A visit to Singapore Pinacotheque de Paris

The largest private art museum in Paris, Pinacothèque de Paris, will open its first venue outside of Europe in Singapore! Singapore Pinacothèque de Paris is set to fully open by the first quarter of 2015 at the Fort Canning Centre, within the Fort Canning Park.

Before the full opening of Singapore Pinacothèque de Paris, there will be an exhibition entitled "The Art of Collecting, Masterpieces from the Pinacothèque de Paris" held at the Fort Canning Centre from 14 Sep - 31 Dec 2013. This exhibition "will span over 500 years of art history through prestigious works of art by 20 world-famous artists. In the intimate spaces of the exhibition, I felt as if I was a private collector enjoying these beautiful works of art in my personal showroom.

At the exhibition, Pablo Picasso's Jacqueline left the deepest impression on me. It was my very first time seeing face-to-face a tapestry work by Picasso. I learnt that he did more than 340 tapestries throughout his career. The tapestry looked visually interesting with its monochromatic colour scheme and balanced design. It also offered a practical function during the cold weather.

Rembrandt's Bust of an Old Man with Turban which was essential oil painted on wood was strikingly realistic. I could see for myself that this work was created by a master in portraiture.

Lovers of Andy Warhol's art would look forward to viewing his Marilyn Monroe (1967). This is possibly one of Andy Warhol's representative works. After catching a glimpse of Warhol's Marilyn Monroe, my mind was recollecting whatever I could remember about Pop Art.

For the first time in my life, I saw the artwork entitled Suzanne with Sunflowers (1890). Somehow the style and colours used reminded me of Claude Monet. What a sheer sense of surprise when I learnt that it was indeed a work by Monet himself!

On the side, I was rather attracted to Ter Brugghen Hendrck's The Singing Lute Player (1624). This could be because I play a musical instrument and I had the pleasure to listen to a lute recital several months ago. I learnt that "in the beginning of the 17th century in Utrecht the Netherlands, portraits of musicians in half-length enjoyed popularity".

Although the exhibition space was rather intimate, there were a good number of noteworthy works that will make this exhibition worth a visit. For more information, please visit: http://www.pinacotheque.com.sg

ICOM, OCBC, OCBC Arts, PAssion cardholders, Mastercard Holders as well as members of the French Association of Singapore and the Les Clefs' d'Or Concierges Singapore will enjoy savings at Singapore Pinacotheque de Paris. For more information, please visit: http://www.pinacotheque.com.sg/promotion

Please take note that photography is not allowed in the exhibition.

Nearby the Fort Canning Centre.

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Singapore Pinacothèque de Paris
The Art of Collecting: Masterpieces from the Pinacothèque de Paris
14 Sep - 31 Dec 2013
Fort Canning Centre
5 Cox Terrace
Singapore 179618
Tel: +65 6883 1588
Admission hours: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. (Mon - Thu, Sat - Sun), 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. (Fri)
http://www.pinacotheque.com.sg

Snippets from the 32nd UOB Painting of the Year

Stefanie Hauger's Space Odyssey.

The winning paintings from the 32nd UOB Painting of the Year are currently on display at 72-13 Gallery till 7 Dec 2013. The UOB Painting of the Year competition is the longest-running art competition in Singapore.

This year, the organizer has revised the award categories of the competition. Two distinct categories have been created, i.e. the Emerging Artist and the Established Artist. At this year's exhibition, winning entries from Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand are being displayed.

Less than a week ago, I took a trip to 72-13 Gallery to view the winning paintings. The 2013 UOB Painting of the Year, "Space Odyssey" by Stefanie Hauger caught my eyes. Another painting which had caught my attention was Lim Quan Zhao's "The Transcendence of Love".

72-13 Gallery is located nearby Singapore Tyler Print Institute. To get to 72-13 Gallery, one can take bus services 32, 54, 139 or 195 to River Valley Road. Alternatively, the nearest MRT train stations are Clarke Quay and Dhoby Ghaut. It will take about 15 minutes to walk from the stations to the 72-13 Gallery. For a map to get to 72-13 Gallery, please visit this site: http://www.72-13.com/


32nd UOB Painting of the Year
From 26 Nov to 7 Dec 2013
3 p.m. - 9 p.m. (27 Nov 2013)
1 p.m. - 9 p.m. daily (28 Nov - 7 Dec 2013)
72-13 Gallery
72-13 Mohamed Sultan Road
Free admission
http://www.uobpoy.com

Titans of the Past

Many years ago, I visited an exhibition at the Science Centre featuring dinosaurs and many animals from the prehistoric age. The name of that exhibition was Dinosaurs! A T-rex named SUE and Friends. I have written about that visit on this blog, Back to the Ancient World. That was a pretty memorable visit which acquainted me with the replica of a gigantic T-rex.

Recently, I learnt that yet another exhibition on dinosaurs is now being showcased at the Singapore Science Centre. This exhibition, Titans of the Past: Dinosaurs and Ice Age Mammals, focuses on the growth and behaviours of dinosaurs. The exhibition features the original research conducted by the Museum of Rockies Paleontologist, Dr Jack Horner, and his research team.

I went recently to this exhibition and was pleased with myself for making the visit. What has left the deepest impression on me was the display of the replicas of the skulls of the triceratops which illustrated how the face of the Triceratops would change from juvenile to adult stages. The theory is that Triceratops being social animals, will need ways to recognize when a young Triceratops reaches sexual maturity. To allow visual differentiation between the juvenile and the adult Triceratops, the horns and the epoccipitals of the Triceratops would look different. When you are at the exhibition, please check out "The Juvenile Triceratops Mini Theatre". This section illustrates how the triceratops grew using animation. I have found the animation pretty entertaining.

The admission to this exhibition is possibly on the higher side at $25 per adult because of the animatronics. I learnt that these animatronics were from Kokoro in Japan. The animatronics looked realistic. These animatronics help visitors to imagine how the various prehistoric animals might have looked like.

In one of the exhibition's galleries, life-sized dinosaur skeletal casts stood close to one another as if they were competing with one another. While I have no idea what competition these dinosaur skeletal casts were involved in, it was humbling to stand beside these giants! The cast of the Argentinosaurus stood 36 metres in length and 7 metres in height. The Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-Rex) stood 11 metres long and 4 metres high.

Children visiting this exhibition can look forward to a hands-on activity that would allowed them to role-play as fossil hunters. Instead of playing with the sand to build sandcastles, children were seen totally focused on uncovering the 'fossils'.

In comparison, I have found the section on the Ice Age Mammals less intriguing. Although the animatronics in this section were brilliantly done, I felt that this section did not give me much insights to the general behaviours of Ice Age Mammals. Maybe not much studies have been done on these animals from the Ice Age than the T-Rex? Then again, maybe it was because I was rushing for time by the time I have reached this section?

In general, please set aside at least two hours for this exhibition. Although I had finished walking through this exhibition in about one and a half hours, I felt I was rushing through the exhibition. 

This is quite an interesting exhibition to visit if you are interested in the growth and behaviours of the dinosaurs from the Cretaceous Period.

Titans of the Past

Dinosaurs and Ice Age Mammals

25 Oct 2013 - 23 Feb 2014

10 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily

Science Centre Singapore, The Annexe

15 Science Centre Road

Singapore 609081

Admission Charges (inclusive of Science Centre entry):
$25 - adult

$19 - child


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Please also read:

Sengkang Babies' Titans of the Past - Dinosaurs exhibition at Science Centre
Littledayout.com's Titans of the Past: Dinosaurs and Ice Age Mammals Review

A quick overview of the Singapore Biennale 2013

The Singapore Biennale is here again. In essence, it is Singapore's biennale of contemporary art. The theme of Singapore Biennale 2013 is If the World Changed. The theme, as mentioned in the Biennale's short guide, is "an invitation to artists to respond to and reconsider the worlds we live in, and the worlds we want to live in". The artworks at the Singapore Biennale reflect how the artists think about this very theme.

This year's biennale focuses on Southeast Asia as a zone of art practice. There were a few works by artists from other parts of Asia as well. Interestingly, 27 distinguished curators from the participating countries were engaged to select recent or newly created works for this biennale.

Lim Shing Ee and Kazunori Takeishi's "Mangrowe".
At SAM@8Q.
A whimsical sculpture that makes us ponder over the dichotomy of the natural and the technological.

What could a layperson or an art enthusiast take away from Singapore Biennale 2013? Other than exposing one's visual senses to the various forms of visual or experiential art, Singapore Biennale 2013 will engage its visitors to think about the world that we live in, be it in the past, the present or the future. Be prepared to be nudged to reflect and to think.

Eko Prawoto's "Wormhole" has left an impression.
At the National Museum of Singapore.
What would it be if the buildings that we live in were made of bamboo?

If you prefer an easier way to appreciate some of the nuances and the meanings behind the artwork, it is strongly recommended that you join one of the guided tours. Otherwise, it may help if you visit the Singapore Biennale 2013 with a friend so that you can have someone to engage in a conversation with after viewing each of the artworks. For the people who loves journaling, it may help to write down your thoughts and reflections from your visit to the Singapore Biennale 2013 on a journal.

Lai Chee Kien's "National Theatre@50".
Near Tank Road. Opposite Fort Canning Park.
Remembering the National Theatre of Singapore that was opened in 1963 and demolished in 1986.

Singapore Biennale 2013 feautres the works of 82 artists and artists collectives. Be prepared to be overwhelmed by the treats to numerous contemporary artworks from the Southeast Asian region. If time is not an issue, it may help to spread out your visits to the nine venues over the course of at least two days. Please plan in ample time to take a good break between your visits to the various venues. Too much of good art in a single seating can be an overdose.

Shirley Soh's "Seeing (from) the Other".
At the Peranakan Museum.

Even if it could be an overdose, the Singapore Biennale 2013 is not to be missed if you are concerned about the state of the contemporary art in the Southeast Asian region. Somehow, I was reminded that there is a sense of shared humanity between the various Southeast Asian countries.

If it was due to budget issue that had held you back from attending the Singapore Biennale 2013, you will be delighted to know that there will be free entry to selected Singapore Biennale venues from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. during the Biennale's Open House. The two upcoming ones will be during Christmas (25 Dec 2013) and Chinese New Year (1 Feb 2014). Mark the dates on your diary please.

Kumari Nahappan's "Anahata" (2013).
At the Singapore Art Museum.
A visually stunning work with a very thoughtful idea of change.

Singapore Biennale 2013
26 Oct 2013 - 16 Feb 2014
http://www.singaporebiennale.org