• News
  • Add Your Events
  • Support & Advertise
  • Contact Us

Logo

Navigation
  • Art News
  • Art Listings
    • Current Exhibitions
    • Upcoming Exhibitions
    • Auctions
    • Workshops
    • Talks
    • Guided Tours
    • Festivals, Markets, Parties
    • Kids’ & Families’ Events
    • Performances
    • Film
    • Open Calls
  • Art Venues

Singapore Art Museum will undergo major facelift

News

Image courtesy of SAM

The regional art scene is set to become more vibrant with the major revamp of the Singapore Art Museum (SAM). SAM opened to much fanfare in 1996 in a converted museum space that once housed the former Saint Joseph’s Institution, and has not upgraded its premises since. The upcoming building works will address the growing needs of contemporary art in Singapore, and focus on improving the visitor experience at SAM.

The revamp is likely to cost around $90 million. The Singapore government is prepared to fund up to $80 million, with help from the Cultural Matching Fund. The remaining sum will be raised through sponsorship and donations.

Visitors can look forward to the creation of a fully contiguous museum, upgraded facilities and expanded museum-based learning spaces. The SAM revamp also aims to meet future curatorial needs of the museum. These would include creating double volume spaces for technologically demanding works or large-scale installations such as Suzann Victor’s Rainbow Circle, Cai Guo-Qiang’s Head On, and Jane Lee’s Raw Canvas.

Suzann Victor, Rainbow Circle: Capturing a Natural Phenomenon (2013)
Image courtesy of the Singapore Art Museum

The main building will be closed to the public from 1 April 2017 onwards to prepare the conservation building for its next phase of development. Starting with the closure of the main SAM building on Bras Basah Road, the $87.4 million retrofit project will target to be completed by 2021.

Meanwhile, SAM will continue actively programming at the SAM at 8Q space. 2017 museum programming includes the upcoming exhibition, Imaginarium: To the Ends of the Earth, which opens on 6 May at SAM at 8Q, as well as Singapore Night Festival activities, Think! Contemporary Programme, and Yellow Ribbon Community Art Exhibition.

Share this story:
  • tweet

Comments are closed.

Art Calendar

SAGG on Facebook

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

2 hours 37 minutes ago

cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/watch/singapores-founding-fathers-pop-art-cartoonist-sonny-liews-nostalgic-tribute-467716

Singapore’s founding fathers as pop art: Cartoonist Sonny Liew’s nostalgic tribute

For the upcoming art exhibition Artist’s Proof: Singapore At 60, cartoonist Sonny Liew reimagined three of Singapore’s founding fathers as toy figurines.

View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

3 weeks 2 days ago

theindependent.sg/national-gallery-singapore-reveals-untold-legacy-of-asian-artists-in-modern-art/

National Gallery Singapore reveals untold legacy of Asian artists in modern art - Singapore News

This new art show tells the story of Asian artists in 1920s Paris that most people have never heard.

View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

3 weeks 2 days ago

thesmartlocal.com/read/retro-places-singapore/

14 Retro Places In Singapore To Feel Like You've Travelled Back In Time

Retro's back in fashion, so here's a list of 14 retro places in Singapore you can go to to immerse yourself in an old-school charm.

1
View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

1 month 5 days ago

www.businesstimes.com.sg/lifestyle/arts-design/national-gallery-singapores-ink-show-ambitious-unsatisfying

National Gallery Singapore’s ink show is ambitious – but unsatisfying

[SINGAPORE] National Gallery Singapore’s new ink exhibition sets out with an ambitious goal: to show ink not as a fixed tradition but as a living, changing language shaped by calligraphers, poets, abstractionists and experimental artists over time and across cultures. Read more at The Business Tim...

2
View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

1 month 1 week ago

www.littledayout.com/ocean-diving-into-the-unknown-exhibition-alliance-francaise-singapore/

Ocean: Diving Into The Unknown At Alliance Française Singapore

Take a dive into the blue world at Alliance Française’s latest exhibition, Ocean: Diving into the Unknown. A collaboration with the French National Museum of

View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

1 month 2 weeks ago

www.eco-business.com/press-releases/uob-partners-sg-eco-fund-to-bring-sustainability-and-art-to-the-community/

UOB partners SG Eco Fund to bring sustainability and art to the community

UOB, one of Singapore’s leading banks, and the SG Eco Fund have announced a two-year partnership to drive greater community awareness of sustainability and art.

View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

1 month 3 weeks ago

www.straitstimes.com/life/arts/eight-singapore-indie-booksellers-launch-bookshop-sg-as-amazon-alternative

Eight Singapore indie booksellers launch Bookshop.sg as Amazon alternative

The online store, which launches on May 14, describes itself as an act of "radical cooperation". Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

2
View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

1 month 4 weeks ago

www.asiaone.com/singapore/over-50k-gold-coins-cash-stolen-veteran-artist-koeh-sia-yongs-home-while-he-was-bali

Over $50k in gold coins, cash stolen from veteran artist Koeh Sia Yong's home while he was in Bali

SINGAPORE — While veteran Singaporean artist Koeh Sia Yong was away in Indonesia for nearly two months earlier in 2025, his bedroom drawers back home were emptied of more than $50,000 in valuables. The 87-year-old returned to his two-bedroom unit at The Interlace condo in Depot Road on March 15 to...

View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

1 month 4 weeks ago

danamic.org/2025/05/11/order-is-essential-what-we-learnt-about-fernando-zobel-at-his-national-gallery-exhibit/

Order is Essential: What We Learnt about Fernando Zóbel at his National Gallery Exhibit

Come learn with us about the life, thoughts and works of Fernando Zóbel in a truly transcontinental exhibition that's open right now!

View on Facebook
Share

Singapore Art & Gallery Guide

2 months 2 weeks ago

www.businesstimes.com.sg/lifestyle/arts-design/how-one-man-made-nude-art-possible-singapore

How one man made nude art possible in Singapore

Yeo Workshop celebrates the legacy of Solamalay Namasivayam, who fought for nude figure drawing when it was still considered 'indecent'. Today, nude figure drawing is a cornerstone of artist training in Singapore Read more at The Business Times.

2
View on Facebook
Share
  • News
  • Add Your Events
  • Support & Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy & Terms
© 2020. Singapore Art & Gallery Guide
We use cookies that are necessary for the website's functions. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.