Chia Yu Chian (1936 - 1990) was born in Kota Tinggi Johor, Malaysia. As a child, Chia was educated in both Malaysia and Singapore. During his years in Singapore, he was taking private art lessons with painter Chen Wen Hsi, who was then teaching at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA). Although not a full-time student at NAFA, Chia was exposed to the teaching influences of the Academy as well as other Nanyang artists such as Cheong Soo Pieng. Chia was the first Malayan artist to be awarded a French Government scholarship to study painting at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Arts in Paris in 1959. During his time in Paris, he established a studio and also participated in various exhibitions.  Upon his return to Malaya in 1962, he participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions both in Malaysia and abroad.