With increasing interest in Asia being the next art market, eyes are on Singapore as the next possible regional arts market hub. Having held its inaugural international art fair ART SG in early 2023, the city has also seen an increase in international art galleries as well as commercial arts events such as the recent Sotheby’s live auction which returned after a 15-year hiatus. This dissertation delves into Singapore’s commercial visual arts market scene to determine if Singapore has what it takes to be the regional arts market hub.

Singapore, along with fellow Asian Tigers Hong Kong, Taipei and Seoul, has been watched closely by economic analysts over the years. However, there has been a lack of academic research on the relationship between the arts and the economy in the four cities. This dissertation aims to fill this gap and determine what Singapore’s position is as a commercial visual arts hub compared to the three other Asian Tigers. Having conducted a total of seven interviews with working arts professionals and a document analysis of 35 publications, I make recommendations for how Singapore can improve or reaffirm its position among other leading commercial visual arts cities.