honestbee's art stash includes iconic Lichtenstein painting Bedroom
Sharanya Pillai
Singapore
CONTRARY to the scrappiness of startup culture, honestbee's concept supermarket habitat was full of exquisite fine art.
In fact, honestbee was not coy about flaunting its collection. In the middle of habitat's dining area stood China China No. 2, a bronze sculpture of two faceless soldiers, dusted in sandy mud. The sculpture was fashioned by Chinese artist Zhu Wei.
Sources told The Business Times that the China China No. 2 was purchased in 2018 for S$185,000, but it is not clear if it was paid for by the company or personally by co-founder and then-chief executive Joel Sng.
Meanwhile, in habitat's private dining room, patrons were greeted by Bedroom, an iconic painting by American pop artist Roy Lichtenstein. Sources estimate that this painting was purchased for about S$75,000. Once again, its ownership is unclear.
Moreover, Bedroom could now be worth even more. The painting is listed on art collectors' site Artsy for between US$75,000 and US$100,000.
Even habitat's toilets were adorned with art works, including Pattern of Corruption, a gold-and-black screen print by street artists Shepard Fairey and Cleon Peterson, and Mercenaries, a print by Peterson. These are listed on Artsy for US$800 and US$600 respectively.
Meanwhile, the shared sink area boasted Forest, a Giclée print by Jean Jullien, which is listed on the artist's online store for £200 (S$350).
The fondness for exclusive collectibles is also apparent in how the startup owned a Supreme-branded red clay brick, displayed at a bodega stall in habitat. Meanwhile, a small yellow-and-black resin pumpkin sculpture by Yayoi Kusama sat at Hinoki, a Kyoto-styled cafe within habitat.
Chief executive Ong Lay Ann told BT that honestbee has since sold the brick for about S$850, but could not recall who it had been sold to. The remaining art pieces are currently either in storage or at honestbee's new office at Upper East Coast Road, he said.
On plans for the remaining pieces, Mr Ong said: "Until we are sure who actually owns it, then we can decide what to do with it."
