SINGAPORE.- For the first time in Southeast Asia, rare paintings and artworks from the House of Liechtenstein that once graced palaces go on show at the National Museum of Singapore. Singaporeans are able to view and appreciate beautiful, iconic art by Renaissance, Flemish and other renowned European masters, including Raphael, Brueghel, Hals, Rubens and van Dyck at the exhibition, Princely Treasures from the House of Liechtenstein.

Lee Chor Lin, Director of the National Museum of Singapore says, “It is an honour for the National Museum of Singapore to present with the Princely Collections of Liechtenstein this stunning exhibition that showcases over 500 years of the finest in European art. The selection of artworks highlights the unique aesthetic values of the Princely family of Liechtenstein as well as their extraordinary dedication to art acquisition and preservation. This exhibition truly reflects the strong bilateral relationship between Singapore and Liechtenstein, and reaffirms the National Museum of Singapore as a key node in the global network of museums.”

Says Dr Johann Kräftner, Director of The Princely Collections, Liechtenstein, “The presentation of this exceptional assemblage of art can be best described as a meeting of ‘West and East'. The collection’s enduring allure lies with its consistent expansion and enhancement through generations of acquisitions of the highest quality artworks. The exhibition in Singapore will evoke the unique atmosphere of the Liechtenstein Palaces as the objects and showrooms merge into a total work of art. I am convinced that Princely Treasures from the House of Liechtenstein will be the focus of great interest in the rich multicultural society of Singapore.”

Princely Treasures from the House of Liechtenstein features an exquisite selection of 91 masterpieces including paintings, prints and engravings, tapestries, sculptures, and rare decorative art objects from the late 15th to mid-19th century in Europe. These works were chosen from the Liechtenstein Princely Collections, one of the world’s most important and comprehensive private art collections, and include masterpieces that have shaped the course of art history. Through the exhibition, visitors will enjoy a panorama of rare European art and discover how power, politics, wealth and evolving tastes shape a collection.

Highlighted works include the Portrait of Clara Serena Rubens (1611–1623) by Baroque master Peter Paul Rubens, the Portrait of Maria de Tassis (1611–1638) by Anthony van Dyck; Raphael’s Portrait of a Man and art objects such as Marsyas or St Sebastian by Andrea Mantegna and Pietra Dura Ornate Chest by the Workshop of Cosimo di Giovanni Castrucci and Giuliano di Piero Pandolfini.

Complementing the Princely Collection is a display of 16 oil paintings from the National Collection. These works draw links to portrait painting as an important representational mode in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Singapore. Featured in the paintings are monarchs, colonial governors and local pioneers such as Tan Jiak Kim, Sir Song Ong Siang and Singapore’s first President, Yusof Ishak.

Princely Treasures from the House of Liechtenstein covers ten themes in the exhibition:

• Liechtenstein Collections bears witness to the cultural heritage of European thought and patronage. It also illustrates the tastes and education of the Princes of Liechtenstein who spent much time and effort in collecting and displaying artworks, and commissioning palaces.

• The Summer Palace in Rossau highlights the unique Baroque palace architecture, commissioned by Prince Johann Adam Andreas I (1657–1712). Since March 2004, a selection of works has been exhibited at the palace, which housed the first Viennese Museum (1810–1938).

• Art of the Renaissance features the emergence of a new genre of portraiture painting, with innovations in oil painting techniques and explorations in the properties of colours. Its artistic style draws on nature for inspiration and took on a human-centred concept.

• Baroque Art shines the spotlight on the artistic style that is characterised by an overwhelming richness of colour and the assemblage of solid forms in dynamic compositions. As a leading European collector of his time, Prince Johann Adam Andreas I (1657–1712) played a major role in fostering the emergence of Baroque art.

• Peter Paul Rubens, who synthesised diverse artistic styles and techniques to produce monumental works with a tremendous vitality, is one of the most important and successful Baroque artists of the 17th century.

• The Brueg(h)el Family highlights four generations of artists who were active in the 16th and 17th centuries. It celebrates the influence of Pieter Bruegel the Elder (c1525/1530–1569), who introduced a new and contemporary feeling for the natural world to the landscape genre, and Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568–1625) who created a distinct mode of landscape which was panoramic and filled with tiny figures.

• Themes in Baroque Art: Still Life and Genre Painting introduces majestic works showcasing finely detailed subjects such as rare flowers and everyday scenes, which gained popularity due to the urbanisation and commercialisation in the Netherlands.

• The Grand Tour and the Rise of Neoclassical Art resulted in the connoisseurship and love for the arts - particularly of Greco-Roman antiquity, the Italian Renaissance and Baroque art - amongst patrons and collectors.

• Biedermeier Art, characterised by sober and conservative representations of everyday subjects, showcases works with attention to fine detail, elegant craftsmanship and precision of form.

• Art of Portraiture: Historical Paintings from the National Collection reveals some of the typical conventions of English portrait painting – a grandness of vision and mode of idealisation, juxtaposed with striking realism. This selection features oil paintings of historical personalities from Singapore’s National Collection.