National Gallery Singapore

National Gallery Singapore is a truly impressive destination for art and culture enthusiasts. It houses a vast collection of Southeast Asian art, ranging from paintings and sculptures to exhibits that tell the stories of the region’s history and culture. The gallery is expansive, with numerous zones and exhibitions to explore. Visiting each area takes considerable time, and even after hours of walking, you might find that you haven’t seen everything. If you’re someone who enjoys delving into the details of each artwork, it’s worth planning several hours—or even multiple visits—to fully appreciate the experience. One of the standout features of the gallery is the building itself, a beautiful blend of historical and modern architecture. The space integrates the former Supreme Court and City Hall buildings, which have been repurposed into a world-class art venue. Exploring the gallery allows you to immerse yourself not only in art but also in Singapore’s rich architectural and historical heritage. For families and visitors with children, the gallery offers interactive zones and activities that make art education fun and engaging for younger audiences. Additionally, there are cafes and restaurants on-site, perfect for taking a break after a long day of exploring, as well as a gift shop with a wide selection of art-related and cultural souvenirs. Overall, National Gallery Singapore is a must-visit destination. Whether you’re there to admire art, learn about culture, or simply enjoy a peaceful retreat in the heart of the city, it promises a valuable and memorable experience for everyone

I found the entrance to be unjustified expensive. $20 for permanent and $30 for temporary. That being said, the museum offers a great mix of Southeast Asian art and beautifully curated exhibits. The building itself was also impressive, old colonial architecture with modern design but too expensive. If you are not really an art lover, I would skip this one.

Very interesting and recommend for those never visit before. Pr and Singaporean have free admission for general ticket. Around 3-4 exhibition can go in and spend around 3-4 hours if interested. The building very iconic and some place for selfies. No crowded as very big and the atmosphere is good. If go with friends, better meet outside the gallery as many entrance for this building.

A really good experience, there’s hours worth of items to see. Lot of art & activities The rooftop has great views of MBS as well

We went there attracted by some google photos of the inside of the building and I was not disappointed. Architecture amazing! Entire gallery is big, multiple various exhibitions out of which many you can enjoy for free. Staff is fantastic - explaining, giving great directions and advices.

It IS Great to See the Identity of south East Asia through Art. It has Great Collection and curatorial Setting to understand south East Asia‘s diversity and similaties. The Architekture is very interesting , too. Highly recommend.

Visited this on 11/12/2024, was overwhelmed! Free entrance for Singapore Citizens, just go to the ticket machine. I recommend to visit clear day to capture the magnificent view. Comes with a few F&B outlets. Parking is available within the Gallery but I chose to park at nearby at The Adelphi.

Really nice collection, both historical and modern. Really nice job by the architectural studio winning the competition. It’s a really good place to spend 2-3h if you’re interested in are/design. They also have a nice shop.

A new review for this ever stellar museum! I've come back after my first visit and found their new exhibits (at this writing) to be very impressive! The Tropical History - Stories from Southeast Asia to Latin America was an excellent show spanning two tropical regions of the world, yet showing the similarities in human spirits and resilience! Bravo to the world-class art institution for another exceptional show.

Such a fun find!!! Learned a lot about Singapore history pro tip: we didn't know though that a lot of the exhibits are free so had purchased tickets, but that's ok bc we love art! The gallery app was super helpful to do our own self guided tour and learn how the art and history tied together

I learned the history of Singapore today. I'm embarrassed but I had no idea how and when the country was built. Oh btw, if you are a tourist and have the Singapore Airline's membership, you get discount :-) The museum staff was very nice and helpful. I was surprised that they don't have many visitors. This is something I have noticed since I arrived in Singapore...they are not enough arts in this town except the amazing architecture. Some of the rooms had dark vibes and I was a bit scared. Hahaha I get goosebumps surrounded by certain items (but that's my personal problem). The museum is also a nice place to take a breathtaking view of Singapore. I was happy that I viewed some of the important arts of Singapore today.

For 20 Singapore dollars each, this place is more for the architecturally inclined than artistic. The gallery consist of 2 huge buildings attached together with very few artistic materials to see. I basically got tired of walking around for so long Looking for the art exhibits. Expected more out of this visit. I say skip this when visiting Singapore.

The National Art Gallery is located in two historical buildings with British Colonial style architecture - the City Hall and the former Supreme Court building. There are many exhibits and the main feature is called "Siapa Nama Kamu?" which means "What is your name?" The paintings all reflected the rich history and culture of Singapore (and the surrounding Southeast Asian countries). The main theme is to examine issues related to Singaporeans as individuals as well as a community, and to see Singapore through its art. Outside the main gallery (DBS Singapore Gallery) is the Social Table, which let visitors digitally choose a collection of artworks and build their own posters (see picture). Once you are done you'll enter your email address, and the poster will be emailed to you in a jpeg file. This is REALLY cool because the artworks that you select represent how you see Singapore through its art. Each person's selection is unique; each person's perspective of Singapore is different. Your selection is your answer to the question "Siapa Nama Kamu?" In the picture posted, you can see yours truly's view of the culture and evolution of Singapore through its art, and my answer to the question "What is your name?" My name is my image of Singapore. Besides the main feature, there were numerous other exhibits and galleries. There are literally too many to mention, but two of them are particularly memorable: -- Rediscovering Treasures: Ink Art from Xiu Hai Lou, which is a collection of Chinese painting and calligraphy. -- Walk, Walk, Walk: Search, Deviate, Reunite, which is a digital collection from Japanese "ultratechnologists". These high-tech artworks respond to the visitor's touch, movement, body heat, and voice. Absolutely amazing! (This is the first gallery to your left as you walk away from the ticket counter, and is naturally the first gallery to visit.) If you are a lover of art, history, and culture; allocate at least half a day to truly enjoy and appreciate the National Art Gallery. To kill two birds with one stone, while you are there, have lunch or afternoon tea at the National Kitchen by Violet Oon (please see separate review.) I hope you'll enjoy your visit. Before you leave, remember to ask yourself the question: "Siapa Nama Kamu?"

Honestly, I was super excited to get to visit the National Gallery of Singapore, but it was a little of a disappointment. One thing that I thought it was really cool about the Museum is that they have the largest collections of art from South East Asia. I think most National Galleries around the world, focus so much on artists from other countries, that they sometimes forget about their own local ones; so I was really happy to see that Singaporean artists were given the recognition they deserved in this Gallery. The main reason why I'm giving it 3 stars is the way is set up. I swear I spent 50% of my time here trying to figure out where to go. We got lost like 5 times, and it was really frustrating to just walk to empty or closed rooms. After a while we realized that a bunch of exhibits were actually closed, so it was a bummer that nobody let us know in advance, instead of wasting our time trying to figure out where to go. At the end we just felt so lost and cold in that huge building that we decided to leave. If you are visiting Singapore just for a few days, I would skip this museum; I wouldn't consider it a MUST.

Came here to see the Yayoi Kusama life is the heart of a rainbow exhibit. The special exhibit cost was $25, but I was able to get a $20 ticket because I'm a teacher :) for $5 more you can get an "all access" ticket. Try to go on a weekday, othwrwisethe lines are ridiculous. Even on a Monday, the lines in the special exhibit were ~10 minutes for each of the 4 areas. I'm not that familiar with Yayoi Kusama, but there is a pumpkin sculpture at a mall where I live, so it was kind of exciting to see more of her work. I wish they'd give you more than 20 seconds in the infinity light room, especially because you have to go in with strangers... The building is nice and air conditioned and there are gift shops and cafes inside. It's something to do in Singapore, so why not lah hahaa

The ticket counter was at basement one. For Singaporeans & PRs it would be free admission except for special exhibitions. Otherwise it would be S$20 per person or S$15 per person for old or young. From 20 May 2017 to 8 October 2017 the museum would be having its first Children's Biennale. Exhibition : LET YOUR IMAGINATION TAKE FLIGHT at City Hall Wing, Level 1, had a lot of hand on activities for children. My personal favourite exhibition would be HOMOGENIZING AND TRANSFORMING WORLD By TeamLab at Supreme Court Wing, Level B1, Concourse Gallery 2. The room was everchanging with different colored lighting around.

This is really a nice museum. Spacious, clean (especially the bathrooms) and the artworks are not all cluttered closely. The museum encompasses 2 separate buildings which are joined together by an aluminum roof made to feel like a modern art forest canopy. In their prior lives, one building was used for municipal services and office for the Prime Minister. The 2nd building was for their justice dept and where the Chief Justice's office was. The proclamation of separation from Malaysia can be seen in the former office of the past Chief Justice. Lovely art work over 5 floors. But the bottom floor is mostly play areas for kids. There is a roof view with a solar pond. We had a small lunch at the restaurant that serves local food. Another serves Western food. The beef satay was delicious for $9, 5 small skewers. Hubby tried the seafood laksa. It was very good too, over rice noodles. For non locals, $20 SD per person. We spent the entire day there. Pick up a map because the layout is confusing between the 2 buildings which only connect on 3 floors. The dome is not for touring but you can see it from underneath.

This art museum in the heart of Singapore is fantastic. It's definitely worth visiting in Singapore if you love art and modern buildings. Yes, it is newly renovated. It has a fantastic interior and even sensors for their escalators. I was bummed I wasn't going to Night Safari. We went for a walk near City Hall and I walked by this museum. I noticed the signs for Monet and Raden Saleh, and I told my father I really wanted to visit. They do have student discounts, so I got like $5 bucks off and paid $25 for all access admission to Century of Light exhibit and general admission. I really was impressed with this museum. There's tons of art to see. If you like Asian watercolors, there's some. If you like modern art by Asian artists, there's a lot of that. I am so happy I saw some obscure art. I am so used to seeing American artists in San Fran. So, the key exhibit was the Impressionist art. All pieces on loan from Musee d'Orsay in Paris. I was happily going through the exhibit until some mean bossy woman told me that my camera was making noise when taking pics. I saw her tell on me to a person working there. That was so rude. I mean get over the camera noise and get over yourself entitled American lady! Just walk away yourself. Besides that, I really liked seeing the Rouen Cathedral piece by Monet there. Really great. Who doesn't enjoy Impressionists like Monet, Renoir, Manet, Pissarro and Cézanne? Then I liked the Raden Saleh(from Java) and Juan Luna(from Philippines). Really great to see SE Asian art. The museum is a bit confusing. After getting your tickets, I would go to the Info desk and ask them to explain the layout and map. It's really helpful to ask before having at the collection. There's the Supreme Court Chamber and the City Hall Chamber. City Hall Chamber 3rd floor are where the key exhibits are. Supreme Court Chamber has some history and SE Asian art. There's a bridge on 3rd floor to different section. 5th floor has outside terrace with views. There's various nice restaurants in museum even a Chinese restaurant and the classy Violet Oon. There's one gift shop by the entrance and it could have more. Really wonderful place to visit for tourists and locals.

So I will start off by stating that I'm not a big museum guy but the museum really blew me away. I arrived with a donor of the museum who gave me an expectantly unique tour. He took me there to see the famous Chinese ink brush artists as well as a few contemporary Chinese painters. I was blown away with the level of skill required to complete some of the work. I also got to see other Asian artists from the Philippines and Indonesia which is something I don't get to see at home or even in Europe. It was a rare opportunity for me to see artists from other regions who were making beautiful work for centuries unbeknownst to me. They also have these cool sky bridges that connect one side of the museum to the other that make for excellent photo ops. There is a roof top bar with a nice view of the skyline as well. This was a good stop and a really cool experience. Not so humbly submitted, Michael C.

This was a rather pleasant discovery. For a while I had thought that the only art gallery in Singapore was this one near Bras Barash MTR station, and all that one seemed to do was have modern art exhibitions. Well, this is the place to visit if you are looking for a more traditional experience. Okay, it does have a modern art section, but that is generally expected. The gallery itself is quite large, and when we paid it a visit it was free entry, which was a bonus. There were also a number of galleries, including two which contained temporary exhibitions (one of then being works from the d'Orsay). They also offer audio guides, which once again I should not since not every gallery of museum (at least in Australia) offer them.

Awesome timing! I was able to view the YAYOI KUSAMA: Life is the Heart of a Rainbow exhibit that is currently on display at the National Gallery until Sun, 3 Sep 2017. We booked our tickets online in advance to avoid lines. We went late on a weekday and felt like we had the place to ourselves. The exhibit is breath taking, and a must see. It's rare to view genius art of this caliber from someone who is still alive! It is unlike any other exhibit I have seen. It is definitely an experience. She literally takes you into the piece of art itself. I felt like I was Alice in Wonderland and had jumped into a hole into another dimension. The National Gallery itself is housed in two national monuments: former Supreme Court and City Hall. The building goes back to 1929, and if the walls could speak they could tell the story of Singapore's colonial times too independence. If you love history, it's worth a visit just to witness the historic architectural beauty of this site. General admission is 20 SGD, to visit the Yayoi Kusama exhibit is 25 SGD, and an all access pass is 30 SGD. Be sure to check out the rooftop garden while you are here. There is also a great cocktail bar on the roof with a phenomenal view, and restaurant in the museum serving up some tasty food in a beautiful setting.

If you love art. This is the place to be. Upon arriving.. since my friend is a local. They had some sort of promotion going on for locals who had a particular bank card. If you have that bank card.. you and a friend get free passes to the museum plus free passes to the upgraded editions of the museum. To be honest I'm not sure if it was one or two friends free but the guy at the ticketing counter gave the three of us three free passes to go into the museum. (Originally he gave her her free pass. And me a free pass. But my husband was missing one pass. I think he said something to my friend and gave the regular admission to my husband after that. So not sure if its 2 or 3 free admissions with that bank card). There's lots of art work here since it is a National Gallery Museum. But kind of a bit disappointed. It was more of a mixture of arts throughout parts of Asia, England..etc. Not too much Singaporean arts so kind of disappointed on that part. I truely believe you should come here early because its a huge museum. We spent 2 hours there but had dinner reservations so we didnt finish it all. The hallways are also a bit confusing as theres no arrows or a direct way to walk through it. So you can get a but lost inside as well. Overall it is an amazing place to visit if you are an art lover. Just make sure to give yourself plenty of time to go through and see everything inside.

I am proud that Singapore can boast of a world class gallery. I recommend the tour of the architectural and historical features of City Hall, the Supreme Court and the galleries. Betty, our docent was knowledgeable and informative. In celebration of Father's Day, my father received complimentary tickets that saved us American visitor's $50. We enjoyed the artwork and historical artifacts. We especially enjoyed "reframing Modernism" exhibit.

Not sure about the $20 price tag (special exhibit not included), but this is a wonderful museum that's worth a visit. If you want to see everything, it's best to allocate an entire day (up to 5 hours) to explore the 7 or so floors. I will also add that the docents at this museum are the friendliest and most engaging people I have had the pleasure of sharing my time with. They were very welcoming to the different exhibits and shared their knowledge about the artwork that was on display. They really made the experience for me!!

What a stunning museum and great use of repurposing two beautiful old buildings. I was so glad I chose to stop into the National Gallery Singapore during my recent trip to Singapore. If you are an art obsessed person like myself, you could easily spend an entire day here. My time was limited and I enjoy modern and contemporary art more than anything else, so I chose to focus on three things: 1) The Level 4 Gallery and Wu Guanzhong Gallery, both showing modern artists for limited time installations 2) Level 5 and galleries 13,14 & 15, which all are contemporary artists and are part of the permanent installation and 3) the "Building Highlights" tour (offered in English and lasting about an hour). Now the National Gallery Singapore only opened November 2015 and I was under the impression that all I might see was more sedate Southeast Asian art. In my brief visit, I was completely wrong and was blown away by the modern, edgy stuff on display. Not only is the building a magnificent architectural wonder of old meets modern, what great edgy work by artists of Asia now! Now I will go back on a future visit to spend more time in the bulk of the Southeast Asian Art (which really is the bread and butter of the museum), but so happy to see the contemporary piece too. There are like eight food and drink options on sight and not to mention the very cool Gallery & Co gift shop. Docents, guides, staff were readily about and eager to answer questions and direct. You could tell they were very proud of their museum...and they should be....it is a wonderful place!

finally, a museum singaporeans can be proud of! just 10 years from pm lee's mention to fruition. i must say they did a great job carving out this historic space, sprucing, preserving, conserving and finally, beautifying it to it's current magnificence. every corner you look, there is something of interest to the lens. now, where do i begin? how about that i have never set foot into this compound until 2015?! amazing isn't it? sure, many a photo shoot took place outside but never inside. sure, i used to play rugby on the lawn fronting the now national gallery. but being inside is a grand new experience for me. you might get a little lost the first time you are in here. so be sure to grab a map from any of the handy and helpful guides littered around the grounds. for a more interactive approach, do download the gallery explorer app available only for iphone and ipad(for now). or call a yelp friend in ally t and she will be more than happy to be your guide!?;) i like how much space there is, relative to the crowd. you can take in the arts, in relative peace. maybe the tour groups have yet to descend upon the gallery in throngs? as for now all singaporeans get in for free! so bring your pink ic and students, bring your student pass! register at the ticket counter and they will give you an entry sticker, then you are free to roam. free, wifi enabled roaming. take selfies, wefies, etcs and upload relentlessly! i like how you can get up close to most of the art works and sniff the oil on the canvas. just kidding, but there are no physical barriers, just black lines drawn on the ground to demarcate no fly zones. no overzealous staff to spoil your enjoyment, as you wander around without restrain. just don't damage any pieces by accidentally falling into them! there are also places both indoors and outdoors where you can sit and relax before continuing with yet, more viewing pleasures. so sit, relax and take in the view of MBS or the reflections pool or just people watching in general. and as and when you are sick of all the audio, visual arts, kid's art, pop-up art that bombards you, just chill at one of the many new f&b outlets that are equally stunning. with so much to offer, i might well have to become a patron of the arts!

The newly opened National Gallery Singapore is absolutely beautiful and they're generous enough to open to the public for free until Dec 6th. After that, Singaporeans and PRs still enjoy free admission, while tourist and employment pass holder will have to pay $20 for a single entry. Kids below 6 years old enter for free. Special concession ticket (priced at $15) is available for the elderly, kids between 7-12 and full time student. The gallery is huge - spanning across 5 floors in 2 different wing featuring work from different artists in the region. My favorite gallery has to be the DBS Singapore Gallery that showcases work from various artists in Singapore, some dated back to the 19th century. I was impressed with the collection of art from the archive knowing that Singapore is such and still a very "young" nation, to speak. Now that all these masterpiece has a home, it will be THE place to show the younger generation how arts and culture plays an important role in shaping a country. Another interesting gallery is the UOB South East Asia gallery located on the 3rd floor with hundreds if not thousands of work from reknown artists in the region - from Malaysia, Thailand, Phillipines, Indonesia, among others (each with their own style of painting). The artwork from the Philiipines and Indonesia reminded me of the work by Diego Riviera and Frida Kahlo - vivid, and vibrant in colors and tells a significant event behind it. The rotunda dome located on the 5th floor is a sight to behold. Utterly beautiful. Besides all the artwork, the gallery is also home to a couple of restaurants - from the much talked Odette by Julian Royer to National Kitchen by Violet Oon, Aura, Yan and a rooftop bar with the weirdest name called Smoke and Mirrors. I went to National Kitchen by Violet Oon for lunch and was surprised by how affordable the price is. Express lunch starts from $8 for a set of main and soft drinks. If you want something light, there's Plain Vanilla pop-up store located on the 1st floor next to the museum's souvenir shop. How can you say no to their amazing cupcakes and coffee?? I know i cant. The National Gallery is definitely one of the top attractions right now in Singapore without a doubt. If you're visiting, may it be a week or just a day or two, you have to drop by and see for yourself - from the exterior to the interior, the restoration work is nothing but world class. ********************************* p/s: The folks from the National Gallery is kind enough to feature my photo in their facebook page so head over and take a look (shameless self promotion but what the heck). It's an instagram photo by @zeeknotgeek.

Wow. A beautifully restored building with wonderful works of art. A must-see! What amazed me about the new National Gallery was their southeast Asian art galleries. They had artworks dating back to the 1800s from this region, and it truly fascinated me. As a person who loves museums, I've always admired European paintings though I could never relate to them. However, when I noticed the artwork by Philippine artists, for the first time I actually felt connected to the art. It's hard to explain. I guess the idea of seeing portraiture and thinking, "Wow, this family looks like me!" or "Wow! This is how Filipinos used to dress back then! Is that what my ancestors wore?" helped me understand where I came from. Being born American with Filipino heritage, it was as if I finally experienced my heritage for the first time. There is so much to see here that I was truly overwhelmed and couldn't do it all in one sitting. I definitely want to come back and re-visit the galleries that focus on contemporary southeast Asian art, along with re-discovering identity post colonization. If you're into photography, bring your fancy camera. There are TONS of great photo opportunities here, especially with the architecture.

A must see when in Singapore. All the permanent residents of Singapore and citizens get a free pass, but it is worth the entrance tickets for the rest of us commoners aka tourists. There are paintings from famous painters all over Southeast Asia, along with the history explained. I get to see a lot of Indonesian famous painters, Basuki Abdullah, Affandi and so many talented artists from yore. This museum is quite big, with a roof terrace and restaurants and bar on the terrace, too bad we couldn't enjoy the bar since it was used for a wedding event. This museum also has a cute souvenir shop. Must visit.

National Gallery has gone through a restoration and I would highly recommend locals and tourists alike to visit! There are vast amounts of space and galleries deep in, so have fun getting lost. There are plentiful of signs around and I would encourage you to go by sequence from Gallery 1 to 6. The Supreme Court exhibits caught my eye as it showed preserved artifacts and the grandeur of a courthouse. Parents can head to the children's activity rooms on Level 1 or B1 whereby building blocks and interactive exhibits awaits. There are also water coolers located near the bathrooms,so keep your bottle handy as there will be alot of walking. Do head to level 6 to take a panoramic shot of our nation's landmarks of the Padang,Esplanade and Marina Bay Sands (MBS) Food options range from the Padang cafe to violet oon (peranakan cuisine) and a little cafe posing as a small cafeteria serving at level 1. Get your coffee and bake goods here. There are more food options but at this point, my calfs were giving way. Would come back again as I felt I didn't cover a few sections as much as i like.

Came here the second day it was open! Bahah getting to these things all ahead of time.. and then while looking around realized that a lot of the exhibitions weren't open until Nov 26 :(. Oh well. The Museum is FREE until December 6, 2015 so book your tickets ahead online or you can walk right in and they'll give you a pass. When I went on Wednesday there was barely anyone there. The building itself is spectacular. Everything is so gorgeous - it's the perfect place for taking pictures. The chairs that they have around the museum are so quirky and unique (Yeah I paid more attention to their chairs than their art opps). I also enjoyed seeing the former Supreme Court Building. Their rooms are just so elegant you have to come check it out while you can :). There's also a free shuttle that runs between the other museums (National Art Gallery and National Museum and one other) so you can go around and get your museum fill for the day.

This was the perfect way to spend a rainy Sunday. An excellent collection of art. I particularly enjoyed the Artist and Empire exhibit - very though provoking! If you are a foreigner/tourist, check with your hotel concierge, and you may be able to get a discounted ticket. I was able to get at 25% discount from the $20 entrance fee.

The Central/ Orchard central of museums -- expect to get lost! 2 stars for the beautiful building. Zero stars for the so-so art.. granted, I'm just an ordinary person and not an art critic but there is no single piece I remember, writing this 2 weeks after my visit. If I could give negative stars, I would, for the terrible layout. The signs are unclear and incomplete and even with a map, we found ourselves reaching dead ends more than once. We weren't the only ones getting lost and frustrated-- other groups expressed confusion to the guides, and the guides had to show us the way to certain halls, through staircases and doors that were not clearly marked on the map. So, in the 3 hours we spent there, 2 hours were on walking and finding the way, half an hour looking at art, half an hour trying to appreciate it-- the labels and signs on the art don't do it any favors.

Really boring. Lots of space with few nice art pieces. Hoping to get Southeast Asian art that really expressed the feelings of people as they went through the various times in history as well as showing love of country. It was rather hodgepodge like and not that interesting. There was one section that was done by an autistic artist; as a person who works with autistic people, I found it to be something that autistic people would find quite disturbing in a negative way. Too much color, too much stuff and filled with trash-like items, my Autistic students would probably run out screaming. Only saving grace was the fantastic children's section. Of course, everybody working throughout the museum was nice.

Certainly not comparable to other National Galleries in the top cities of the world but a worthy effort. The emphasis here, of course, are all things Singaporean. Unfortunately, its artistic history is neither too rich nor too deep since it's always been more of an Asian trading center. More than one visit is unnecessary except for possibly the rotating special exhibitions.

Very nice and beautiful place everyone must visit at least once i had a great joy looking all those exhibits

Beautiful space and Asian artwork, I really enjoyed walking around and visiting the gallery. The building however was not all gallery it was a bit confusing to navigate the gallery skipped floor and all. The roof was interesting it was a pool of water on the top so you could see the movement of the water from below. There was also the supreme holding cell that we visited it was kinda of fun. There were a few cafes and museum stores, random but one carried Maison Kitsune clothes though for man only. The highlight of the visit was going to the rooftop, there was a restaurant up there with an amazing view of Singapore! Worth visiting!

The National Gallery is a beautifully restored building that still has all that grandeur feeling you get from those buildings in similar architecture like those in Europe. Even if you're not that excited about artworks, I believe it is still worth a visit just to walk through the building as it was simply stunning. (a great place to bring your guests i suppose) The National Gallery also hosts a vast collection of Southeast Asian artworks ranging from local artists to artists from neighbouring countries. Although the collection brings me back to my days of studying those artworks, the arrangement of the artworks felt quite random which makes it less appealing in terms of its presentation as well for its discussion (some museums group artworks with related theme or characteristics together to evoke discussions). In addition, the lack of guidance, whether in form of text or audio, makes it harder for people who are not that familiar to the SEA art scene to understand and appreciate it fully. More could be done to introduce people to the SEA art scene but I'm glad that some efforts are being devoted to fulfil this purpose.

My mistake when visiting the museum is to come in the afternoon. The place is humongous and we could only cover half of the museum before retiring. Great collection of Art inside a beautiful and historical building. Don't forget to check out the view from the rooftop of the Padang and the Marina Bayfront. I would have given it another star if it was easier navigating the building. Got lost midway with a dead-end and had to backtrack, which ruined the rhythm. All in all a great experience with some interactive work, and also several fun stations for the young (and young at heart).

If you want to waste your MONEY and TIME visit here! Gallery was too crowded. Poor service and planning. Don't bother coming. Its a terrible gallery. NOT worth it.

Beautifully restored building. Very spacious and quiet. It's the perfect place for taking pictures, the architecture was beautifully restored. Its quite difficult to navigate around though, there weren't enough signages that were placed strategically. I ran into the same sections over and over again. 'Wu Guan Zhong's exhibit were the highlights for me. Else, a big portion of the art didn't leave much of an impression for me. There's plenty to see and might take more than a day to complete. I definitely want to come back and re-visit the galleries that focus on contemporary southeast Asian art, along with the modern contemporary art installations that was pretty intriguing.

Creative use of space. Make sure you visit the bar on the rooftop when you're done! Beautiful views. It's an interesting exhibition - I would recommend bringing your friends who are visiting Singapore, even for a weekend. Be sure to try the peranakan restaurant here too!

Absolutely put this on your list to see, especially if you can visit on a weekday morning. The two main buildings have been completely refurbished and are magnificient and comfortable. The showings rotate, so while I was there, the two I enjoyed were the earthenware and the wall hangings. Really well done. The art work goes from colonial to modern and is very well laid out with good descriptions. I did not rush at all and spent about 4 hours there. Highly recommed that you spend a few minutes to really understand the museum layout and what floors the exhibits are on(you'll see what I mean when you get there), then you will be able to work your way through in a natural progession.

I've taken kids twice. visited only kids floor but it is so spacious with several art& craft rooms, never be overcrowded. hidden gem. I have not tried the normal gallery area yet. I would love to visit wo kids as well.

Last month April 2016 visited there and it is clean and nice with air conditioner running.

Love the fact that the museum combines two historic buildings (Supreme Court and City Hall), but unfortunately the two sides are not well integrated. A gigantic underground basement connects the two as does what used to be an alleyway between the two (but which is now "covered" to become a link way). It's disorienting moving from one side of the museum to the other. There's a lot of space (much underused) and it's almost too big, which adds to the feeling of being lost. I didn't have time for walking on my own as I'd joined a tour. The tour was enjoyable and instructive. The docent seemed knowledgeable and engaged us. I liked the variety of artwork, especially pieces that were contemporary and abstract. Often museums showcase so-called traditional arts so this proved refreshing.