Cover The National Gallery
Gala 2025 Steering committee members, from left: Celeste Basapa; Vir Kotak; assistant CEO, marketing and
development and co-chair Aun Koh; Ho Kheng Lian; co-chair Jazz Chong; Layla Pi; Willabelle Ong; Jason Ong; Wendy Long; and Albert Lee
The National Gallery Gala 2025 Steering committee members, from left: Celeste Basapa; Vir Kotak; assistant CEO, marketing and development and co-chair Aun Koh; Ho Kheng Lian; co-chair Jazz Chong; Layla Pi; Willabelle Ong; Jason Ong; Wendy Long; and Albert Lee
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Marking its 10th anniversary, National Gallery Singapore’s Gallery Gala 2025 brought together art, philanthropy and cultural leadership—raising a record-breaking amount to support exhibitions, research and access programmes shaping the region’s artistic future
The architecture of National Gallery Singapore has always carried a sense of occasion. On the evening of Gallery Gala 2025: A Decade of Imagination, that sense was heightened—not through excess, but through intent. As guests ascended the City Hall steps for the first time as part of the gala ritual, the symbolism was unmistakable: a decade on, the Gallery was both looking back at what has been built and signalling where it intends to go next.
Held as part of the institution’s 10th anniversary, the biennial gala gathered more than 300 figures from Singapore’s arts, business and philanthropic circles, ultimately raising over S$2.8 million, the highest fundraising total in the Gallery’s history. The proceeds will go towards curatorial research, international exhibitions and programmes designed to extend access to art across generations and communities—a reminder that the evening’s elegance was anchored in purpose.
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Above Edmund Ng, Chua Soo Bin and Jazz Chong with guests
Edmund Ng, Chua Soo Bin and Jazz Chong with guests
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Above Artist Li Huayi and Eugene Tan, director of National Gallery Singapore
Above National Gallery Gala 2025 committee co-chairs Lee Woon Shiu, Aun Koh and Jazz Chong
Artist Li Huayi and Eugene Tan, director of National Gallery Singapore
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In his remarks, deputy prime minister and minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Gan Kim Yong, spoke to the importance of sustained philanthropic support for the arts, setting a measured tone for the night. That sense of continuity was echoed by Mr Peter Ho, Chairman of National Gallery Singapore, who reflected on the Gallery’s founding vision as a “People’s Museum”—an idea that has since expanded into a regional institution holding the world’s largest public collection of modern art from Singapore and Southeast Asia. It was a moment that framed the gala not as a celebration of scale, but of stewardship.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Gan Kim Yong with guests
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The centrepiece of the evening was a Sotheby’s-managed auction that unfolded with quiet intensity. Nearly 90 artworks and experiences were presented, drawing considered bidding both in the room and online. The standout result came with Li Huayi’s Pine Breezes in Golden Glow II, which achieved S$517,000, the highest auction price ever realised at a Gallery Gala. Works by Yayoi Kusama and Lim Tze Peng also found new custodians, underscoring the depth—and confidence—of Singapore’s collecting community.
Dinner was staged within the Singtel Special Exhibition Gallery, transformed into a long-table dining hall set among works of art. The culinary programme brought together Julien Royer, Damian D’Silva, and Violet Oon, each offering a live-cooked expression of their culinary point of view. The experience felt deliberately intimate, privileging craft and conversation over theatricality.
Read more: National Gallery Singapore turns 10: A decade of bridging Southeast Asian art and the world
Jazz Chong, Dana Koh, Edmund Ng and Albert Lee with guests
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As the evening progressed, performances by Haven, Sorn, and a rotating lineup of DJs and NAFA artists infused the galleries with energy, without disrupting the contemplative mood that defined the night. It was a reminder that imagination, the gala’s guiding theme, need not be loud to be powerful.
More than a milestone fundraiser, Gallery Gala 2025 articulated a clear conviction: that cultural institutions endure not through spectacle alone, but through the collective belief that art—thoughtfully stewarded—belongs to everyone.
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