National Museum of Singapore

The National Museum of Singapore is a public museum dedicated to Singaporean art, culture and history. Located within the country's Civic District at the Downtown Core area, it is the oldest museum in the country. It is one of the largest museums in Asia.[2]

National Museum of Singapore
Chinese: 新加坡國家博物院
Malay: Muzium Negara Singapura
Tamil: சிங்கப்பூரின் தேசிய அருங்காட்சியகம்
Entrance to the National Museum of Singapore
Established1849 (1849)
Location93 Stamford Road, Singapore 178897
Coordinates1°17′48.2″N 103°50′55.1″E
DirectorChung May Khuen[1]
ArchitectHenry McCallum[lower-alpha 1]
J. F. McNair[lower-alpha 2]
W Architects and I.M. Pei[lower-alpha 3]
Public transit access CC2  Bras Basah
 DT21  Bencoolen
Websitenationalmuseum.sg

The National Museum of Singapore was designated as National monument of Singapore in 1992 by the National Heritage Board. The National Museum of Singapore exhibits sculptures, objets d'art, paintings, drawings, and archaeological finds. Admission to the National Museum of Singapore is complimentary for Singaporean citizens and permanent residents.[3]

National Museum of Singapore
Architectural style(s)Neo-Palladian, Renaissance
Governing bodyNational Heritage Board
Designated14 February 1992 (1992-02-14)
Reference no.30

History
The museum, circa 1900

The museum was established in 1849 by the then Singapore Institution Committee, and is the oldest museum in Singapore, hence its 19th century exterior design. Upon establishment, it was known as the Raffles Library and Museum, starting out as a section of a library at the Singapore Institution[lower-alpha 4] before moving to 93 Stamford Road in 1887 after several relocations, where it is currently located.[4]

Between 1993 and March 2006, it was briefly known as the Singapore History Museum, before it subsequently returned to its present name that was first given in 1965 as the National Museum of Singapore.

Over the centuries, the National Museum of Singapore has expanded and undergone various expansions and renovations, with a three-and-a-half-year restoration that was completed on 2 December 2006, and was officially reopened on 7 December 2006 by President of Singapore S. R. Nathan and the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Lee Boon Yang.[5]

The museum was designated a National Monument of Singapore on 14 February 1992 by the National Heritage Board.

Collection

In 2022, seats from Singapore Airlines’s first Airbus A380 were added to the museum's collection.[6]

See also

Notes
  1. Original version
  2. Scaled down version of McCallum's and one that was eventually constructed
  3. Redevelopment
  4. Now known as the Raffles Institution.

References
  1. Ho, Olivia (20 August 2019). "Chung May Khuen appointed new director of National Museum of Singapore". www.straitstimes.com. The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  2. "National Museum of Singapore". www.roots.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  3. "Free Admission For Citizens and Permanent Residents". www.nhb.gov.sg. National Heritage Board (Singapore). Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  4. "National Museum of Singapore". www.nhb.gov.sg. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  5. Clara Chow, "National Museum opens after $132m makeover", The Straits Times, 8 December 2006
  6. Hardiman, Jake (25 October 2022). "Singapore Airlines Donates Airbus A380 Seats To A Museum 15 Years After Its Inaugural Flight". Simple Flying. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022. 

Works cited
  • Lenzi, Iola (2004). Museums of Southeast Asia. Singapore: Archipelago Press. ISBN 981-4068-96-9.
  • National Heritage Board, Archipelago Press, Singapore's 100 Historic Places (2002), ISBN 981-4068-23-3
  • Norman Edwards and Peter Keys, Times Books International (1996), Singapore: A Guide to Buildings, Streets and Places, ISBN 981-204-781-6
  • "National Museum of Singapore (Singapore Biennale) 2006". Singapore Biennale. Archived from the original on 25 July 2006. Retrieved 27 July 2006.
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