Two architectural sites that have seen dramatic developments in Singaporean history now house the city-state’s new National Gallery, which opened today.
The museum’s collection includes more than 8,000 works of modern art of the region, featuring artists like Chong Soo Pieng, Ho Ho Ying, Liu Kang, and Chen Chong Swee.
The sites housing the museum saw the birth of the city-state. The 1939 Supreme Court Building, with its imposing Greek façade, and a grand, classical Municipal Building from the same year, were occupied by the Japanese during World War II; Singapore’s first head of state was inaugurated in the City Hall chamber in 1959.
The new museum has been ten years in the works. The renovation of its interiors was overseen by France’s Studio Milou Architecture.
During construction, further history was discovered during a 2010 archaeological dig on the site, which turned up artifacts from as far back as the 14th century.