Singapore Pinacothèque de Paris

Singapore Pinacothèque de Paris was a private art museum formerly located in the Fort Canning Arts Centre at Fort Canning Park, Singapore. It opened to the public on 30 May 2015 and had its last day of operations on 10 April 2016, citing "weaker than expected visitorship and other business and financial challenges faced".[1]

Singapore Pinacothèque de Paris
Singapore Pinacothèque de Paris
Singapore Pinacothèque de Paris at the Fort Canning Arts Centre
Singapore Pinacothèque de Paris is located in Singapore
Singapore Pinacothèque de Paris
Location within Singapore
Established29 May 2015 (2015-05-29)
Dissolved11 April 2016 (2016-04-11)
LocationFort Canning Arts Centre, Singapore
Coordinates1°17′43″N 103°50′48″E
Typeart museum
FounderMarc Restellini
DirectorMarc Restellini
CEOKirk Ho (deputy)
Suguna Madhaven (former)
ChairpersonMarc Restellini
CuratorMarc Restellini
HistorianMarc Restellini
Nearest car parkPercival Road Car Park B
Websitewww.pinacotheque.com.sg
A plaque commemorating the official opening of the art museum on 29 May 2015

The museum in Singapore was the first international offshoot of Pinacothèque de Paris, a private museum in Paris which opened in 2007 and closed in February 2016 after going into receivership in November 2015.[2]

Background

Singapore Pinacothèque de Paris, which had its official opening on 29 May 2015 and opened to the public the next day, covered about 5,500 square metres (59,000 sq ft) over three floors of Fort Canning Centre,[3] a historic building at Fort Canning Hill built in 1926 for use as barracks by the British Army.[4] The project was a joint initiative between Marc Restellini, Yves Bouvier, Alain Vandenborre and KOP Properties.[5]

Renovation of Fort Canning Centre

From 2014 to 2015, Fort Canning Centre was completely renovated and reopened as Fort Canning Arts Centre to host Singapore Pinacothèque de Paris and several shops and restaurants, some of which remain in operation after the closure of the museum. The project was partially funded by the Singapore Tourism Board[5] and had a budget of US$24 million.[6][7][8][9]

Exhibitions
2015
  • Inauguration of the Permanent Collection and Heritage Gallery.
  • The Myth of Cleopatra.
2016
  • Pressionism: Graffiti Masterpieces on Canvas.

Controversies and closure

The museum was subject to some controversy because of its lack of visitors, which had placed a number of the commercial tenants of Fort Canning Centre in financial difficulties.[1] In addition, one of the investors in the project, Yves Bouvier, has been accused by a Russian collector of selling to him artworks which were stolen or greatly overpriced, claims which Bouvier denies.[10]

The museum closed on 10 April 2016. The company which managed the museum, Art Heritage Singapore, faced a lawsuit in Singapore initiated by an Italian exhibition organiser over a sum of about €435,000 as the closure occurred.[11]

References
  1. "The Singapore Pinacotheque de Paris closes its doors". Today. 8 April 2016. Archived from the original on 17 April 2016.
  2. "Paris Pinacotheque museum closes as visitor numbers drop post attacks". Reuters. 13 February 2016. Archived from the original on 31 March 2016.
  3. Lee Jian Xuan (23 April 2015). "Singapore Pinacotheque, offshoot of prestigious private art museum in Paris, to open on May 30". The Straits Times. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  4. "Your Guide to Colonial History Trail in Fort Canning Park" (PDF). National Parks Board. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 April 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  5. Huang Lijie (30 May 2013). "Parisian museum sets up here: To open in 2015, Singapore Pinacotheque de Paris will be housed in Fort Canning Centre" (PDF). The Straits Times. p. C2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  6. Meryle Secrest (3 October 2012). "Succès fou". T: The New York Times Style Magazine. Archived from the original on 5 January 2014.
  7. "Paris Pinacotheque will open $42m outpost in Singapore: Offshoot of Parisian private museum bringing Old Masters and Modern art to a pop-up space from September, before opening permanent home in historic Fort Canning building". The Art Newspaper (reproduced on the website of The French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore). 27 May 2013. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016.
  8. Patricia Cohen (2 February 2014). "A Modigliani? Who says so?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 6 November 2015.
  9. Gareth Harris (22 January 2015). "Cleopatra show to open Pinacothèque de Paris's new Singapore outpost: For-profit museum to put on populist ticketed exhibitions, as well as free heritage displays, in redeveloped Fort Canning building". The Art Newspaper. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016.
  10. Sam Knight (8 February 2015). "The Bouvier affair: How an art-world insider made a fortune by being discreet". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016.
  11. "Private art museum in Fort Canning to close as it faces lawsuit". The Straits Times. 9 April 2016. Archived from the original on 17 April 2016.
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