Born in Muar, Johor, Tan Puay Tee is a talented self-taught artist skilled in various media, such as oil painting, watercolour, woodcut print, Chinese ink painting, and more. He began exploring oil painting in 1958, an artistic journey of over 60 years. Though self-taught, the art circle greatly admired his fresh, unique style and perspective, and he successfully showcased his works in invited exhibitions (1962–1969) and Annual Art Exhibitions (1984–1985) at the National Art Gallery. His works were selected for the ‘Contemporary Art in Asia’ exhibition in 1965 and the ‘Salon Malaysia’ art exhibition in 1968.

Tan Puay Tee held his first solo exhibition in 1969 in his hometown, Muar. After that, he held further solo shows, including “A Series of Stories, A Symphony of Life” (2002) which took place in both Muar and Singapore, “Xin Yu”, Muar (2008), and “Life ∙ Bitter”, Younie Gallery, Kuala Lumpur (2012). Other notable group exhibitions include the Muar Art Society Members’ Exhibition (1972–1995) and the Malaysian-Chinese Artists Art Exhibition, Kuala Lumpur (1985). His collectors include the National Art Gallery and numerous Malaysian and Singaporean private art collectors.