An overview of SAM Permanent Collection

The genesis of the museum's collection may be traced to its predecessor  - the National Museum Art Gallery. The latter opened in 1976 to a bequest of 93 works collected by the late Dato Loke Wan Tho, the well-known cinema magnate and art patron. Since then, the collection has grown significantly, especially with the setting up of the Singapore Art Museum in November 1995 - Singapore's first museum devoted solely to the visual arts. To date, the museum is the proud custodian of the world's largest public collection of modern and contemporary Southeast Asian art. With the intention of providing a wider regional context for its collection, the museum has also started acquiring contemporary Asian art since 2001.

In addition to its breadth of coverage, the collection's strengths also lie in its comprehensive representation of Singaporean art and its unparalleled holdings of works by major Singaporean artists such as Georgette Chen, Liu Kang, Chen Chong Swee, Lim Tze Peng and Huang Yao.   Through an active acquisition policy of purchases and donations, the museum also has significant pieces from regional artists such as Affandi, Hendra Gunawan, Pratuang Emjaroen,  Montien Boonma, Le Pho and Bui Xuan Phai.

Apart from displays within its premises and loans to international museums, the collection has also travelled to various venues in Europe and Asia.