by Stephanie Yeap
Photo: Erik LasalleStudio SLB
Established in Singapore in 1994 by founder Gilles Dyan, Opera Gallery remains one of the country’s longest-standing galleries. The gallery specialises in showcasing works by international modern and contemporary artists, with works by celebrated practitioners such as Yayoi Kusama, Anish Kapoor, and Fernando Botero having passed through its doors.
While the gallery was first established in Singapore, Dyan’s love for art began in his hometown of Paris, where he grew up spending his free time in the city’s art museums. Despite not studying art formally at university, Dyan began his career in the art world as a door-to-door salesman selling works by local artists.
He visited Singapore in 1993 when a friend invited him to participate in Tresors, the city’s first international fine art and antiques fair. Thanks to the booth’s “tremendous success”, Dyan secured financial backing for Opera Gallery’s first location in Singapore.
“Yayoi Kusama, Niki de Saint Phalle: A New World” at Opera Gallery Singapore, January 6 to February 5, 2023. (Photo: Opera Gallery)
New beginnings
While Singapore’s art scene was nascent in 1994 — even the Singapore Art Museum was two years away from being founded — Dyan was not only drawn to the “pioneering spirit among local artists and art enthusiasts” but also to its strategic regional location and pro-business environment.
The city-state boasted numerous resources that enabled him to cater to an international clientele, such as an efficient port and airport, which enabled connectivity to a global market and a multilingual, highly educated talent pool. “All these elements combined made Singapore a conducive environment for business growth and success,” he shared.
The exterior of Opera Gallery Singapore. (Photo: Opera Gallery)
Going global
However, this only marks how far Opera Gallery has come from its inception when it showcased young European artists in its Singapore gallery and Asian artists in Paris. Following its first location, it became one of the first galleries to expand to cities such as Hong Kong, Dubai, and Monaco, as Dyan was keen on having locations close to its clients.
With the company’s international expansion, Dyan noted that it was “logical” to exhibit international art across all its locations to “(reflect) the diversity and dynamism of the global art scene”.
Exhibition view of Opera Gallery Madrid’s 2023 show “Loving Picasso”. (Photo: Alejandro Ovejero Rivera)
Furthering this internationalism was the establishment of its Madrid location in 2023. Dyan deemed it “perfect sense”, noting Madrid’s rich art history, the presence of celebrated institutions such as The Prado and Reina Sofia, and the gallery’s history of showcasing Spanish masters. Its Madrid director, Belén Herrera Ottino, has also worked closely with the estates of Spanish painters Juan Genovés and Antonio Saura, enabling the gallery to host Genovés’s first solo in Paris in 2024.
Another significant milestone in Opera Gallery’s history is its appointment of Isabelle de La Bruyere as its first-ever CEO in 2023, despite the group having gone three decades without one. With experience at Christie’s as the head of Client Advisory and senior director to the Chairman’s Office across Europe, the Middle East, Russia, and India, the former auction house veteran was brought on to streamline and adapt the gallery’s operations across its numerous locations and teams.
As for what has kept Dyan in the gallery business for three decades, he cites his “profound passion for artists and my dedication to telling their stories”. This manifests as his vision of curating and presenting artworks that he genuinely believes in, regardless of current trends. Perhaps this romanticism is best expressed by Dyan’s favourite artwork, the first original he had purchased — a work on paper by French artist Jean Dubuffet from 1982.
Looking ahead
Opera Gallery will celebrate its 30th anniversary in September 2024 with a commemorative exhibition titled “The Collector 1994”.
Fernando Botero, Girl with Cat (1989). (Photo: Opera Gallery)
The exhibition will be modelled after an imagined art collector’s home in 1994, spanning rooms filled with artworks by renowned artists like Pablo Picasso, Fernando Botero, and Frank Stella. These will be shown alongside works by artists of the 1990s, such as Spanish mixed media artist Manolo Valdés, German painter Georg Baselitz, and French practitioner Pierre Soulages.
On celebrating Opera Gallery’s 30th anniversary in Singapore, Dyan stated, “This milestone underscores the trust and support from collectors, artists, and partners. Looking ahead, I am excited to continue inspiring art enthusiasts and collectors, building on our rich legacy in Singapore.”
