Buy art in Singapore: 9 of the best places to purchase art pieces

As far as we at EL are concerned, choosing art is as important as choosing furniture, especially when you have masses of white walls to fill up in your tropical abode. Both wall art and sculptures add depth, colour and personality to a room, though they do need to reflect your personality, so buy something you really love. And don’t worry about what others think – art is strictly subjective.

(Tip: if you and your partner don’t agree on the same thing, just sneak in and buy it while they’re not looking; it’ll add a bit of excitement on the home front!) Sometimes it even makes sense to buy art before you choose a colour scheme for a room. After all, it’s much easier to buy sofas and chairs that link in with your artwork than the other way round.

Robert and Teresa McIntosh, American

We bought several pieces of art from Gallery 278 that reminded us of Singapore. The artist, Richard Lim Han, really connected with my wife and me, and to be honest the price was secondary. He did 12 paintings of cities we’ve toured and enjoyed, and they turned out really well. When we first came to Singapore from the US, Gallery 278 had set up a turnkey condo for us. For our artwork, Felicia really helped guide me with ideas, tones and colours. Following our briefing, we outlined what we wanted; after that, Richard did all the hard work! Gallery 278 also ensured we were 100 percent satisfied with our artwork, which was really helpful as we had limited experience of purchasing art in the US. We are extremely happy with our purchases and would definitely buy from Gallery 278 again.

Gallery 278 by Esco Leasing
278 River Valley Road
6737 2322 | gallery278.com

Christine Seet, Singaporean Chinese

Initially, I wanted to find art pieces suitable for a small apartment and was looking for something a little different to match the interior décor. When I moved to larger premises, I added to the collection to decorate the house with more artworks that appealed to me.

I have varied tastes, and I feel fortunate to have found Michele Righetti, an artist who is able to work with a wide repertoire of techniques, from acrylic and mixed media to oil paintings and sculptures of varied mediums. I happen to own quite a body of his work. This includes his acrylic on canvas artwork, The Street Musicians, which is a depiction of a street in the Italian town of Perugia during the July jazz festival. Winter Landscape is a tempera and acrylic on cotton canvas applied on wood board, depicting a calm winter scene in a village in Tuscany. Then there’s Urban Landscape, a wall sculpture made of solid mango wood, depicting an urban landscape seen from an airplane.

These pieces have joined my existing collection, which includes pieces from Lijiang, Beijing, Shanghai, an Aboriginal piece from Darwin, and Martin Loh’s Peranakan work.

You really have to buy what you like. I buy what is pleasing to my eye and without necessarily much thought given to its investment potential. Having said that, most of the Righetti pieces I have bought or commissioned have a story to them. The provenance of an art piece and background of the artist are generally what give a piece of art its value; the pieces I own will be heirlooms to both my sons.

Righetti Arte
Unit 22, Floor 3A 421 Tagore Industrial Avenue
9617 7830 | righettiart.com

Lee Yiren, Singaporean

I was looking for artwork to fit in with my feature wall, and to bring out the essence of the décor in my place. I had bought artwork from Living With Art before, and this time purchased three pieces that depict famous landmarks around the world. The works were created through an interesting technique involving the juxtaposition of black ink on two pieces of glass, one above the other, creating a shadow image of the picture under lighting. These pieces fitted my criteria perfectly, especially when viewed at night through mood lighting.

The collections at Living With Art are diversified, with competitive pricing that caters for different groups of buyers. The friendly staff, including Natalie and Shu Fen, are often on point with their recommendations of artwork for discerning buyers.

In the past, I’ve been inspired by the works of Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka, famous in the 1930s for her stylised depiction of the female portrait. I have been collecting Art Deco-style pieces since then. My advice to potential buyers is that there is no good or bad piece of artwork; it depends on the interpretation of the buyer and his or her taste. However, displayed artwork, especially at home, should fit in with the character of the décor, each having its fair share of the limelight to bring out the essence of the place.