr. Manila, The Philippines b.1972 On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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Woman with a Child at a Kampong Gate Oil on canvas
Lucien Frits Ohl Sumatra, Indonesia 1904–1976
On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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Figures Working in the Ricefields Oil on canvas laid down on board
Isidoro Ancheto San Miguel, Bulacan, The Philippines 1882–1946
On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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Port Scenery
Oil on cardboard Isidoro Ancheto San Miguel, Bulacan, The Philippines 1882–1946
On loan from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hyun, Yale Class of 1985
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Art at Yale-NUS College Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Hogi Hyun, President, National University of Singapore, Prof. Tan Chorh Chuan, Ms. Christine Pillsbury President, Yale-NUS College, Pericles Lewis Executive Vice President (Institutional Affairs), Yale-NUS College, Mrs. Doris Sohmen-Pao Ms. Sohini Brandon-King Ms. Nicola Lim Ms. Karen Low Mr. Eugene Tan Ms. Karen Teo Keziah Quek (Class of 2017) Lishani Ramanayake (Class of 2018) Catalogue Design by Yap Zhi Wen (Class of 2017) Photography by Aleithia Low (Class of 2017) except Wall Drawing #442 by David Zhang (Class of 2019)
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