Lim Nang Seng (1917 - 17 November 1987) was a Singaporean sculptor. He sculpted the

Merlion The Merlion () is the official mascot of Singapore. It is depicted as a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. Being of prominent symbolic nature to Singapore and Singaporeans in general, it is widely used to repre ...

statue in

Merlion Park Merlion Park ( ms, Taman Merlion, zh, 鱼尾狮公园, ta, மெர்லயன் பூங்கா) is a famous Singapore landmark and a major tourist attraction, located at One Fullerton, Singapore, near the Central Business District ( ...

Biography

Lim was born in 1917 in Singapore. Lim originally worked as a schoolteacher. Sculpting initially began as a hobby of his, which he later turned into his career. In 1967, Lim held the first sculpture show in Singapore with five other sculptors, and designed the 1967 Singapore coin collection. Prior to 1971, he had spent two weeks in a carpark along

Orchard Road Orchard Road, often known colloquially as simply Orchard, is a major –long road in the Central Area of Singapore. Known as a famous tourist attraction, it is an upscale shopping area of Singapore, with numerous internationally renowned depa ...

sculpting ''Dancing Girl'', a sculpture, which was then installed at the Seng Poh Garden in Tiong Bahru. The sculpture received mixed reception from the local residents, as some thought it was too abstract or too closely resembled a swan. However, Lim was not upset by this, as he believed that swans were prosperous animals. In 1970, he won three prizes in a handicraft and design exhibition. In 1971, Lim began hosting sculpting lessons, teaching women how to sculpt. In 1971, Lim was selected to sculpt the Merlion statue in the

along the Singapore River. Work on the sculpture began on November 1971 and ended in August 1972, and involved all eight of his children. In 1975, Lim was among several local artists whose work was presented in China by

S. Rajaratnam Sinnathamby Rajaratnam ( ta, சின்னத்தம்பி ராஜரத்னம்; 25 February 1915 – 22 February 2006), better known as S. Rajaratnam, was a Singaporean politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of Singapo ...

. However, Lim did not want his children to follow in his footsteps, as he did not earn much money from sculpting.

Personal life

On 17 November 1987, during the Merlion Week, while working on clay figurines, Lim fainted and was admitted into the Singapore General Hospital. At the hospital, Lim underwent surgery, which was unsuccessful, and died at 5.55pm.

References

{{Reflist 1917 births 1987 deaths Singaporean sculptors