UOB: Most influential patron in Singapore art scene

UOB's "day job" is handling loans, deposits and a wealth of diverse portfolios. But the bank cemented its role as the most influential patron in the Singapore art scene in 2024, investing good chunks of cash in both arts and arts education.

- Clement Yong

It has a long, illustrious history as an arts patron. In November, the UOB South-east Asian Painting of the Year ran its 43rd edition, which was won by 63-year-old Yong Wee Loon, the first Singaporean to do so in more than a decade.

The longest-running art contest in Singapore has expanded regionally and evolved to become one of the most prestigious in South-east Asia.

This fixture on the regional art calendar capped off a year of unprecedented initiatives by UOB, which dramatically deepened its support for the arts, already at $5.6 million in 2023.

In January, the founding partner of National Gallery Singapore renewed its partnership with the museum for another five years, promising money that will go to gallery research and the acquisition of new works for the South-east Asia gallery.

Then in April, the bank gifted an undisclosed sum to the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in a new tie-up.

The five-year collaboration funds an annual South-east Asian Arts Forum, as well as a new online South-east Asian arts module that will enrol more than 700 students yearly.