Singapore Art Museum
| Muzium Seni Singapura 新加坡美术馆 சிங்கப்பூர் கலை அருங்காட்சியகம் |
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Front view of the Singapore Art Museum
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| Established | 20 October 1995 |
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| Location | 71 Bras Basah Road, Singapore (1°17′50″N 103°51′03″E / 1.29734°N 103.85090°ECoordinates: 1°17′50″N 103°51′03″E / 1.29734°N 103.85090°E) |
| Type | Contemporary Art, museum |
| Public transit access |
Bras Basah Bencoolen (from 2017) |
| Website | Official website |
The Singapore Art Museum (Abbreviation: SAM) is a contemporary art museum focusing on art practices in Singapore, Southeast Asia and Asia. Housed in a restored 19th century mission school, it opened in 1996 as the first art museum in Singapore.
SAM has built an important public collection of Southeast Asian contemporary art, with a growing component in international contemporary art. Drawing from its collection, the museum collaborates with international art museums to co-curate contemporary art exhibitions. Visitors can extend their SAM experience through exhibition-related education and public programmes such as tours, talks, workshops, special curator and artist tours, as well as downloadable activity sheets.
SAM was the organiser of the Singapore Biennale in 2011, 2013 and 2016.
Officially opened on 20 January 1996, SAM is one of the first art museums with international-standard museum facilities and programmes in Southeast Asia.
The museum, then known as a fine art museum, was born out of a project by the National Museum to set up a five-museum precinct in the city. The other four museums that make up the precinct are known as the Singapore History Museum, Asian Civilisations Museum, People's Museum and the Children's Museum. The Fine Arts Museum project began with the restoration of the former St. Joseph's Institution building. At the same time, the appointment of artist and surgeon Earl Lu to head an 11-member Fine Arts Museum Board was announced on 18 July 1992, by the Minister of State (Information and the Arts and Education), Ker Sin Tze. The museum board was tasked to acquire works of art by notable painters from Southeast Asia and East Asia, and by upcoming artists from these regions. Low Chuck Tiew, a retired banker and prominent art collector, served as museum adviser, along with Shirley Loo-Lim, Deputy Director of the National Museum of Singapore as vice-chairman of the board. Geh Min, Ho Kok Hoe, Lee Seng Tee, Arthur Lim, T. K. Sabapathy, Sarkasi Said, Sum Yoke Kit, Wee Chwee Heng, Singapore Polytechnic alumni, and Yap-Whang Whee Yong formed the rest of the museum board.
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Wikipedia