Family of Ng Teng Fong donates $20m to National Gallery Singapore

THE family of the late Ng Teng Fong, founder of Far East Organisation, has made a S$20 million donation to the National Gallery Singapore's research, curatorial and exhibition work, with a focus on outdoor presentations of commissioned art. This makes the family the gallery's fifth founding partner.

To commemorate the partnership, the gallery's roof garden exhibition space located at Level 5 of the City Hall Wing will be named Ng Teng Fong Roof Garden Gallery. This gallery will also feature the Ng Teng Fong Roof Garden Commission series.

The first Ng Teng Fong Roof Garden Commission will be created by Danh Vo as part of the gallery's Imagining Southeast Asia programme. It will feature annual site-specific commissions by leading artists that relate to the curatorial narratives of the museum's collections and permanent galleries.

National Gallery Singapore CEO Chong Siak Ching said: "The philanthropic contribution from the Ng family will boost our efforts in engaging more visitors with inspiring and differentiated art experiences. By taking exhibitions out of typical gallery spaces, we want to challenge talented artists to create thought-provoking pieces that will be presented against a canvas of lush greenery at the roof garden. This is one of the many ways that we will refresh the way that visitors experience art within the museum."

The roof garden is the result of restoration works to preserve the architectural authenticity and character of the former Supreme Court and City Hall. Spanning 3,000 square metres, the garden features a five-metre tall vertical green wall and overlooks the Civic District. The first admission-free exhibition at the roof garden is scheduled to open in April 2016.