Eugene Tan

Dublin Core

Title

Eugene Tan

Contributor Item Type Metadata

First Name

Eugene

Surname or Business Name

Tan

Years Affiliated

2015-2018

Affiliation

National Gallery Singapore

Singapore Art Museum

Birthplace

Singapore

Occupation

Director

Biographical Text

Dr Eugene Tan is Director of National Gallery Singapore (2013) and Singapore Art Museum (2019). Prior to joining the Gallery, Dr Tan served as the Programme Director (Special Projects) at the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and oversaw the development of Gillman Barracks, a visual arts hub in Singapore. Dr Tan has also held various positions in the arts, including Director of Exhibitions for Osage Gallery, Director of Contemporary Art at the Sotheby’s Institute of Art – Singapore, as well as Director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore. He has curated various exhibitions including the Singapore Pavilion at the 51st Venice Biennale (2005) and the inaugural Singapore Biennale (2006). Thematic exhibitions he has curated include “Of Human Scale and Beyond: Experience and Transcendence” (2012), “The Burden of Representation: Abstraction in Asia Today” (2010), “Coffee, Cigarettes and Pad Thai: Contemporary Art in Southeast Asia” (2008) and “Always Here but Not Always Present: Art in a Senseless World” (2008), as well as solo exhibitions by Charwei Tsai (2012), Lee Mingwei (2010) and Jompet (2010). He is co-author of the publication “Contemporary Art in Singapore” (2007) and has contributed writings to exhibition catalogues and publications by NUS Press, Hatje Cantz and Phaidon, as well as art journals such as Art Asia Pacific, Art Review, Broadsheet, C-Arts, Contemporary, Flash Art, Metropolis M, Modern Painters and Yishu: Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art. He has also presented at conferences and symposia internationally, including Australia, France, Germany, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan and United Kingdom. Dr Tan graduated from Queen Mary College, University of London with a Bachelor of Science (2nd Upper Class Hons) in Economics and Politics and a Masters of Arts (Distinction) in Post- War and Contemporary Art from the Sotheby’s Institute of Art – London. He received his PhD in Art History from the University of Manchester.

He oversaw the development of Gillman Barracks as Programme Director (Special Projects) at the Singapore Economic Development Board and curated the exhibition Engaging Perspectives: New Art from Singapore (2013) that preceded the official opening of NTU CCA Singapore. Tan was also a member of NTU CCA Singapore’s Governing Council.