MISSION STATEMENT

The Singapore Art Museum’s mission is to preserve and present the art histories and contemporary art practices of Singapore and the Southeast Asian region so as to facilitate visual arts education, exchange, research and development. The objectives of the Museum are to collect and conserve artworks representative of this region; curate, organise and produce exhibitions, publications and public education programmes to promote awareness, appreciation and discussion on visual arts.

A MAINSTAY FOR SOUTHEAST ASIAN MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART

The Singapore Art Museum (SAM) is one of the first art museums with international standard museum facilities and programmes in Southeast Asia.  Dedicated to the collection and display of 20th century Singapore and Southeast Asian modern and contemporary art, SAM joins a league of new generation museums around the world with well-executed exhibitions and community outreach programmes.  The Museum houses the national art collection of Singapore and has the largest collection in 20th-century Southeast Asian art by a public institution internationally.

Within a year of opening its door in January 1996, at the restored 19th-century St Joseph's Institution building on Bras Basah Road, the Singapore Art Museum has staged several major exhibitions including Themes in Southeast Asian Art, A Century of Art in Singapore as well as a collaborative exhibition of Singapore and Australian artists titled Rapport, an exhibition on the photographic works of Arthur Tress, an exploratory exhibition tracing the works of Singapore artist Thomas Yeo and a four-month long blockbuster exhibition from the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum in New York.  In a relatively short time, the Museum has gained a credible standing with its international counterparts.  Following its first year of establishment, the Museum has brought in several international shows including Leonardo da Vinci :Scientist-Inventor-Artist, German Art :1960s to 1970s, The Origins of Modern Art in France, and Monet to Moore: Millennium Gift of The Sara Lee Corporation. These provide a context and forum for art development and practices of Southeast Asia.

Since its opening, the Museum's permanent collection has grown from under 2,000 art works to over 7,000 making it the largest collection of 20th-century Southeast Asian art in the region.  Along with Imaging Selves and Landscape In Southeast Asian Art, both exhibitions featuring its permanent collection, the Museum also curated country focus exhibitions, From There to Now and Soul Ties: The Land & Her People, on Malaysia and Indonesia respectively.  The art of the region is given international exposure through the Museum's travelling exhibition programme.

Community outreach continues to be an important area of the Museum's function.  The Museum aims to promote awareness and appreciation of art within the local and regional context and in so doing, it hopes to encourage the growth of an active and stimulating cultural environment in Singapore.  This is done not only through the Museum's exhibition programmes but also through its education and public programmes which cover a diversity of art trends and practices, fringe activities and public lectures, aimed at reaching the local community at large as well as regional and international visitors to Singapore.

Visitors to the SAM can expect to find an interactive, living centre for art, with advanced museum facilities.  Its 10,000-square metre floor space includes 14 full climate-controlled galleries, a reference library, an auditorium, a multi-purpose hall, a museum shop, courtyards and a café, all together ensure a quality experience for visitors.  Since its opening, the Museum has been stimulating the cultural environment of Singapore and continues to do so with breathtaking shows and exciting programmes.