If you’re looking for some history, art or culture while on holiday, don’t look past Singapore. The scores of museums provide a glimpse into Singapore’s past while galleries dedicated to modern art reflect the society today. Singapore is also becoming an increasingly popular spot for travelling exhibitions so don’t be surprised to see some Dali or Warhol while you’re here.
National Museum of Singapore
The National Museum of Singapore is the country’s oldest museum. Having been at its current location since 1887, its history can actually be traced to 1849 when Sir Stamford Raffles proposed the idea of a museum to preserve local culture. The National Museum is still the place to go for Singapore History, Examples include the first ever photograph of Singapore taken in 1844. Also on display is the last remaining piece of the Singapore Stone. Found at the mouth of the Singapore River in 1819, this sandstone slab contained 50 or 52 lines of script. The language has never been properly identified and the age of the stone never agreed on. It is said to be from between the 10th and 14th century.
Singapore Art Museum
The Singapore Art Museum, or SAM, is Singapore’s home of contemporary art. Its permanent collection is made up of 7,750 pieces from Singapore and Southeast Asia. The collection features paintings, sculptures and installations. SAM also plays host to travelling exhibitions including works by Yayoi Kusama and Yasumasa Morimura from Tokyo’s Museum of Contemporary Art and video art by Bill Viola and Jean-Luc Godard from Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. Located around the corner, at approximately 88 steps away, is 8C SAM. Built to accompany the original SAM, this museum concentrates more on community-based interaction with contemporary arts.
Asian Civilisations Museum
Housed in the stunning Empress Place Building, which parts of can be dated back to 1864; the Asian Civilisations Museum is one of the pioneering museums in the region to specialise in pan-Asian cultures and civilisations. The museum specialises in the material history of China, Southeast Asia, South Asia and West Asia, from which the diverse ethnic groups of Singapore trace their ancestry. The museum also stages a large number of temporary exhibitions with collections loaned from all over Asia including India, China and Japan.
Peranakan Museum
Peranakan is the name given to the descendants of the Chinese that immigrated to Malaysia and Singapore in the 15the and 16th century. This unique culture used to be showcased as part of the Asian Civilisations Museum until it was decided a dedicated museum was needed to house this important part of Singapore’s heritage. The museum will take you through all aspects of Peranakan culture, including highlights on Peranakan communities in Singapore, Malacca and Penang.
ArtScience Museum
Worth a visit for the architecture alone, the lotus-shaped building at Marina Bay is now a regular postcard image. The museum showcases design as well as art across its three levels. However, the museum is more known for its visiting exhibitions. Exhibitions have included works by Dali, Van Gogh and Warhol plus exhibits featuring artifacts from the Titanic, costumes and props from the Harry Potter films and currently showing (until the 14th of April) an exhibition about Lego.
The Maritime Experiential Museum and Images of Singapore
The two museums on the island of Sentosa each offer a unique experience. The Maritime Experiential Museum was built to house The Jewel of Muscat and the 60,000 artefacts salvaged from the Belitung Shipwreck. Images of Singapore tells the Singapore story using multi-media displays, multi-screen theatre presentations and life-size tableaus depicting major events in Singapore's history.
MINT Museum of Toys
Not really a museum to take the kids to, as all the toys are mostly vintage and stuck behind glass, one of the highlights of “Moment of Imagination and Nostalgia with Toys” Museum is the restaurant and rooftop bar. The walls of both are covered with vintage advertisements creating a whimsical atmosphere which works especially well with the city views from the rooftop bar.
Singapore also played a major part in World War 2. If you’re keen to experience the history in a more tactile manner you should visit Fort Siloso on Sentosa Island. Used by the British during World War 2, it’s now a museum. Less known is The Battle Box. Buried beneath Fort Canning in central Singapore this historic command centre was thought lost to time until a journalist rediscovered it in 1988. It has since been converted into a tourist attraction and museum. Being right near the Singapore River and Clarke Quay this is a close, convenient and extraordinary way to experience some local history.
As a country built upon so many cultures, Singapore has many museums and heritage centres to celebrate the cultural diversity. One definitely worth visiting is Fuk Tak Chi Temple. Built in 1824 this is Singapore’s oldest temple. Now doubling as a museum, its exhibits document the lives of early Chinese migrants.
Most museums are easy to get to via MRT. If you’re visiting the Asian Civilisations Museum then you should consider taking the River Explorer. Arrive by boat at the same spot Sir Stamford Raffles landed on the 29th of January 1819. This little historical recreation is a great way to accompany a day of history and culture.
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