Big, Bold, Beautiful Botero Exhibition at Opera Gallery in Ion Shopping Mall, Orchard Road, the centre of Singapore

 

Botero exhibition poster on a pillar in Ion shopping mall. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

An ad on a Pillar at level 2 in Ion attracted me. I had already seen three large, imposing, amusing statues by Botero in Singapore. 

An impressive, huge, horse stands near the entrance escalators to Buona Vista station in Singapore.

Botero's horse statue near Buona Vista MRT underground railway entrance, in Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. 

The Botero statue of a plump bird is by the Singapore river waterfront. The bird is a peace dove. It stands on a plinth by the UOB Plaza by UOB building.

Picture by Dudva in Wikimedia.

Botero's big Bird statue in Singapore.

Adam and Eve, statues by Fernando Botero in Hotel Michael, near Crockfords Tower, Resorts Sentosa, in Singapore.

Is Botero, creator of oversize sculptures, an outsize man? Here he is.

n	Fernando Botero - portrait made during his stay in The Hague Botero
Date	7 December 2006, 13:25:32
Source	Flickr
Author	Roel Wijnants

If you are shopping for a museum, a hotel, a city planning department, or a collector with a large budget, you might want to visit and go on the Opera Gallery mailing list. They can also negotiate with artists for you.

Free Visits and Frequent Visits

Opera gallery have several galleries worldwide, where you can visit for free, and take your hosts or guests on holidays and business trips. The exhibitions change regularly, so you can go back. You might see one or two examples of your favourites from a previous exhibition plus a lot of new ones.

Singapore's Opera Gallery Exhibition on 20th and 21st century icons - until 30th October 2022

Opera Gallery entrance in Ion shopping mall, Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Circus Band by Fernando Botero. Opera Gallery in October, 2022.

The gallery in Singapore doesn't sell postcards or small gifts, unlike museum shops. If you are inspired by your visit to the gallery, love the statues, but have a smaller budget and want a small desktop statue by Botero, on ebay you can find a supplier of a small statue for yourself or a gift, at about three hundred or four hundred plus US dollars (add tax, shipping etc).

https://www.ebay.com/str/europeanbronzegoddess (For a small repro of, for example, a Botero cat.)

Opera Gallery is worldwide, in

USA

New York, Miami, Miami Bal Harbour, Aspen, 

UK

London, England 

MONACO

Monaco

SWITZERLAND

Geneva

THE MIDDLE EAST

UAE

Dubai 

LEBANON

Beirut 

ASIA

CHINA

Hong Kong  

KOREA  

Seoul

SINGAPORE

Art & Exhibitions in Singapore

On a sunny day, you can combine a visit to Opera Gallery with a tour of the Botero outdoor sculptures. If it's overcast, you can also visit a free art exhibition on level 4 of ION in Singapore at the ION Art Gallery. Or the exhibition of Barbie Dolls mentioned in my other post.

Botero Statues In South America

If you go to South America, many more sculptures by Botero are in Plaza Botero, Medellin, Colombia. Medellin is the second largest city in Colombia, after the capital, Bogota. Colombia is next door to Venezuela with a northern coast and can be reached by airlines or cruise ships. Add it to your wishlist. 

Botero statues are also in: 

Champs Elysee, Paris, France; 

Venice, Italy; 

Chicago, USA; 

Broadgate Circus behind Liverpool Street Station, London ECA, England;

I saw this Botero sculpture of the lady, near Liverpool Street Station in London, from the outdoor staircase above, where it was dwarfed by skyscrapers alongside, so it did not look as large and impressive as standing at the foot of the horse in Singapore.

Opera Gallery has an indoor gallery in Bond Street, London.

Also in Berlin, Germany; Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel.

Man on Horse, Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel.

Meanwhile, back in safe and sunny Singapore, even during a brief rainy afternoon shower, you have a free indoor art gallery to visit at Ion shopping mall, the Opera Gallery.

Opera Gallery, 2 Orchard Turn #02-16, ION Orchard, Singapore 238801

tel: +65 6735 2618

Email: spore@operagallery.com

Useful Websites

ARTIST & SCULPTOR BOTERO  WORLDWIDE

Video of Venus in London, England.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIBdV-0Xz44

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Botero

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Fernando_Botero

BOTERO In COLOMBIA SOUTH AMERICA

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Botero_Square

OPERA GALLERY IN ION, SINGAPORE

https://www.operagallery.com/event/fernando-botero-singapore

https://www.operagallery.com/

ION IN SINGAPORE

https://www.ionorchard.com/deal/883-tourist-exclusive-unlock-your-retail-dreams-2022

https://www.ionorchard.com/ion-art

The Botero exhibition is in Opera Gallery, Singapore, until October 30th 2022, every day 11 am to 8 pm.

Opera Gallery exhibition in October 2022. Artist Anthony James. Repose.

https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17888361200642798/

ANGELA'S OTHER POSTS

http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2019/10/horse-sculpture-by-fernando.html

Please share links to your favourite blog posts

Who was Khalil Gibran?

I came across a quotation by Gibran and wondered who he was. He was a Lebanese born immigrant to the USA, who spent his life writing.  He wrote in English and Arabic. He was a Christian, whose ancestor had converted to Christianity

. 

If you love somebody, let them go, for if they return, they were always yours. If they do not, they never were.

I knew that saying long before I found out who had said it. When I heard his name, I assumed he had lived years ago.  He didn't live as long ago as I thought. Not centuries ago. But the last century, born in the previous century. He lived from 1883 to 1931.

This month I started compiling quotations. I have already published two books of quotations, Quick Quotations for authors and Speakers, and Who Said What When. My latest book is seasonal quotations.

I came across a saying about Halloween. I looked up Khalil Gibran.

Wikipedia helpfully explains:

Khalil or Khaleel (Arabic: خليل) means friend and is a common male first name in the Middle East, the Caucasus, the Balkans, North Africa, West Africa, East Africa, Central Asia and among Muslims in South Asia and as such is also a common surname. It is also used amongst Turkic peoples of Russia and African Americans. The female counterpart of this name is Khalila or Khaleela.

The name Gibran is Arabic and means to restore or repair. What a lovely name.  A friend who restores or repairs.

He wanted to be buried in the Lebanan. His body was taken back there and his tomb is now part of the museum complex called Gibran museum. It is about 75 miles from Beirut.

You can read all about him in Wikipedia and on a website devoted to the museum. 

I shall add some quotations later. You will find them in Wikiquote.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibran_Museum

Beirut and Lebanon you can only see now as an armchair traveller

Flag of Lebanon

The flag of Lebanon features the Cedar of Lebanon, the tree which is the symbol of the country. The tree also appears on the national airline.

Coins show the Cedar of Lebanon and writing in Arabic on one side and French on the other side. Handy languages to know are Arabic and French as well as English.



The name Lebanon comes from the Latin for the white mountain Mons Libanos, like the Hebrew Laban meaning white.
Beirut is on the western side of the country, on the East of the Mediterranean Sea. To the East are snow-capped mountains.

Beirut, meaning wells, comes from the Phoenecian word, similar to the Hebrew Be'rot.

Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon was once nicknamed the Paris of the East or Paris of the Middle East. (Also the Switzerland of the Middle East.)

Road signs are in standard Arabic and French. Sounds good. Unfortunately, the city has been hit by one calamity after another. Let's take a look at what has gone and what must be restored and rebuilt.

From Wikivoyage

	WARNING: Following the explosions in the port on 4 August 2020, it is advised to refrain from traveling to Beirut to prevent hindering rescue services. If you already are in Beirut, consider leaving the city if not helping with disaster remediation efforts. Many buildings were completely leveled and damages were reported up to 10 km from the explosion, and as such there will obviously be a long time before life in Beirut is back to what it was before.
	Government travel advisories Australia   Canada   Germany   New Zealand   United Kingdom   United States
	(Information last updated Aug 2020)

On August 4th 2020, according to the photos, videos and reports an explosion took place, a double explosion, thought to be first fireworks stored (sparked by a welder), then explosives stored.

Destroyed, the grain silo on the left, crater left by explosion on the right. Photo from Wikipedia article on Beirut explosion.

The blast destroyed the port, a grain silo, a ship, and many surrounding historic buildings. Let's see if we can add pictures to the names and names to the pictures and maps.

The city is currently off my travel list for several reasons.
1 Dangers of terrorism.
2 Covid19
3 Destruction of Museums and tourist sites
4 Destruction of hotels

What can you still see on the internet?
(Post being written. I have saved to preserve the draft. Come back tomorrow)

THE THREE MAIN LANDMARKS
The three main landmarks are Place Etoile, where the Parliament is situated, Martyr's Monument in Martyr's Square, and on the edge of the city, Pigeon Rocks, where patrons sit at cafes overlooking the rocks in the sea,


Beirut, Place Etoile
French for place or square of the star.

Martyr's Square

Martyr's Monument, Martyr's Square, Beirut


Pigeon's Rock, Beirut, Lebanon

MUSEUMS

National Museum of Beirut

Pre-history to medieval times. The museum was already destroyed in the Lebanon civil war, but many items inside were saved and the museum was restored. It was showing a video on the hour about how it had been restored.
This time, in 2020, however, the staff had no warning of the damage to come.

Sursock Museum
The home of the owner of the same name, built in the 1900s, on the street bearing the family name, alas wrecked before it could reach a centenary. Showed Lebanese art and modern art.

In 1912, the wealthy and prominent Lebanese aristocrat Nicolas Ibrahim Sursock built the private villa that now houses the museum. He decreed in his will that the villa be transformed into a museum. When he died in 1952, he bequeathed the villa to the city of Beirut.The museum opened its doors in 1961,

American University of Beirut (AUB) Museum
FREE!
The AUB has several thousands undergrads, postgrads and staff. The museums include the Archaeological Museum, Geological Museum, and Natural History Museum. Visitors must enter through the main campus entrance and show ID.


AUB view of the sea.

Romans

Roman Baths on Bank Street. Beirut. Lebanon.




Map from Wikivoyage.

Cathedrals, Churches and Mosques

Church of Saint George Maronite and Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque side by side in Downtown Beirut

Synagogues


Maghen Abraham Synagogue
The name means shield of Abraham. Maghen Abraham like Maghen David. (Magen David is star of shield of David (the six point star used to decorate buildings and fabrics and used as jewellery).
The building is in the downtown or city centre and according to a report I read has escaped major damage.

Another synagogue elsewhere in Lebanon is closed for security reasons.

Deir Synagogue, Lebanon

Around  Lebanon

The country is relatively small, so no single journey to any other city should take more than two hours. Archaeological sites and architectural heritage include Baalbek, Byblos, Sidon, Tripoli, and Tyre. Most of these cities are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Other sites of notable interest are Jeita caves, Qadisha valley with its monasteries, and Zahle.

Lebanon



Wikivoyage says
WARNING: The U.S. State Department (last updated: May 29, 2015) specifically warns of threats to U.S. citizens in Beirut: "Protesters have blocked major roads to gain publicity for their causes, including the primary road between downtown Beirut and Rafiq Hariri International Airport temporarily without warning. Access to the airport may be cut off if the security situation deteriorates.[...]

The last wave of bombings in Beirut began in June 2013 and ended in mid-2014 with hundreds of dead and injured, including at least two U.S. citizens killed. The security services have made great progress in improving their capacity to detect and intercept terrorist attacks, resulting in a marked decline in suicide and car bombs, but many extremist groups remain actively engaged in planning attacks. These regularly involve suicide bombers, many of whom have detonated their vests or vehicles short of their targets.

Hizballah maintains a strong presence in parts of south Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and areas in southern Lebanon. Hizballah has been the target of attacks by other extremist groups for their support of the Asad regime in Syria. The potential for violence between Hizballah and other extremist groups throughout the country remains a strong possibility. Hizballah and other groups have at times detained and extensively interrogated U.S. citizens or other foreigners for political motivations."

How lucky we are to be in other countries, and to be able to view on the internet as armchair travellers what was once a great city.

TRANSLATIONS
Abu/Abou Father (as in Abu Dhabi, father of the deer, capital and second biggest population city in the United Arab Emirates)
al - the (?)
ein - (water?)
Ras Beirut - Head of Beirut (Like the Hebrew word Rosh as in Rosh Hashanah, meaning head (of) the year, and Rosh Pinah school)
Tripoli  - from Greek Tripolis, for three cities (tri as in tricycle, polis as in politics)

Useful Websites (Alphabetically)
Simple Wikipedia
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beirut

Tripadvisor
Good pictures, comprehensive, reminded me that there is a wine and history tour.
https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/Attractions-g294005-Activities-Beirut.html

Wikimedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martyrs%27_Monument,_Beirut

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Beirut_explosions
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Lebanon

Wikitravel
https://wikitravel.org/en/Beirut

Wikivoyage
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Beirut

Museums
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Museum_of_Beirut
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_University_of_Beirut
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sursock_Museum

Religious Buildings
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deir_el_Qamar_Synagogue
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beirut#/media/File:Maghen_Abraham_Synagogue.jpg

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.