The Singapore Masters Show: From Monet to Condo
- Gen de Art
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
3 OCTOBER - 3 NOVEMBER, 2025
July 2025 – Opera Gallery in Singapore is pleased to present ‘The Singapore Masters Show’, an exhibition dedicated to around 25 modern and contemporary masters spanning from impressionism to contemporary figuration. Featuring significant paintings and sculpture created by internationally renowned artists between 1887 and 2022, the exhibition takes audiences on a visual journey through major art movements from the 19th to 21st century. The exhibition will be presented concurrent to the 19th edition of the nation’s premier racing event, the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix (3-5 October, 2025).
Featuring around 25 artworks, the exhibition will include works by Claude Monet, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Fernand Léger, Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Hans Hartung, Jean Dubuffet, Yayoi Kusama, Bernard Buffet, Pierre Soulages, Niki de Saint Phalle, Alex Katz, Sam Francis, Roy Lichtenstein, Karel Appel, Fernando Botero, Georg Baselitz, Manolo Valdés, Andy Warhol, Tom Wesselmann, George Condo, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Damien Hirst.
Left: Claude Monet, Les Bords de l’Epte à Giverny, 1887. Photo: Studio SLB
Right: George Condo, Abstract Portrait Composition, 2021. Photo: Thomas Lim
Through their distinctive approach and practice, each artist featured in the exhibition created artworks that have both shaped and redefined art history. The ‘Singapore Masters Show’ celebrates the ways in which each of these artists– and the movements they helped to define–challenged existing norms and experimented with new techniques.
“We’re thrilled to present ‘The Singapore Masters Show’ this October. From impressionist legends like Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir to contemporary icons such as Andy Warhol and Yayoi Kusama, this exquisite grouping of master artists offers a rare opportunity to engage with some of the most celebrated names in art history. Presenting these masterworks during an international moment like the F1 Singapore Grand Prix allows both local and global audiences to experience their brilliance during race week.”said Opera Gallery’s founder and chairman Gilles Dyan.
The exhibition presents a selection of artworks boasting a diverse range of prestigious provenances, whether it be major private collections or part of important institutional exhibitions. Pablo Picasso’s Le Bain, 1968, was part of the famed Berggruen collection and has been exhibited at the Musée de l’Orangerie, Musée National Picasso, and the Louvre-Lens. In contrast, Yayoi Kusama’s Starry Pumpkin, 2016, appeared in the 2017 solo exhibition titled ‘Life is the Heart of a Rainbow’ at National Gallery Singapore, her first major survey in Southeast Asia.
The earliest works in the exhibition were painted by French Impressionist artists Pierre Auguste Renoir and Claude Monet. Monet’s Les Bords de l’Epte à Giverny, 1887–which has been part of the collection of the 4th Prince of Wagram Alexandre Louis Philippe Marie Berthier, as well as storied French art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel–highlights impressionism’s key characteristics–with its visible, unblended brushstrokes and emphasis on light resulting in an emotive depiction of the banks of the Epte river in Giverny, France. The exhibition continues with a diverse curation of Modernist masterpieces–ranging from innovative cubist works by Pablo Picasso, expressionist paintings of Marc Chagall, and lyrical abstractions of Pierre Soulages.
As a pioneer of Pop Art, Andy Warhol’s iconic portraiture blended visual elements from pop culture to explore the themes of consumerism, celebrity, and mass production. His portrait Reigning Queens: Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, 1985, fits into the exhibition’s diverse grouping of Post-War and Contemporary artworks, which also includes works by Roy Lichtenstein, Keith Haring, Yayoi Kusama, and George Condo, among others. Condo’s figurative painting Abstract Portrait Composition, 2021, incorporates contemporary techniques while clearly making visual reference to Picasso’s cubist style.
Works from other contemporary masters also appear in the exhibition–from Manolo Valdés’ figurative mixed media works that blend references to Spanish art history with contemporary techniques, to Alex Katz’ highly stylised portraits and landscapes. Taken as a whole, the ‘Singapore Masters Show’ creates a dialogue between movements to celebrate some of the greatest artists in art history.
About Opera Gallery:
Founded in Singapore in 1994, Opera Gallery has forged, over its 30 years, a network of 14 galleries worldwide including London, Paris, Madrid, Dubai, Geneva, New York, and Miami, establishing itself as one of the leading global players within the international art market.
Headed by Gilles Dyan, Chairman and Founder, Opera Gallery specializes in Post-War, Modern and Contemporary Art. In addition, the gallery represents contemporary artists such as Andy Denzler, Pieter Obels and Gustavo Nazareno, alongside internationally recognized names such as Ron Arad, Manolo Valdés, Anthony James and Anselm Reyle.
For more than 30 years, Opera Gallery’s mission has been to showcase the dynamic, innovative, and diverse expressions of modern and contemporary art through its ambitious yearly exhibition programming and collaborations with private collections and leading public institutions. Led by Director Stéphane Le Pelletier, Opera Gallery has had a location in Singapore since 1994.
