C H E C K OU T
Home is where the ART is
Did you know Singapore’s streets are filled with works by some of the most famous artists in the world? Here’s where to find them for free.
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esides the soaring skyscrapers, heritage buildings and bustling markets, Singapore is home to an impressive amount of public art, much of which is by world-famous artists and seriously expensive. If you know where to look you’ll find work by the likes of surrealist Salvador Dalí, American pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, and many more.
LET’S GO TO A PARADISE OF GLORIOUS TULIPS Somerset Bencoolen
Promenade City Hall
SIX BRUSHSTROKES
MOTHER AND CHILDREN
ROOTS/NHB
LARGE RECLINING FIGURE
Raffles Place
HOMAGE TO NEWTON TALL TREE IN THE EYE Telok Ayer
Large Reclining Figure by Henry Moore
Downtown
PLANET
Gardens by the Bay
Tall Tree In The Eye by Anish Kapoor
PublicArtSG/Peter Schoppert
This piece in the CBD by British artist Henry Moore might be the most valuable of all of Singapore's public art. According to auction house Christie’s, a similar but smaller 'Reclining Figure' sold for more than $40 million in 2016. This larger version arrived in Singapore in 1984 thanks to American architect I.M. Pei who designed the OCBC building in the late 1970s. Being a fan of Moore’s work, he asked him to create a sculpture for the building’s forecourt. At over 10 metres long, it’s one of the largest works Moore ever created. The sculpture’s pose also resonates with many of us living in the island's unforgiving heat. OCBC Centre, 65 Chulia Street, 049513
Bayfront
If you haven’t spent time looking at your distorted reflection in these polished orbs, you haven’t lived. This showstopper by acclaimed British artist Anish Kapoor comprises 29 polished stainless steel spheres that appear to float upwards. Measuring eight metres tall and weighing over six tonnes, this sculpture was installed in 2013 as part of a $12 million budget for three works of public art. Not just a fancy kaleidoscopic House of Mirrors, according to auctioneer Sotheby’s, a single large orb by Kappor, two metres in diameter, sold for $3.3 million in 2011. Ocean Financial Centre, 10 Collyer Quay, 049315
Let’s Go To A Paradise Of Glorious Tulips by Yayoi Kusama
ORBA/ www.orchardroad.org/play
Chances are you’ve frequented Orchard Central for a spot of shopping, but did you know there’s a whole world of wonder located on this mall's 11th and 12th levels? Here you’ll find a cute rooftop garden featuring the mixedmedia art installation, ‘Let’s Go to a Paradise of Glorious Tulips’ by Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama. The piece, featuring a girl in a garden with flowers and animals, has been here for over a decade nestled amidst the greenery that comes complete with a waterfall and fish pond. Orchard Central, 181 Orchard Road, 238896 22
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12/4/2023 11:26:45 AM
