ArtScience Museum

Architecture

The architecture is said to be a form reminiscent of a lotus flower. It was designed by Moshe Safdie and features an exterior made of fibre-reinforced plastic supported internally by a steel lattice.

Referred to as "The Welcoming Hand of Singapore" by Las Vegas Sands chairman Sheldon Adelson, the ArtScience Museum is anchored by a round base in the middle, with ten extensions referred to as "fingers" in the shape of a flower. The design concept for each finger denotes various gallery spaces sporting skylights at the "fingertips", which are included as sustainable illumination for the curved interior walls.

File:Art Science From Above (215599371).jpeg|Aerial view of the ArtScience Museum File:Singapore Art Science Museum.jpg|Night view of Singapore Art Science Museum, February 2019 File:Marina Bay Sands at twilight (6810544192).jpg|The ArtScience Museum at twilight File:ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore - 20110226-08.jpg|A night view of the museum photographed in February 2011 File:ArtScience Museum 2.jpg|View from below

Gallery spaces

The ArtScience Museum has 21 gallery spaces with a total area of 64,583 square feet (6,000 square meters).

Sustainability features

Rainwater is harvested and channelled down the centre of the building, flowing through its bowl-shaped roof into a reflecting pond at the lowest level of the building. The rainwater is then recycled for use in the building's restrooms.

Exhibitions

Permanent exhibition

Since Future World there is no permanent exhibition.

Touring exhibitions

Feature exhibitions

The ArtScience Museum features gallery spaces totalling 50,000 square feet (6,000 square meters) for exhibits from combined art/science, media/technology, as well as design/architecture motifs.

Permanent exhibits include objects indicative of the accomplishments of both the arts and the sciences through the ages, along the lines of Leonardo da Vinci's Flying Machine, a Kongming Lantern, and a high-tech robotic fish. The museum opened with an exhibition of a collection of the Belitung shipwreck cargo, and Tang dynasty treasures that were discovered and preserved by Tilman Walterfang of Seabed Explorations NZ Ltd.

Belitung shipwreck treasure

Tilman Walterfang and his team found the Tang dynasty artifacts in the Gaspar Strait in 1998 among the Belitung shipwreck, a large 9th-century Arabian dhow that sunk around 830 AD. For the next six years, they were desalinated, conserved and researched by his company Seabed Explorations Ltd in New Zealand. They were eventually purchased for around US$32 million.

An accurate reproduction of the Arab dhow ship, named The Jewel of Muscat, was presented by the Sultanate of Oman to the government and people of Singapore.

The items in the collection on tour accurately reflects the assortment and magnitude of the find and its global inter-cultural significance; this is the single largest consignment of Tang dynasty export goods ever discovered. The find includes some of the oldest cobalt-blue-and-white ceramics made in China, several gold items made with Arabic designs and swastikas, jars filled with spices and incense resins, bronze mirrors, thousands of glazed bowls, ewers and other fine ceramics, as well as lead ingots. The pièce de résistance of the exhibition is a small cache of magnificent, intricately tooled vessels of silver and gold, which remain unparalleled in quality and design from the period.

World tour of Tang dynasty shipwreck treasure

With support from the estate of Tan Sri Khoo Teck Puat, the cargo of the Arab dhow, which was used as the true and original model, is now generally referred to among academic circles as the "Tang Shipwreck Treasure: Singapore's Maritime Collection".

References

References

1. "About ArtScience Museum". [[Marina Bay Sands]].
2. May, Tom. (November 12, 2025). "How the idea of convergence shaped the new identity for Singapore's ArtScience Museum".
3. (11 April 2011). "Design: Architecture in Bloom - Singapore's ArtScience Museum".
4. Angus J. Macdonald. (2018). "Structure and Architecture". Taylor & Francis.
5. (2016). "Lord of the Wings: The Making of Free Form Architecture". IOS Press.
6. "Travel the ancient Silk Road for the first time in Asia".
7. "Ninth century Tang archaeological finds go on display at Integrated Resort Marina Bay Sands' latest architectural showpiece".
8. "Van Gogh's masterpieces come alive at Marina Bay Sands' ArtScience Museum".
9. "Explore the distorted reality of Dalí: Mind of a Genius – The Exhibition at ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands".
10. "After almost 100 Years, the Titanic arrives in Singapore at ArtScience Museum".
11. "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, Singapore".
12. "ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands hosts the first Cartier Time Art exhibition in Asia".
13. "Largest collection of Warhol's artworks ever displayed in Singapore at ArtScience Museum".
14. "Experience the Magic of HARRY POTTER: THE EXHIBITION for the First Time in Asia at ArtScience Museum, Singapore". Marina Bay Sands.
15. "ArtScience Museum zooms in on Outside In: A Magnum Photos Showcase".
16. "The Art of the Brick brings sculptures to life at ArtScience Museum".
17. "Fujians: The Blue Ocean Legacy exhibition at Marina Bay Sands opens in conjunction with the 7th World Fujian Convention".
18. "Journey to the Egyptian afterlife at ArtScience Museum with Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb".
19. "ArtScience Museum brings the story of iconic design duo Charles and Ray Eames to Singapore".
20. "50 Greatest Photographs of National Geographic to debut at ArtScience Museum".
21. "Unearth the history of life and enter the world of terrestrial reptiles at "Dinosaurs: Dawn to Extinction"".
22. "'Human+' exhibit explores the future of humanity".
23. (8 April 2005). "Sentosa Proceeds to Buy 9th Century Treasure". Sentosa.
24. "CHINA MARITIME SILK ROAD MUSEUM". The Australian National University.
25. (15 March 2009). "Jewel of Muscat Website Launch". [[Jewel of Muscat]].
26. (8 July 2010). "Tang Shipwreck Treasure Singapore's Maritime Collection". [[YouTube]].