Preserving the integrity and longevity of our art collection
The artworks in Singapore’s National Collection are meticulously cared for by our specialists at the Heritage Conservation Centre (HCC).
Beyond preservation and conservation encompasses extensive research into the methods and materials used by artists. This research helps us to write the material story of Southeast Asian art that is only just beginning to unfold.
Highlights from the conservator’s bench
What happens before an artwork is exhibited? Go behind the scenes and uncover the process of placing an artwork on the Gallery’s walls. Hear from our conservators and discover the techniques and the methodologies used to conserve each piece.
Conserving Georgette Chen’s artworks
Preparing Pacita Abad’s Flight to Freedom for exhibition
Art conservation techniques in Cheong Soo Pieng’s Layer by Layer
Conserving Georgette Chen’s Artworks
In this video series, our paintings conservator Mar Cusso Solano, together with her colleagues from the Heritage Conservation Centre (HCC)/National Heritage Board (NHB), Irene Dominguez Jimenez and Filzah Mohd Amir, describes how four of Chen’s iconic artworks were conserved and prepared for the exhibition Georgette Chen: At Home in the World.
Learn about one of Singapore’s most prominent artists and discover the development of Chen’s painting techniques as she travelled through Paris, Shanghai, Malaya, and Singapore.
About this series
Paintings conservator Mar Cusso Solano from National Gallery Singapore introduces the HCC and the roles that she and her colleagues carry out. Peek into the conservation lab where science meets art, as the conservators undertake the largest and most in-depth study of Chen’s works to date.
Taking a closer look at the Coast of Brittany
Coast of Brittany (c. 1930) was influenced by Chen's time as a student in Paris. It is a rare surviving example of her early works. Paintings conservator Irene Dominguez Jimenez shares how the team uncovered Chen’s unique use of the painting’s preparatory layers and identified it as one of only two known works in which she used a palette knife to apply colour on canvas.
Conserving the Portrait of Eugene Chen
Join our conservator for a closer look at this intimate and poignant painting featuring Chen’s first husband, Eugene Chen. Learn about the examination techniques used in the lab that rewarded the team with valuable insights into Chen’s meticulous yet spontaneous pictorial techniques used to create her artworks.
In the style of the Malay Maiden
After relocating to Malaya, Chen developed a deep affinity for its culture, often depicting local figures in her works. One such example is the piece Malay Maiden (1961). Our Conservator, Irene, explains how it reflects Chen’s evolving technique and style following her move to this region.
Zooming in on Tropical Fruits
Fruits were a favourite motif in Georgette Chen’s art, and reflected her curiosity about her new environment. Paintings conservator Filzah Mohd Amir puts Chen’s Tropical Fruits under the microscope to showcase how her style was impacted by the sights and sounds around her.
A look into our conservation research
At the Conservator’s Bench: Georgette Chen
Our paintings conservator Mar Cusso Solano, together with her colleagues from the HCC/NHB, Irene Dominguez Jimenez and Filzah Mohd Amir, explains how four of Chen’s iconic artworks were prepared for the exhibition Georgette Chen: At Home in the World.
At the Conservator’s Bench: Pacita Abad
Discover how our skilled team came together to install Flight to Freedom, where no step was simple due to the painting’s immense size. Follow the painstaking preparations for its display, from unrolling and stretching to transferring and hanging.
At the Conservator’s Bench – Coast of Brittany
Paintings conservator Irene Dominguez Jimenez shares how the team uncovered Chen’s unique use of the painting’s preparatory layers in this rare surviving example of her early works and identified her use of a palette knife.
At the Conservator’s Bench – Portrait of Eugene Chen
Learn about the examination techniques used in the lab that rewarded our conservators with valuable insights into Chen’s meticulous yet spontaneous methods.
At the Conservator’s Bench – Malay Maiden
Our Conservator Irene explains how it reflects Chen’s evolving technique and style following her move to Malaya.
At the Conservator’s Bench – Tropical Fruits
Fruits were a favourite motif in Georgette Chen’s art and reflected her curiosity towards her new environment. Our paintings conservator puts Chen’s Tropical Fruits under the microscope to showcase how her style was impacted by the sights and sounds around her.
At the Conservator’s Bench – What is a Painting?
Often incorporating everyday and industrial materials like metal wire and rattan, Cheong’s meticulous process is revealed through laboratory analysis and close observation, shedding light on his remarkable compositions.
At the Conservator’s Bench – What Makes a Painting?
Uncover Cheong Soo Pieng’s creative techniques through scientific investigations like infrared photography and X-ray imaging.
At the Conservator’s Bench – When is a Painting Complete?
Careful analysis of archival materials, complemented by tools like infrared photography and X-ray imaging, shows both Cheong’s original composition and how the canvas was reworked.
Ask a Conservator | Frequently Asked Questions with Mar Cusso
We speak to Mar Cusso, one of the Gallery’s paintings conservators, about the questions she gets from everyone – from first-time visitors to experienced docents and our staff.
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