He Xiangning was born in 1878 into a wealthy Hong Kong family, died in 1972, at 94, and in between lived the kind of epic life that deserves a movie. Right from the start she knew her own mind, making sure she was educated along with her brothers and refusing to let her feet be bound. The man she married, the American-born Liao Zhongkai, was a financier, economist, and politician. Although the marriage was arranged, the couple loved and supported each other. In 1925, Liao Zhongkai was killed in a political assassination. Over a long life, He Xiangning was many things—feminist, revolutionary, politician, poet, and painter. Indeed, as an artist she was renowned for her exquisite paintings of nature and a particular love of big cats, of which, perhaps, she was one. This exhibition in Singapore marks Southeast Asia’s first retrospective and the Gallery’s first solo exhibition dedicated to the pioneering He Xiangning. —Laura Jacobs