ms, Galeri Kebangsaan Singapura
ta, சிங்கப்பூர் தேசிய கலைக்கூடம் , logo = National_Gallery_Singapore_logo.svg , image = Interior_of_the_National_Gallery_Singapore.jpg , caption = Interior of the National Gallery of

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

with the airy corridors on 4 levels, the staircases and escalators, in the evening. , mapframe=yes , mapframe-caption=Interactive fullscreen map , mapframe-zoom=15 , mapframe-marker=museum , mapframe-wikidata=yes , coordinates= , established = , dissolved = , location = 1 St. Andrew's Road, Singapore 178957 , type =

Art museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own collection. It might be in public or private ownership and may be accessible to all or have restrictions in place. Although primarily co ...

, collections =

Singaporean Singaporeans, or the Singaporean people, refers to citizens or people who identify with the sovereign island city-state of Singapore. Singapore is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-lingual country. Singaporeans of Chinese, Malay, Ind ...

and Eastern art , collection_size = Approx. 9,000 objects , visitors = 1,585,332 (2016) , architect = studioMilou Singapore
CPG Consultants , director = Dr. Eugene Tan , chairperson = Hsieh Fu Hua , publictransit = City Hall

Esplanade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cl ...

Clarke Quay Clarke Quay is a historical riverside quay in Singapore, located within the Singapore River Planning Area. The quay is situated upstream from the mouth of the Singapore River and Boat Quay. Etymology ''Clarke Quay'' was named after Sir Andre ...

, website = The National Gallery Singapore, often known exonymously as the National Gallery, is a public institution and national museum dedicated to art and culture located in the Civic District of

. It oversees the world's largest public collection of

and regional art of the

Eastern world The Eastern world, also known as the East or historically the Orient, is an umbrella term for various cultures or social structures, nations and philosophical systems, which vary depending on the context. It most often includes at least ...

, specifically of

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...

, with a collection of more than 9,000 items. The Gallery aims to provide an understanding and appreciation of art and culture through a variety of media, focusing on Singapore's culture and heritage and its relationship with other

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

n cultures and the world. It consists of two national monuments, the former Supreme Court Building and

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

, and has a combined floor area of ,This is about four times the size of the

Singapore Art Museum The Singapore Art Museum (Abbreviation: SAM) is an art museum is located in the Downtown Core district of Singapore. It is the first fully dedicated contemporary visual arts museum in Singapore with one of the world’s most important public co ...

: making it the largest visual arts venue and largest museum in Singapore. A total cost of approximately S$532 million has gone into the National Gallery Singapore's development. For the breadth, scope, and magnitude of its collections, the National Gallery Singapore is widely considered by art enthusiasts as being one of the greatest art museums in Singapore and the region.''

The Art Newspaper ''The Art Newspaper'' is a monthly print publication, with daily updates online, founded in 1990 and based in London and New York City. It covers news of the visual arts as they are affected by international politics and economics, developments ...

'', March 30, 2021 Subsequently, it is one of the most visited art museums in the world, often attracting almost two million visitors annually. Admission to the National Gallery Singapore is complimentary for Singaporean citizens and permanent residents. The National Gallery also houses various restaurants that has won global accolades. These include Odette, a restaurant that has been rated as being one of the best in Asia – in addition to having three

Michelin stars The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of a ...

, as well as the National Kitchen by Violet Oon.

History

Padang Atrium, National Gallery Singapore - 20151127-03

Supreme Court Terrace, National Gallery Singapore - 20150424-02

Planning

At his National Day Rally speech on 21 August 2005,

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Lee Hsien Loong Lee Hsien Loong (; born 10 February 1952) is a Singaporean politician and former brigadier-general who has been serving as Prime Minister of Singapore and Secretary-General of the People's Action Party since 2004. He has been the Member of Par ...

mentioned the government's plan to convert the former Supreme Court building and City Hall into a new national gallery.In his National Day Rally speech on 21 August 2005, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong mapped out his vision to remake Singapore and called on everyone to play a part: On 2 September 2006, Dr. Lee Boon Yang, Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts officially announced the setting up of the National Gallery Singapore during the Singapore Biennale 2006 at the National Museum of Singapore. The then

Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts The Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI; ms, Kementerian Perhubungan dan Penerangan; zh, 通讯及新闻部; ta, தொடர்பு, தகவல் அமைச்சு) is a ministry of the Government of Singapore respon ...

(MICA) proceeded to implement a process designed to enable stakeholders and interested parties to contribute their expertise and their views to the project. A steering committee, initially chaired by Dr.

Balaji Sadasivan Balaji Sadasivan ( or ; 11 July 1955 – 27 September 2010) was a Singaporean politician and neurosurgeon. He attended Raffles Institution, Siglap Secondary School and National Junior College, and studied medicine at the University of Singapo ...

, Senior Minister of State for the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The enti ...

and MICA, oversaw the art gallery's implementation plan. The steering committee was supported by an executive committee and four advisory groups. The advisory groups provided advice on

museology Museology or museum studies is the study of museums. It explores the history of museums and their role in society, as well as the activities they engage in, including curating, preservation, public programming, and education. Terminology The w ...

architectural conservation Conservation and restoration of immovable cultural property describes the process through which the material, historical, and design integrity of any immovable cultural property are prolonged through carefully planned interventions. The indivi ...

, finance and communications.

Design competition

On 23 February 2007, MICA, together with the Singapore Institute of Architects, launched a two-stage

architectural design competition An architectural design competition is a type of design competition in which an organization that intends on constructing a new building invites architects to submit design proposals. The winning design is usually chosen by an independent panel ...

to identify the most suitable architect and design for the National Gallery. The first stage of the competition called for design and concept proposals, and began on 19 March with a site tour of the two buildings for competing architects to get design concepts and ideas. It drew 111 entries from 29 countries worldwide, with five proposals shortlisted in May 2007. Members of the jury consisted of a panel of eminent local and international professionals headed by

Tommy Koh Tommy Koh Thong Bee (; born 12 November 1937) is a Singaporean diplomat, lawyer, professor and author who served as Singapore's Permanent Representative to the United Nations between 1968 and 1971. Early life and education Koh was born in S ...

, Singapore's Ambassador-at-Large and chairman of the National Heritage Board, and included officials from the

Urban Redevelopment Authority The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is the national urban planning authority of Singapore, and a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development of the Government of Singapore. Mission The authority was established on 1 April ...

, Musée national des Arts asiatiques-Guimet in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and the Asian Civilisations Museum. For the second stage, the shortlisted candidates had to develop their designs, from which the winning proposal would be selected by the jury. Due to the status of the former Supreme Court Building and City Hall as national monuments, certain aspects of the buildings could not be altered, such as the façade, the Surrender Chamber, the office of Singapore's founding Prime Minister and the panelling in four rooms of the Supreme Court. However, this still left many design options open such as the addition of roof and basement floors. The participants also had to submit entries within a budget of S$320 million. On 29 August 2007, the seven-member international jury panel named the top three designs out of the five shortlisted. The three firms – Studio Milou Architecture from France, Ho + Hou Architects from Taiwan, and Chan Sau Yan Associates from Singapore – each received $150,000. The jury made their decision after appraising models and digital mock-ups, as well as engaging the five finalists in a presentation and question-and-answer session. The other two firms that were shortlisted in the first stage were DP Architects and Australia's Smart Design Studio. An exhibition of the five finalists' proposals was held at City Hall in October 2007, and the public was invited to give feedback on the designs, programmes and events. The jury's decision was presented to MICA, which then decided on whom to commission to design and build the art gallery. An announcement on the final design was made in the first quarter of 2008.

Competition winner and construction

In May 2008, Studio Milou Singapore, in partnership with CPG Consultants (Singapore), was appointed to design and build the Gallery. Studio Milou Architecture is a French architectural firm, with branches in Paris and Singapore that specialise in the design of museums and cultural spaces. CPG Consultants, a subsidiary of

CPG Corporation CPG Corporation is an infrastructure, building management, and consultancy services company in the Asia Pacific. CPG Corporation is a part of the former Public Works Department of Singapore; the company provides architecture and engineering con ...

, is a multi-disciplinary design consultancy firm. Headquartered in Singapore, CPG Consultants has extensive expertise in

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manageme ...

and

preservation Preservation may refer to: Heritage and conservation * Preservation (library and archival science), activities aimed at prolonging the life of a record while making as few changes as possible * ''Preservation'' (magazine), published by the Nat ...

of buildings. To date, the company has completed over 20 such projects in Singapore, most of which are gazetted monuments. Studio Milou Architecture's design consisted of a linear draped

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an ...

supported by tree-like columns to link the former Supreme Court Building and City Hall at the roof level. The design incorporated an extended staircase linking the basement to the upper levels, making use of

solar energy Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the Sun that is harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar power to generate electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating), and solar architecture. It is an essen ...

to provide electricity. Fine metal mesh had been proposed to cover most of City Hall. Panel members agreed it had "the most delightful design and appeal", and was ranked first among the top three designs. On 21 December 2010, the Gallery appointed Takenaka-Singapore Piling Joint Venture as the main construction contractor for the new Gallery. The construction works on the buildings began in January 2011 and opened its doors to the public officially on 24 November 2015.

Buildings

The museum is composed of a combination of the Old Supreme Court Building and City Hall, both of which are national monuments and have played significant roles in Singapore's history. The buildings face the

Padang Padang () is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of West Sumatra. With a Census population of 1,015,000 as of 2022, it is the 16th most populous city in Indonesia and the most populous city on the west coast of Sumatra. Th ...

, an open field. Through link bridges and a new basement level, the design for the National Gallery integrates the City Hall and former Supreme Court buildings, combining both old and new architecture. The Old Supreme Court Building was built on the site of the former Grand Hotel de l'Europe, one of the most palatial hotels in Southeast Asia that was demolished in 1936. Designed by Frank Dorrington Ward, Chief Architect of the Public Works Department, the former Supreme Court building was built to house Supreme Court offices and courtrooms and was declared open on 3 August 1939. This building is the former courthouse of the Supreme Court of Singapore, before it moved into the new building on 20 June 2005. The architecture of the former Supreme Court building is in harmony with that of its neighbour, City Hall. The general layout of the building exemplifies

British colonial architecture Colonial architecture is an architectural style from a mother country that has been incorporated into the buildings of settlements or colonies in distant locations. Colonists frequently built settlements that synthesized the architecture of their ...

, comprising four blocks of offices and courtrooms surrounding a central rotunda with a dome that was originally used to house a circular law library. It was to be the last classical building to be built in Singapore. United Engineers Ltd was the building contractor. The Corinthian and

Ionic columns The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite o ...

, sculptures and relief panels were the works of Italian artist, Cavaliere

Rudolfo Nolli Cavaliere Rodolfo Nolli (1888–1963) was an Italian sculptor and stonework contractor from Lombardy, who worked mainly in Southeast Asia during the first half of the 20th century. History Born in 1888 Lombardy, Italy, he was the nephew of t ...

. There are the tympanum sculptures and ornamented frieze panels. The

building was constructed between 1926 and 1929 and was originally known as the Municipal Building. Designed by the British Municipal architects A. Gordon and S. D. Meadows, it was used to house the offices of the Municipal Council, which was responsible for the provision of water, electricity, gas, roads, bridges and street lighting. From 1963 to 1991, City Hall came to house offices of several government departments and courtrooms. The building was vacated in 2006. City Hall has been the focal point of many important events in the history of Singapore. It was in the City Hall building that Admiral Lord

Louis Mountbatten Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British naval officer, colonial administrator and close relative of the British royal family. Mountbatten, who was of German ...

, on behalf of the Allied forces, accepted the surrender of the Japanese forces on 12 September 1945. The building also housed the office of Mr.

Lee Kuan Yew Lee Kuan Yew (16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015), born Harry Lee Kuan Yew, often referred to by his initials LKY, was a Singaporean lawyer and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Singapore between 1959 and 1990, and Secretary-General o ...

, the first prime minister of Singapore. Mr. Lee and members of his Cabinet took their Oaths of Allegiance and Oaths of Office on 5 June 1959 in the City Hall Chamber. It was gazetted on 14 February 1992 as a national monument. The original layout of City Hall is a typical example of neoclassical British architecture. The building's interior is modestly proportioned, but its front façade is distinguished by 18 three-storey-high Corinthian columns facing the Padang.

Galleries

Consisting of modern and contemporary art, National Gallery Singapore focuses on displaying Singapore and Southeast Asian art from the 19th century to present day. It is home to two permanent galleries: the Singapore Gallery and the Southeast Asia Gallery. Through its collection, the Gallery will present the development of Singaporean and regional cultures – telling the story of their social, economic and political histories. The Gallery mainly draws from Singapore's National Collection, the world's largest public collection of modern and contemporary Southeast Asian art. The National Collection started with an original bequest of 93 works made to the

National Museum A national museum is a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In other countries a much greater numb ...

in 1976, by the well-known cinema magnate and art patron, Dato Loke Wan Tho. Through careful nurturing over the years, this collection has grown significantly to approximately 8,000 pieces in 2010. The National Heritage Board is presently the custodian of this collection. National Gallery Singapore will feature works by major Singaporean artists such as

Georgette Chen Georgette Liying Chendana Chen (; Born Chang Li Ying; 23 October 1906 – 15 March 1993), most commonly known as Georgette Chen, was a Singaporean painter and one of the pioneers of Modernism, modern Visual art of Singapore, Singaporean art as ...

Chen Chong Swee Chen Chong Swee () was a Singaporean watercolourist belonging to the pioneer generation of artists espousing the Nanyang-styled painting unique to Singapore, at the turn of the 20th century. He was also one of the first artists in Singapore to u ...

Chen Wen Hsi Chen Wen Hsi (; 1906–1991) was a Chinese-born Singaporean artist, known for his avant-garde Chinese paintings. Early life and education Chen was born in Jieyang, Guangdong, China, and had his early education at Chen Li Primary School and St. ...

, Cheong Soo Pieng and

Liu Kang Liu Kang is a fictional character in the ''Mortal Kombat'' fighting game series by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. Depicted as Earthrealm's greatest warrior and champion, he is generally the main hero of the series. He debuted in the ori ...

. The collection now spans from early-20th-century naturalistic paintings to contemporary video installations. The collection also holds pieces from Southeast Asian artists of international standing, such as Affandi (Indonesia),

Latiff Mohidin Abdul Latiff Mohidin or simply Latiff Mohidin (born 1941) is a Malaysian modernist painter, sculptor and poet. He is generally known for his body of paintings, sculptures and writings gathered under the term “Pago Pagk o” produced largely betwee ...

(Malaysia), Le Pho (Vietnam), Montien Boonma (Thailand), Fernando Cueto Amorsolo (Philippines) and Raden Saleh (Indonesia).

Singapore Gallery

The Singapore Gallery is a platform for studying and presenting the cultural and aesthetic identity of Singapore from the ancient period to present day.

Southeast Asia Gallery

Housed in the former Supreme Court building, the Southeast Asia Gallery presents the history of Southeast Asian art, starting in the 19th century.

Special set of Research Galleries

These galleries complement the core galleries, providing space for

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

s and researchers to experiment with ways of presenting materials from the Gallery's permanent collection.

Changing gallery spaces

The gallery has approximately of spaces to host international travelling exhibitions.

Docents

One of the public programmes offered by the Gallery is the

Docent The title of docent is conferred by some European universities to denote a specific academic appointment within a set structure of academic ranks at or below the full professor rank, similar to a British readership, a French " ''maître de conf ...

Programme, a training workshop in art, history and culture. The programme seeks to cultivate a pool of volunteer guides. They are trained in public speaking and have extensive knowledge of Singaporean and Southeast Asian art, and the architecture and history of the Gallery buildings.

Keppel Centre for Art Education

The Keppel Centre for Art Education is a learning facility for families and schools. The centre will provide an artistic environment that stimulates imagination, encourages active play and supports independent learning. Children and younger students will experience and interact with original artworks that are specially created to develop observation skills and tactile exploration. The Keppel Centre for Art Education also offers programmes including a regular series of Studio-based workshops, artist talks, curator's presentations, as well as complimentary Drop-in programmes conducted by artists, curators and museum educators.

Exhibitions at the National Gallery Singapore

An exhibition, “The Gift”, opened from 20 August to 9 November 2021 and explored the complexities of gifts in art-making and collecting. It was a partnership with three other arts institutions: Galeri Nasional Indonesia, MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum in Thailand and Nationalgalerie – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, which was initiated by the Goethe Institut. Each museum curated a selection of works from their own and each other’s collections that were on display simultaneously. In mid-2022, the gallery opened a major exhibition, called ''Ever Present: First Peoples Art of Australia'', which is the most extensive show of

contemporary Indigenous Australian art Contemporary Indigenous Australian art (also known as contemporary Aboriginal Australian art) is the modern art work produced by Indigenous Australians, that is, Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander people. It is generally regarded a ...

type to tour Asia.

Exhibitions held at the Singapore Art Museum

While waiting for the building to complete its renovations, National Gallery Singapore has held various exhibitions at the

. These exhibitions include:

Travelling shows and artworks

Apart from displays within Singapore, the National Collection has also travelled to international museums and exhibition venues in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

In popular culture

The gallery is featured in HBO series

Westworld ''Westworld'' is an American science fiction-thriller media franchise that began with the 1973 film ''Westworld'', written and directed by Michael Crichton. The film depicts a technologically advanced Wild-West-themed amusement park populate ...

, as part of the third season.

Gallery

File:National Gallery Singapore - Joy of Museums - "Boschbrand" (Forest Fire) by Raden Saleh.jpg, Raden Saleh, Boschbrand (Forest Fire), 1849, Oil on canvas File:National Language Class (1959) by Chua Mia Tee, National Gallery Singapore (23831641090).jpg, Chua Mia Tee, National Language Class, 1959, Oil on canvas File:Share the Hope façade show, National Gallery Singapore - 20151127-03.jpg, The Hope façade show, 2015

References

Bibliography

*National Art Gallery, Singapore, 2009. Light & Movement Portrayed: The Art of Anthony Poon. *Yeo Wei Wei (editor), 2010. Realism in Asia Volume One. National Art Gallery, Singapore. *National Art Gallery, Singapore, 2010. The Story of Yeh Chi Wei. *Grace Tng, Seng Yu Jin & Yeo Wei Wei, 2010. Cheong Soo Pieng: Visions of Southeast Asia. National Art Gallery, Singapore. *Yeo Wei Wei & Ye Shufang, 2010. Salted Fish. National Art Gallery, Singapore. *National Art Gallery, Singapore, 2010. When I Grow Up I Want to Paint Like Cheong Soo Pieng (CSP Colouring Book). *Sara Siew (ed), 2011. Liu Kang: Essays on Art and Culture. National Art Gallery, Singapore. *Yeo Wei Wei (ed), 2011. Asian Artists Series – Liu Kang: Colourful Modernist. National Art Gallery, Singapore. *National Art Gallery, Singapore, 2011. When I Grow Up I Want to Paint Like Liu Kang. *Natalie Hennedige, 2012. Koko The Great. National Art Gallery, Singapore. *Ho Lee- Ling, 2013. Who is Cheong Soo Pieng? National Art Gallery, Singapore. *Sara Siew, 2013. Awesome Art. National Art Gallery, Singapore. *Mechtild Widrich, 2016. The Naked Museum. The Naked Museum: Art, Urbanism, and Global Positioning in Singapore, Art Journal, 75:2, 46–65.

External links

*
360 Virtual Gallery The Straits Times National Gallery SingaporeVirtual tour of the National Gallery Singapore
provided by

Google Arts & Culture Google Arts & Culture (formerly Google Art Project) is an online platform of high-resolution images and videos of artworks and cultural artifacts from partner cultural organizations throughout the world. It utilizes high-resolution image technol ...

* {{Authority control 2015 establishments in Singapore Art museums and galleries in Singapore Art museums established in 2015 Downtown Core (Singapore) National museums of Singapore