New Director Appointed for The National Art Gallery, Singapore

The National Art Gallery, Singapore (the Gallery) has named Dr Eugene Tan as Director of the Gallery after an intensive international and local search. Dr Tan will assume the post on 15 May 2013.

Result of Extensive Museum Director Search

2                Mr Hsieh Fu Hua, Deputy Chairman of the Gallery, who led the search, said, "Having identified and met many candidates, each with their respective strengths and many who are qualified to assume this role, we are pleased to appoint Dr Eugene Tan, a leading arts practitioner who has driven several arts initiatives in Singapore. With Eugene working closely with the Gallery’s CEO, Ms Chong Siak Ching, we now have a complete leadership team combining strong organisational skills with artistic and curatorial depth, which will steer the Gallery towards its opening and beyond."

3                Ms Chong, CEO of the Gallery, said, “Eugene’s deep understanding of the local arts scene, and his international outlook and networks will be a valuable asset to the Gallery. I look forward to working closely with him and drawing on the collective strength of the Gallery team to build a leading museum that will offer an enriching experience for our visitors and foster greater appreciation of visual arts in the process”.

4                Dr Eugene Tan will lead the professional aspects of the Gallery, including curatorial, collections, programming and international collaborations. He will continue his role as Programme Director (Special Projects) at the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) until the fourth quarter of the year to ensure a smooth transition of his duties. Thereafter, he will be involved in Gillman Barracks in a strategic and advisory capacity.

5                Dr Tan, said, “It is certainly an honour and privilege to be appointed Director of the National Art Gallery, Singapore and to have the opportunity to play a part in developing this
important art institution. I look forward to working with the Gallery team and stakeholders to build a museum which will engage Singapore residents and visitors from all over the world through deep and meaningful experiences with art.”

A brief write-up on Dr Eugene Tan is attached in Annex A.

ANNEX A

Dr Eugene Tan joins the National Art Gallery, Singapore (the Gallery) as Director on 15 May 2013. He will lead the Gallery on key museological and curatorial aspects of the Gallery’s work, and strengthen its profile as a leading player in the visual arts scene. He will also play a key role in influencing the intellectual framework that will guide the display and further development of the Gallery’s collections.

Prior to joining the Gallery, Dr Tan served as the Programme Director (Special Projects) at the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and oversaw the development of Gillman Barracks, a visual arts hub in Singapore. Dr Tan has also held various positions in the arts, including Director of Exhibitions for Osage Gallery, Director of Contemporary Art at the Sotheby’s Institute of Art – Singapore, as well as Director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore. He has curated various exhibitions including the Singapore Pavilion at the 51st Venice Biennale (2005) and the inaugural Singapore Biennale (2006). Thematic exhibitions he has curated include “Of Human Scale and Beyond: Experience and Transcendence” (2012), “The Burden of Representation: Abstraction in Asia Today” (2010), “Coffee, Cigarettes and Pad Thai: Contemporary Art in Southeast Asia” (2008) and “Always Here but Not Always Present: Art in a Senseless World” (2008), as well as solo exhibitions by Charwei Tsai (2012), Lee Mingwei (2010) and Jompet (2010). He is co-author of the publication “Contemporary Art in Singapore” (2007) and has contributed writings to exhibition catalogues and publications by NUS Press, Hatje Cantz and Phaidon, as well as art journals such as Art Asia Pacific, Art Review, Broadsheet, C-Arts, Contemporary, Flash Art, Metropolis M, Modern Painters and Yishu: Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art. He has also presented at conferences and symposia internationally, including Australia, France, Germany, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan and United Kingdom.

Dr Tan graduated from Queen Mary College, University of London with a Bachelor of Science (2nd Upper Class Hons) in Economics and Politics and a Masters of Arts (Distinction) in Post- War and Contemporary Art from the Sotheby’s Institute of Art – London. He received his PhD in Art History from the University of Manchester.