Eng Tay was born in 1947. New York-based Eng Tay has built up an international reputation of 45 years with his endearing figure-types in nearly 100 solo exhibitions all over Asia, Europe and the United States. He headed straight to New York in 1968, first to study at the Art Students League (1969 to 1972) and the School of Visual Arts (New York City, 1972 to 1978) and was a Participating Artist at the Pratt Graphics Centre while working as a graphic designer for the Red Book Magazine.

A versatile artist, he has distinguished himself in paintings, prints and sculptures. Galeri Petronas in Kuala Lumpur hosted a major retrospective of Eng Tay in 2009, simply titled, Eng Tay: The Exhibition, which coincided with his fourth decade of painting. In the exhibition, Eng Tay also unveiled a series of large masterpieces in homage to the great masters of art.

His works are in the collection of the Fukuyama Museum of Art, Hiroshima, Japan; the Frankie Valli Estate and the Merv Griffin Estate in the United States; the New York University (Dept of Anthropology) and the Taipei Fine Arts Museum. His monumental bronze sculptures adorn the Kiaraville Mont Kiara Complex and a condominium in Pantai, both in Kuala Lumpur.