The Art Gallery, Penang was started by Dr Tan Chee Khuan (now Dato’) and his late wife, Siau Bian in 1989. The gallery was very active  with about 12 – 15 exhibitions a year. Later it branched out into book publishing and produced  more than 30 books on Malaysian art and artists. The gallery was especially well known for the promotion and collection of pioneer artists of Malaysia, such as Yong Mun Sen, Kuo Ju Ping, Khaw Sia, Dato’ Chuah Thean Teng  and Dato’ Mohd Hoessein Enas. At the same time, it also promoted artists from Penang and eventually the whole of Malaysia, and later S.E. Asia.

Unfortunately, Siau Bian  became sick with acute myeloid leukemia in 2000 and succumbed to her illness in November 2001. Her daughter, Tan Ee Lene who was studying pharmacy at University of Nottingham, UK  at that time was recalled home to help look after her mother and manage the gallery at the same time. The gallery was finally closed in August 2002 to allow Ee Lene to return to UK where she decided to study for her Bachelor of Psychology instead.

In April 2009, The Art Gallery was approached by Amatir Resources Sdn Bhd, owner of Art Salon @ Seni, located at Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur to manage the gallery. Ee Lene agreed to take up the challenge to run the gallery. However the gallery in KL was closed since the end of 2010 after the owner decided to take back the space and build a new gallery elsewhere.