Hard work and an endearing resolve to focus on simplicity while shunning the fancy and stereotypical have earned Tay fame and acclaim (Photo: Shahrin Yahya/ The Edge)
Circumstance set Eng Tay on the path into art, while chance paved the way. When he retraces a journey that began 58 years ago, you sense amazement and gratitude over how the road taken led to New York, where he made his name creating inimitable oil paintings, sculptures and etchings that capture moments in time.
Part of the reason he became an artist was because he had no choice, says Tay, who was born in Bukit Besar, Kedah, on Aug 29, 1947. Life was simple in the isolated village where the buses stopped running at 6pm and he spent school breaks minding his father’s sundry store.
“I did terrible in school but there was no one to ask. I had no connection with the outside world and no communication with my father and brother. That’s how Chinese families were. Even if they cared, it was all kept inside.”
But he was blessed to meet kooi jin, Hokkien for someone who reaches out a hand in times of need or pushes you to the next level.
During Tay’s last year of school in Alor Setar, his art teacher Lee Long Looi, a graduate of Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts who was headed for the Art Students League in New York, shared a lot of information with him. Lee had met a Singaporean artist just back from the US and learnt what was happening there.
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“I found out I could work and pay my own way through my studies. That was one reason for choosing art,” says Tay, who soon obtained his visa and left, clutching a one-way ticket. Until then, the farthest he had been was Penang — to watch movies one after another, late into the night.
“With my background, I had no choice. I didn’t have a big objective or ego, but I wanted to be something. Things happen for a reason. So I held two jobs to survive, and everything fell into place step by step.
“People talk about kooi jin, who can be someone you know or even a stranger. They may not give you money but they will tell you about this and this. After that, it’s up to you. If I had stayed on in Alor Setar, what could I have done? I believe if you want to change your life, it’s all up to yourself.”
Between 1969 and 1978, Tay studied at the Art Students League, the School of Visual Arts and the Pratt Graphics Center, and worked as a graphic designer before setting out on painting trips across South America and Indonesia. Then, as now, what he observes on the road is translated onto canvas or cast in bronze in signature works that draw the eye with tranquil scenes of people doing ordinary things that connect the hours day to day.
“My subject matter has not changed much over the years. A lot of it is related to my travels,” says Tay, who was in Kuala Lumpur this month for the opening of Fragments of a Season – Tracing the Passage of Light and Time at CAP Gallery in Eslite Spectrum. He has 42 works at the show, together with that by various local artists.
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For him, every trip out to experience new places, people and emotions is also a journey of the heart and spirit as he explores human relationships. Blending colour, light, wind and sounds inspires “new” works rooted in memory.
He could head off in a 4x4, take a lot of pictures and then go back to his studio. “Maybe a year or two later, I will take the photos out [and do something]. All my works lead back to home — you see lots of families, people chatting, musicians together… something calm that makes people feel a lot.”
Two of Us, Comfort, Attachment, Muse, Sweet Memory, Girl Talk, Revelry, Whispers, The Dreamers, and Lagu Ria — diverse pieces from decades of art, tell of family harmony, celebration, tenderness, compassion and how when people lean towards each other and keep their heads up, little moments expand and fill life to the brim.
Full, rounded figures fiddling with instruments reflect what he enjoys listening to at his triple-storey TriBeCa studio in New York, where canvases hang on big walls that he can walk away from, then return to and continue painting.
“I’m open to all forms of music, classical, jazz, Chinese tunes on the pipa, depending on my mood. The only thing I won’t listen to is heavy metal — I will go insane! No, I don’t play any instrument. Where I came from, there was no chance to learn.”
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Thankfulness for opportunities that have come his way keeps him grounded. Hard work and an endearing resolve to focus on simplicity while shunning the fancy and stereotypical have earned Tay fame and acclaim. He has exhibited across the US, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, the UK, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia, which he visits a few times every year.
Last September, he donated 118 etchings to the Women’s Aid Organisation to raise funds for its shelters, counselling hotlines and advocacy work for survivors of domestic violence. “This is a good thing and if I can do more, I will.”
Last month, Royal Selangor released four limited-edition pewter figurines that replicate his original bronze statues, finished in monochromatic black and white to draw out facial features and flowing fabrics. The Joy collection features Mother and Baby, Dancer, Trumpeter and Lutenist, each piece a tangible reminder of love and contentment.
Tay would be the last person to say it but astute business sense and smart investments have served him well. “Artists also have to have a business mind,” he nods. “I keep a low profile. I’m grateful that I don’t have to worry about money.”
If there is one thing he is willing to splurge on, it is a Panerai. Tay keeps company with Paneristis — a global community of collectors of the brand born in Italy in 1860 and now owned by Swiss luxury group Richemont — who flock to annual gatherings lugging boxes of prized timepieces.
P-Day parties used to be held in Germany until he suggested bringing them to New York, where he has played host. “We had fun talking about family and many other things besides watches. Some members have become life-long friends. After we makan, the party keeps going. It’s crazy.”
He is selective about what he collects and hesitates to reveal how many pieces he owns. Laughing softly, he calls himself “an enthusiast who sells all the art, then [sees his money] going to watches”.
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Clearly, the serenity that touches viewers who stand agog before an Eng Tay piece comes from the man himself. Fans are tempted to stroke the curves of his sculptural creations, like the imposing Jubilation II at CAP Gallery, and pat her uplifted head for sheer joy.
With his son Brendan Yi-Fu doing woodwork and daughter Hannah Ling involved in teaching and outdoor activities, Tay lives the quiet life in the Big Apple. It suits him fine as he does not crave attention nor care to “work himself crazy for riches”.
“I don’t have very much of a social life, especially now. Sometimes, it’s good to be alone because if you’re with somebody you cannot talk to, what’s the point?” says the artist, whose wife Anne Pike-Tay, who taught anthropology at Vassar College until her retirement in 2016, passed away in 2020.
“With every good or bad thing we go through, don’t look back. Enjoy what you have, exercise and stay healthy. If you have time, help people. And khnua kah khooi.” This Hokkien equivalent of don’t worry, be happy is the carefree spirit that imbues his art.
Tay believes things that happen by chance are meant to be, such as unplanned meetings resulting in exhibitions and an unexpected encounter leading to a relationship that takes your breath away.
He has been making regular visits back to Malaysia of late and begun painting 12inx12in pieces — using acrylic because it dries faster — at his apartment in the heart of the KL city centre.
“I think when we get older, we’re not going to sit there [for long]. I want to go with it and use free, natural strokes that are less defined and have a different feel. The figures in my small art are a bit rough. Yes, there will be colour… and some are erotic,” he adds.
'Fragments of a Season' is on display at CAP Gallery, Eslite Spectrum, The Starhill, KL, until Sept 30. The other artists featured are Alexdrina Chong, Maamor Jantan, Voon Kim Cheong, Lim Kok Peng, Soon Lai Wai, Tony Ng, Ajis Mohammad, Yap Chin Hoe, Lui Cheng Tak, Lau Wai Leng and Yusof Gajah (1954-2022). There is also a showcase of textiles by Yann Indigo Dye Room.
This article first appeared on Aug 17, 2026 in The Edge Malaysia.
