a canvas of views

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The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore is home to one of the finest corporate modern art collections in Singapore and Southeast Asia. There are 4,200 pieces of artwork and sculptures in the hotel valued at approximately SGD 5 million, including 30 key works by Frank Stella, Dale Chihuly, David Hockney and Henry Moore.

90 percent of the works were specially commissioned for the hotel which opened in 1996, including 350 major, “museum quality” pieces which enhance the hotel’s distinctive contemporary architectural design.

DID YOU KNOW? • The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore

was designed by Irish architect, Kevin Roche, winner of the prestigious Pritzker Prize in 1982.

• The hotel is purposefully built 120 feet (approximately 36.58 metres) above ground so that every room has a view.

• The winding staircase from the lobby to level one has no pillars holding it up. It is completely suspended and self-supporting.

• Over 10,000 square metres of chromafusion glass with a mother-of-pearl filter were used to make the ceiling windows of the main lobby, Colony and Chihuly Lounge.

• Our guestroom bathroom which features an iconic three square metre octagonal window, was voted by the Tatler Cunard Guide as one of the World’s Sexiest Bathrooms.

• The Drawing Room in our exclusive Club Lounge located on Level 32, encourages guests to delve into their artistic side.

• The Ritz Suite is adorned with prominent art pieces including “Poppy” by Andy Warhol, “Dumpling” and “Liver Bacon” by Damien Hirst.

art pieces on level threeLOCATION OF

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GREATER WATER SERIESby Zhu Wei (ZW2)

This pair of ink works on paper and framed in red silk, is from Zhu Wei’s “Greater Water” series which quotes from Chinese tradition, with water being a symbol of wealth. In Chinese cultural artefacts, water patterns usually appear as peripheral patterns on the borders of plates, on robes or in the background. Here, Zhu intensifies focus, painting with highlights reminiscent of an old silk tapestry hanging. At first glance, they also resemble fish scales in the domain of the deep, abstracted and magnified.

Drawn from personal experiences and important episodes in China’s modern history, Zhu’s inspiration for his art is fundamentally political, with a self-expressive quality rarely found in his generation of post-1989 realist painters.

Born in 1966 in Beijing, China, Zhu received informal training in art practices as a young child at the Beijing Children’s Palace. He graduated from the Art College of the P.L.A in 1989, and in 1992, established his own art studio in Beijing. Since “The Story of Beijing”, his one-man exhibition in 1994, Zhu’s success and acceptance as an artist has made him one of the most prominent contemporary Chinese artists.

TWO BALINESE DANCERSby Nyoman Gunarsa (NG1)

Hailing from Bali, Indonesia, Gunarsa has established himself as a contemporary, bold expressionist par excellence. His works exemplify the contemporary Yogja style and are influenced by the Hindu Dharma, Balinese folklore and culture. His renditions of Wayang puppet figures and Balinese dancers are prized additions to major museum collections around the world.

Heavily laced with primitivism, the dancers in his paintings are often depicted in a trance-like manner with colourful dabs of fresh paint. If you take a closer look at this painting, you will be able to recognise a sense of structural stability that he gives to his subject matter, mostly appealing through symmetrical repetition.

By stepping back a few paces, you may be able to distinguish the two Balinese dancers in the painting. The dancers fit in well with the ambience at Chihuly Lounge, where ‘live’ music provides entertainment.

by Frank Stella (FS1)

This imposing and majestic hanging sculpture in the center of the hotel lobby was created by Frank Stella, the aficionado of minimalism and abstract expressionism.

Titled “Cornucopia”, the sculpture weighs three tonnes and is made of fibreglass. Inspired by a sun visor, it was designed by Stella in New York, and manufactured by traditional boat makers in Cannes, France, before being shipped to the hotel.

A Massachusetts local, Stella was born in 1936 and graduated from the University of Princeton. One year later, he rose to fame with the seminal exhibition of his “Black Paintings” of 1959 and 1960 at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, although the full impact of these works on his international recognition was only felt some years later. A decade after, Stella began to explore the huge explosions of colour that the contemporary generation now recognise him for.

CORNUCOPIADOUBLE SCREWby John Rose (JR1)

Rose, an English-born artist and intrepid traveller, carved the entwined masterpiece from Balsa wood. His collection of shapes reflects the complexity of the human form and this is true for the “Double Screw”. This piece ensconces perfectly into the immediate environment, its twists and turns reflecting the motorised mechanisms of the lift shafts.Sculptural yet dynamic, “Double Screw” is an arresting piece which was specially commissioned for the hotel’s lift lobby.

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by Janis Provisor (JP1)

Provisor was born in 1946 in Brooklyn, New York. To please her lawyer father she pursued a law career, but at the point of committing to the programme, she fell ill. She took this as a sign that she should instead study her love for art and at the end of her studies, received both her Bachelor and Masters of Fine Arts from the San Francisco Art Institute.

In 1989, Provisor made her first trip to China with her husband, Brad Davis. So deeply enraptured with the country’s rich culture and history, they ended up living there for nine years.

The Asian-Oriental influence on her works can be clearly observed in her installation at the hotel, where the painting shows various trees or plants flowering with applied pigments in gold leafing.

Landscape

SUNRISE by Dale Chihuly (DC1)

A world renowned glass artist, Dale Chihuly is the creator of the formidable, bright orange and yellow Tiffany-style glass sculpture on the wall of Chihuly Lounge.

Made of 100 hand-blown glass pieces that are representative of sea anemone, they resemble organic forms in emerging clusters. When viewed as a complete composition, the installation is a burst of flames, leading to it being named “Sunrise” as it is mounted on the East-facing wall of the hotel.

Chihuly was born in 1941 in Tacoma, Washington, and graduated from the University of Washington with a Degree in Architecture and Interior Design. In 1986, he became one of only four American artists to have a solo show at The Louvre in Paris.

LANDSCAPEby Malcolm Morley (MM1)

This abstract expressionist lithograph may spark parallels to the tropical Singapore coastline. This vista however is a depiction of Long Island, and is part of the 2001 water colour series by Morley. Morley’s passion for the sea is often a feature that is omnipresent in many of his works.

Morley was born into a troubled childhood in North London in 1931. He only discovered art while serving a three-year sentence in prison. After his release, he studied art at the Camberwell School of Arts, and then at the Royal College of Art. In 1984, Morley received the recognition he deserved when he won the inaugural Turner Prize.

This piece is an “Artist Print” or “AP” as designated in the bottom left corner, opposite Morley’s signature on the right.

FLOATING ROCKS by Henry Moore (HM1)

These four “Floating Rock” sketches reflect the collective skill and finely detailed passion of their late creator, Moore, who is perhaps better known for his monumental sculptures in cast bronze and carved marble.

Born in 1898 in the United Kingdom, Moore was inspired by Renaissance master Michelangelo Buonarroti, and attended the Leeds School of Art as their first student of sculpture.

In the 1940s when materials were scarce, Moore began sketching frequently. His first drawings of people showed them seeking shelter in the London Underground during the bomb raids. These came to the attention of the War Artists Advisory Committee and Moore was commissioned to make larger and more complete versions, which attracted a wide public who recognised their own feelings in the subject matter. Moore’s legacy is estimated at approximately 919 sculptures, 5,500 drawings and 717 graphics.

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CHRYSANTHEMUMSby Tay Bak Koi (TBK1)

These tranquil and asymmetrical paintings are the creations of the late Tay Bak Koi, one of Singapore’s most renowned artists. Born in 1939 and a graduate of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 1960, Tay was inspired by teachers who were greatly influenced by the School of Paris in the first quarter of the 20th Century.

Tay derived his imagery partly from observation, imagination, and a yearning for a measure of reason and calm in a contentious world. This is observed with this painting from the “Chrysanthemums” series.

LANDSCAPEby Rainer Gross (RG1)

The creator of this surreal and enthralling piece is Rainer Gross, who was born in Cologne, Germany in 1951. He studied at the Cologne Academy of Fine Arts before establishing his own unique way of painting. Many of Gross’ works employ a blind-like veil, and tend to debate visual literacy and the complexities found in depictions and narratives of memory, figures and daily objects. This piece which was created in 1995, presents arbitrary imagery in a dream-like state. Look closer and you can spot a flamingo on the far right, a rabbit on the bottom left, and mountain peaks on the top left corner.

by Dale Chihuly (DC2)

This green “Anemone Wall” installation in Colony consists of over 80,000 square feet of laminated, heat strengthened, Tiffany-style glass. The sculpture is mounted on the West-facing wall of the hotel and is mirrored by “Sunrise” in Chihuly Lounge.

Sunset

CHINA CHINA by Zhu Wei (ZW1)

This striking life-size sculpture depicts terracotta figures in Mao suits. With the sculpture leaning forward and adopting a welcoming attitude, they are perfectly suited to be situated within Colony restaurant.

BIRDS OF PARADISEby Dale Chihuly (DC3)

Another installation by the exceptionally talented Dale Chihuly, this work titled “Birds of Paradise”, recreates the theme of a tropical paradise as a parallel to Singapore. Look closer and you will spot several coloured glass sculptures.

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art pieces on level twoLOCATION OF LUCKY LIFE

by Lee Li Lin (LLL1)

Indonesian printmaker, Lee Li Lin’s work titled “Lucky Life” is easily identifiable by its red circular motif.

Born in 1945 in Jakarta, Lee travelled around Southeast Asia extensively before immigrating to the USA in 1962. A self-taught painter, Lee’s compositions often utilise plant motifs, symbolic figures and other emotionally evocative forms including twisting ribbons, crosses and blossoms. These motifs often represent spiritual ideas that freely associate with the creative viewer. He employs mainly monotypes and monoprints as his print media and enjoys the woodblock printing process. Lee’s works have been exhibited in numerous galleries around USA and his art can be found in the collections at the Denver Museum of Art, Colorado, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in California.

by Sam Francis (SF1)

These two vivid prints on opposite ends of the lift lobby on level two, were created by world renowned Sam Francis, and belong to his “Pasadena Box” series.

Born in San Mateo in California, Francis studied at the University of California and began painting in 1946. From 1950 to 1958, he lived in Paris, and then spent time in New York, painting the iconic Chase Manhattan mural.

During his career, he travelled extensively throughout Europe and Japan, and Japanese influence can be seen in his experimentations that were defined as “Empty Centre” paintings.

Pasadena Box

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VASES & LATTICE #6 by Betty Woodman (BW1)

Through her inventive use of colour and form, and her expert blend of a wide range of influences, Woodman creates exuberant and captivating works of art. Woodman mastered the technique of “pochoir”, French for “stencil”, which refers to a class of print usually hand-coloured through a series of carefully cut out stencils.

An accomplished potter, Woodman was born in 1930 in Norwalk, Connecticut, where she originally trained as a ceramist until she started working with master printer, Bud Shark, to produce prints in 1984.

Pasadena Boxby Sam Francis (SF2)

Another piece in Francis’ “Pasadena Box” series, these bold, iconic prints are conspicuous.

By his own admission, Francis stated that being sickly allowed him the ability to go inside his mind and create art that has become masterpieces of his time. Spinal tuberculosis encouraged him to think creatively, and to imagine his works more vividly in space.

DOUBLE PEACOCK SERIESby Robert Zakanitch (RZ 1, 2 and 3)

Robert Zakanitch attended the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts. Growing up in New Jersey, the artist confided that an unsettling childhood permeated his early years, and he always felt the need to run away. This is interesting for someone involved in the legendary aspects of creating art with the allure of a fairytale and the restorative power of something magical. Zakanitch’s works celebrate the impulse and meaning of fabrics and ornaments in domestic interiors.

His print motifs inevitably include lush botanicals in boundless imagery, with eternally optimistic variants. In most of his works, Zakanitch produces a design border that frames the image, rendering it like a precious book, print or illusion.

art pieces on level oneLOCATION OF

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MOBY DICKby Frank Stella (FS2)

During a visit to the New York City Aquarium, Stella was so inspired by the white beluga whales he saw that he created the “Moby Dick” series consisting of 138 paintings and sculptures, which pay tribute to Herman Melville’s masterpiece novel. The 138 art forms have been equated to the 135 chapters present in the novel. The works possess rolling waves and a dominant yet elusive whale-like presence.

The placement of these two striking and brightly coloured wall sculptures next to the entrance leading to the outdoor swimming pool, are in keeping with the aquatic theme of Stella’s esteemed “Moby Dick” masterpiece.

JENDELAby Milica Bravacic (MB1)

Titled “Jendela”, the Malay word for window, a wooden shutter window takes centerpiece in this longitudinally-aligned and scattered stack of Peranakan tile motifs. This composition showcases a summary of over 60 different tile ornaments spanning the early 19th to 20th Century that Bravacic had collected from heritage shophouses in the city and the Bukit Brown cemetery. The art piece was commissioned as part of the hotel’s “Refreshing Our Palette” restaurant transformation art project in 2015. The Peranakan theme of the piece references Peranakan food, one of the colonial cuisines showcased at the hotel’s Colony restaurant. Bravacic graduated from the Belgrade University of the Arts with a Masters of Fine Arts in Painting. Her artistic signature remains within the realm of architectural details that can be translated into other aesthetic and cultural meanings when extracted from their original context. She moved to Singapore in 1998 where she began a new series of works relating to the symbolism of Peranakan tiles after being exposed to the nation’s melting pot of cultures.

MEDITERRANEAN LIGHTby Robert Motherwell (RM1)

Titled “Mediterranean Light”, this art piece was created by Robert Motherwell who studied in Stanford, Harvard and Columbia University. Born in 1915 in Aberdeen, Washington, Motherwell was one of the foremost representatives of abstract expressionism alongside Jackson Pollock and Williem de Kooning.

Under the encouragement of Chilean artist Matta, Motherwell first adopted the automatism technique as a means of registering subconscious impulses in the 1940s. It was in 1961 that Motherwell began making limited editions of his works. Sensitive to the medium’s capacity for combinations of rich colour and exacting lines, he created over 200 such editions in collaboration with workshops across Europe and the USA over the next three decades of his career.

Celiaby David Hockney (DH1)

Hockney was born in 1937 in Bradford, England. He attended London’s Royal College of Art, and in 1962, won the college’s gold medal. Through his studies and self-reflection, Hockney concluded that painting was a process of seeing and individual thinking, rather than one of imitation, and thus his unique style was born. His artwork is abstract and quite personal.

In line with his multi-disciplinary approach, Hockney often looked to a number of modern artists for inspiration, one of whom is Celia Birtwell, whom this art piece is named after. She is also the wife of internationally renowned British fashion designer Ossie Clark. Celia had a number of portraits created by Hockney, and often emerges from a brief cluster of calligraphic strokes, sometimes in a polka dot skirt, sitting with legs crossed or reclined, such as in this lithograph.

LADIES ON A BALCONY by Betty Woodman (BW2)

Betty Woodman’s distinctive style and subject matter of abstracted vessels are clearly illustrated in this print. With her interest in vessels and interior spaces – the combination of traditional forms of domesticity that is nestled within the home, Woodman’s prints feature different vessels and pots as an anthropomorphic presence.

This piece was created using a mixed media of “pochoir”, woodcut and lithograph to combine patterns, textures and surfaces in redefining craft. “Pochoir” is a painstaking method of print creation, using a series of stencils and hand colouring.

7 raffles avenue, singapore 039799t: 65.6337.8888 f: 65.6338.0001ritz-carlton.com/singapore