In celebration of Singapore’s 60th year of independence, The Private Museum is proud to present The Art of Lee Boon Ngan: Celebrating 60 Years of Singapore through the Love of Chua Mia Tee & Lee Boon Ngan, a landmark exhibition honouring the love and legacy of two Singaporeans who have dedicated their lives to art and nation.
While her husband, Cultural Medallion recipient Chua Mia Tee, is widely recognised for his contributions to Singapore’s national visual identity through his realist paintings, Lee remained the steadfast and quiet strength of the family as a wife and mother—while continuing to pursue her practice, and secured her spot alongside Chua as an artist in her own right. This exhibition centres her story, highlighting her unwavering commitment to her practice across decades, a profound devotion to artistic expression and excellence while finding fulfilment in her role meeting needs and nurturing familial bonds.
This exhibition is a poignant tribute to dedication and resilience, featuring rarely seen portraits of their children and grandchildren, offering a unique biographical window into the private world of a family bound by art. Alongside a selection of Chua’s renowned landscape paintings and portraits of public figures, the exhibition presents a series of Lee’s exquisite flower paintings she was widely lauded for—a visual realisation of their shared sensibilities, rooted in their passion for realist art, and a quiet reverence for our country.
From glimpses of their shared studio space to works that speak of everyday affection, this presentation harmonises two monumental figures and foregrounds the often invisible labour of love behind art. As Singapore reflects on 60 years of independence, this exhibition reminds us that nation-building is not only about grand gestures, but also the tender, often uncelebrated choices that shape lives and legacies.
This exhibition marks the third instalment in The Private Museum’s exciting lineup of programmes for 2025.
The exhibition will run from 10 July to 21 September 2025.
The Private Museum is pleased to present As One Thing Flows To Another, curated by guest curator Ng Hui Hsien. The exhibition reimagines culture, heritage, and traditions in contemporary contexts—connecting an expansive range of artistic forms through multidisciplinary collaborations. It explores the works of eight visual artists, and features special collaborations with leading Singaporean music charity, The TENG Company as well as Photographer and Author, Dr Chua Yang, daughter of Cultural Medallion recipient Chua Mia Tee. The exhibition celebrates the 20th anniversary of The TENG Company and the launch of the second book in the Women Inspiring Women series by Dr Chua Yang.
As One Thing Flows To Another explores the eight graces within Chinese culture: music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, wine, flowers, and tea. Each of these elements carries a long history and profound philosophies in Chinese culture, evoking images of leisure, serenity, and refinement. Historically, they served as cultural capital, conferring status on practitioners within the realm of the literati. During ancient China, the term “six arts” developed to encapsulate some of these elements, and later, the term “four arts” emerged. In more recent times, the umbrella term “eight graces” is used.
Such observations highlight the creative evolution of language and culture. Embracing the idea of change and departing from a historical understanding, As One Thing Flows To Another reimagines the eight graces in our contemporary context, drawing inspiration from their modern associations. In this exhibition, artworks intertwine and diverge in their characteristics, forming loose and free connections that weave together broad themes of nature, everyday life, and nationhood in contemporary times.
As One Thing Flows To Another invites visitors to experience moments of inspiration, humour, and contemplation, aiming to foster a renewed appreciation for the fluidity of cultural elements and the bending of conventions that shape our world.
The exhibition will be run from 10 August to 22 September 2024.
Download our exhibition leaflet for more information here.
Download our exhibition press release here.
In celebration of the museum’s first anniversary at the Osborne House, The Private Museum is proud to present Strange Connections: Art and Architecture by Richard Hassell. Renowned as the founding director of WOHA Architects, Richard Hassell played a pivotal role in shaping the museum’s new chapter within the historic building.
In May 2023, The Private Museum officially received the keys to the Osborne House, situated atop the hill at 11 Upper Wilkie Road. The century-old house has endured the passage of time, its walls echoing stories. From its colonial-era beginnings as a residence to hosting a myriad of occupants from different historical periods, and now a haven for the arts, the house is a vessel that encapsulates countless narratives.
The exhibition explores the intricate relationship between art and architecture, delving into the historical narratives of Osborne House dating back to the 1830s. As part of research for the museum’s reimagining, Hassell discovered strange connections between the building’s history and his own. The showcase reflects his ongoing investigation into emergent phenomena through playful visual constructions, encouraging contemplation of the interplay between the physical and the abstract, and the historical and the contemporary.
Hassell’s explorations in art began in his childhood, with his practice now spanning drawing, painting, and sculpture. His passion for the scientific, philosophical, and cultural elements of patterns, systems, and networks manifests in both his architecture and art. In particular, his exploration of complex tiling, made public in 2016, had led to exhibitions in Singapore, Taiwan, Europe and the USA.
Strange Connections invites visitors to an exhibition of art and architecture that delves into history, science, and the web of connections that link us all.