Singapore gets ready to open stunning new National Gallery

Singapore spent most of this year celebrating its 50 years of existence in spectacular fashion, with festivities and the announcement of new projects.

Singapore’s new National Gallery Image by Jnzl Public Domain Photo / CC BY 2.0

But what’s sure to be the crowning glory of its anniversary is the opening of its brand new National Gallery on 24 November, built across two of its most historic buildings. As big as the Musee d’Orsay in Paris and occupying the premises of the former Supreme Court and City Hall, the new National Gallery is already being hailed as a piece of architectural brilliance.

The scale and ambition of the gallery serve to promote Singapore as a global player not just economically, but culturally too. Already for 2016 two major international exhibitions have been arranged with the Centre Pompidou and Tate Modern, which are sure to draw a big crowd.

The gallery space is divided in two sections inside. The DBS Singapore Gallery, located in the City Hall section, will be dedicated almost exclusively to Singaporean art, from 19th century to avant garde contemporary artists,  whilst the  UOB Southeast Asia Gallery will house artwork from across the region including Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia. It’ll be one of the largest art collections in the entire region and an excellent place to  familiarise oneself with its art history.

Singapore’s new National Gallery Image by Jnzl’s Public Domain Photos

The architectural firm who won the contract to design the museum, Studio Milou Architecture, built a modern and inventive gallery that respects the neo-classical aspect of the original buildings, and is being particularly commended for the system of bridges and tree structures that connect the two buildings.

More information here.