Della Butcher
Encyclopedia
Della Butcher was an art gallery owner and an avid patron of Singapore art, noted for her lifetime of work supporting Singaporean artists and making it an international name.
She was born and raised in London, and studied art at London College of Art (now Royal College of Art
). After her graduation from College in 1939, she joined a fashion house as a designer, but did not stay with the house for long as she had disagreements with work ethics found with the management. She tried her hand in auto racing
but felt it was too exhilarating for her. She joined the British Police Division in Reigate
, Surrey
at the outbreak of World War II
. becoming the first woman constable in the history of that county.
When the War ended, Della took on various jobs such as a telephone operator, and as a stewardess on the Hunting Clan Airlines. Being a wanderlust by nature, she was enthralled with flying to various parts of Europe and Africa and seeing different cultures and places. She was especially fond of the life and culture of Africa.
Leaving behind her flying days, Della took an office job as a manager for Skyways Aircraft Corporation in Cyprus in 1953. It was there that she met and fell in love with an archeologist doing field work in Cyprus
. She resigned from Skyways to become his assistant for six years. Digging for artifacts excited her, and she kept everything she found. When she had amassed enough artifacts she would organize an exhibition, arranging and showcasing them to interested parties. It was her first foray into preparing art exhibitions. When her archeologist boyfriend was promoted as the new assistant curator for the London Museum, Della decided to end the relationship as she in her words, "just couldn't see myself working in the basement of the Museum for the rest of my life..." She had moved on with her life which took her to Beirut
in Lebanon
working as public relations for the Alumni Association of the American University. At the University she wrote art reviews for the alumni magazine, and was involved in organizing art and artifact exhibitions with the University arts group.
The exotic colors and excitement of life there captured every bit of her imagination, and she thought for sure it would be the last place that she would ever leave. She chanced upon a lady in Lebanon and found out that she had owned a boutique in Jesselton (now Kota Kinabalu
) in Sabah
. It was 1964, and the lady offered her a position as a manager for her boutique in Jesselton. Della saw the chance to see new cultures in exotic Asia, and agreed to take up that position.
On-route to Jesselton, her flight stopped over in Singapore for two days. During her stay, she searched around the island looking for art galleries and museums to visit. She stopped by the Princess Elizabeth Walk near the Esplanade
, and was captured by the beautiful creations on display by Singaporean artists Cheong Soo Pieng
, Lee Man Fong
, Chen Wen Hsi
and Thomas Yeo for the first time. She also realized these artists had no art galleries to represent and sell their works at all. When it was time to leave for Jesselton she resolved to return to the island country to make a difference for Singapore artists, just as she boarded the Straits Steamship The Raja Brooke.
Jesselton was a logging town, with a thriving community of white expatriate loggers and local Iban
and Kenyah tribespeople interacting. Often these tribepeople would emerge from the jungles with their traditional handicrafts to sell for money, and to buy tobacco
and colored calico. Della saw the opportunity to sell Iban and Kenyah crafts and jewellery by exporting these traditional wares to Singapore.
Two and a half years later in 1967, Della came back to Singapore once again. She studied the local art market, and found that there was only the Donald Moore Gallery in Liat Towers which sold artifacts at that time. She fell seriously ill, and had to be admitted at the Mount Alvernia Hospital
. Though in her grave condition, she had not forgotten her conviction for Singaporean artists and the will to open gallery to promote Singapore art. She was certain that local artists had the potential to succeed as local expatriates were increasingly fond of Chinese artworks by Singapore artists, notwithstanding the lack of interest with art by locals seeking wealth and fortune in post-war Singapore.
In July 1968 Della met Constance Meyer, an expatriate wife living in Singapore, and an avid collector of antiques and Balinese art
. They shared a passion for Singapore art, and Constance thought it was essential for Singapore artists to have a place to exhibit their artworks and where tourists visiting Singapore can buy from, in order to develop an international recognition for themselves. Over the next 20 months the two women went into planning and action, searching for a good location to launch their gallery idea. Their gallery, named the Meyer Gallery was officially opened on 17 March 1970 in an old shophouse next to Robinson's Department Store
on the corner of Raffles Place
and Chulia Street.
This gallery was set up with help from the then-Minister for Culture Jek Yuen Thong, Minister for Finance Goh Keng Swee
, the Chairman of National Theatre Trust Dr. Goh Poh Seng
, the High Commissioner of Malaysia Dr. Lien Ying Chow and the US Ambassador to Singapore, Mr. Francis J. Galbraith.
The new gallery sold both Singapore art, and tribal handicrafts. Della later renamed her gallery The Gallery of Fine Art when her partner Constance left for Australia. Running the business on her own, money became a constant problem for Della and often had to take on other freelance jobs like organizing film documentary sessions for multinational corporations, and designing and making 33 pairs of uniforms for Saber Air Private Limited within 3 weeks, just to keep it going and to support local artists. Being new to the business, she also faced criticisms from other people - for presenting too many pictures at a show, for poor display and lighting, and for not providing proper catalogues. These criticisms did not bother her, as she was more determined with getting buyers for Singapore artists. She valued every exhibition space she can get her hands on, from busy hotel lobbies, to makeshift stalls on street pavements and the decks of luxury liners, and even driving around the island with paintings in the boot of her old yellow 1962 Morris Minor
, just so that potential buyers can see the actual paintings and buy them. On 21 November 1972, a massive fire broke out at Robinson's Department Store
and caused inmeasurable damage to her gallery. This forced to relocate her business to the Raffles Hotel
. Moving to the new location, she had to recover her losses and to pay her bills fast. Thus she started buying flats, and renting them out to people to supplement her income. She also exhibited Singapore art at the Long Bar and the Tiffin Room in the Hotel. In the late-1970s, The Gallery of Fine Art was relocated to the Orchard Towers and it was here that Della made major headway to internationalise Singapore art.
With each successful exhibition, Della become increasingly bold and creative in promoting her art business. On January 1979, she clinched a sponsorship from the Singapore Airlines
to put up a series of art exhibitions featuring 150 paintings by 8 Singaporean artists - Ang Ah Tee, Nai Swee Leng, Ong Kim Seng
, Tang Juey Lee, Tay Bak Koi, Wan Soon Kam, and sibling artists Henry and Karen Hoisington - in the Middle East
ern cities of Bahrain
, Dubai
and Kuwait
. The exhibition tour began in the city of Bahrain
on 9 January 1979, and lasted for 5 days at each city. In spite of the fact that she had organized the show single-handedly, the touring exhibition received enormous success especially in the city of Dubai. The Dubai Arts Society also had sponsored mobile screens to exhibit the paintings at the Dubai Sheraton Hotel. She had not only sold 50 paintings in that city alone, the show had also helped to generate much interest in Singapore as tourist spot, by the locals. Further to that the Society had also agreed to cultural exchange exhibitions with artists from both lands, in Dubai and at her Gallery in Singapore respectively in the following year.
In 1982, The Gallery of Fine Art opened a new branch at the newly opened Changi Airport. It was claimed as the world's first art gallery to be found in an airport. The Gallery was unique as it had no walls, and the paintings were displayed on mobile revolving screens. She also held exhibitions on board the luxury cruise ship, The Princess Mahsuri (now known as Spirit of Adventure) in 1984. Della's reputation grew to be known as one of the first local art dealers who promoted Singapore art overseas, and to declare that Singapore art were on par with "international standards".
UNESCO
also noted her keen business sense, on their study of the Singapore arts climate over two occasions between 1980 and 1982. In the study of the Singapore art culture between 2 May and 8 May 1980, Duncan noted Della's uniqueness in making use of Mandarin Hotel's premises to launch her ambitious series of exhibitions, in contrast to peer art galleries which normally had art exhibitions within their own premises. In fact, this uniqueness went one step further in the 1986 Arts Festival fringe art effort held between May 31 and June 15. During the Festival Della showcased an exhibition of orchid paintings by Tang Juey Lee at the Hilton Hotel Music Room. At the same time, an exhibition of Choy Moo Kheong's paintings was advised to, and curated at the rival Low Pine Gallery in Ming Court Hotel, also as part of the Festival programme. Though both Tang and Choy were represented by Della's gallery, she had no qualms to Choy exhibiting with a competitor, and even providing aid to setting up the exhibition at the location. This not only demonstrated flexibility in running her arts business, it also showed her generosity to work with, and share with her peers.
Tang And Choy's exhibition was the last show she had organized with the Gallery of Fine Arts. With her poor health she ended the gallery business at the end of the Arts Festival in 1986. She returned to business again in 1988 with a new Della Butcher Gallery located in Cuppage Terrace.
In the new location Della continued her championing work for Singaporean artists in the refurbished Peranakan
house. Though she is a businesswoman, she is clear that her heart for the business was never set on making money. It was important to her that art is the heart and soul of nations, and thus a successful art gallery runs on strong passions for the art they represent.
Though Singapore became increasingly affluent, she continued to fight perceptual challenges by locals that art is only for the rich and that buying art is an unpragmatic luxury that served no purpose especially during economic recessions, when people are more concerned about bread-and-butter issues. She acceded that this perception was especially true during economic recessions and people would find art serving no purpose to them. Even offices would just put up "economically-friendly" items to bring out the ambience of the place, during these hard times.
That being said, Della advocated Singaporean art have their unique qualities and also represent good value for money, as compared to other art from similar establishments and values in Asia.
Della's hands-on approach in running her art gallery and her devotion to the artists she represents, continued to be her formula for success. With her artistic experience and appreciation of the paintings' unique personalities she would personally deliver and hang the paintings for her clients, to bring out the best for her clients' homes.
On 29 November 1990 Della was invited to be a part of a task force to look into the development of the arts industry and to develop it into one that can contribute to economic growth. This task force, under the Economic Development Board
's Creative Services Strategic Business Unit (SBU), composed of art experts from commercial and educational institutions, was to make a four-month assessment of the state of fine arts in Singapore, with particular emphasis on promoting and selling Singapore art.
In all the 24 years Della's big heart was open to every Singaporean artist she had met and her larger-than-life personality was ready to reach out to more - artists or non-artists alike. Stephens remembered her penchant for picking up strays and let them stay in her house. And true enough, you would often find an eclectic mix of people living in her home on No. 1 Preston Road. Whenever foreign artists visit Singapore, she would also gladly provide them with accommodation at her place.
The name 'Della Butcher' was never far from the memories of many Singapore artists and peers from her industry.
A rival gallery owner had nothing but praises for her indomitable spirit to help Singapore artists through the decades. Whether it was in the 60s or the 70s when Singapore art was deemed unsaleable, or in the 80s when the Singapore art market was invaded by China art, Della stayed on with Singapore artists.
The late Cultural Medallion
artist Ng Eng Teng
attested to this unshakeable faith of hers, citing that she never gave up even when artists were relatively unknown to anyone and continued to push on with her beliefs despite growing competition from other galleries and during bad times. Whenever artists faced financial problems she was always ready to give them money, and to buy their paintings to tide them over. Watercolourist Ong Kim Seng
remembered in his first exposure at a group artshow that Della organized, he was disappointed that he had not been able to sell a single piece of art. He was overjoyed when he received a call from her the next day telling him that one his paintings was sold during the show, only to find out much later in his life that the one painting was actually bought by Della herself.
Indian woman artist Roopa Natarajan had a very successful exhibition by Della in 1991, featuring the artist's series of nude paintings and sold nearly all the 43 paintings (35 oils and eight watercolour paintings) She was grateful to Della for launching her career in Singapore art circles and attributed much of that success to her.
By 1992 Della had mounted more than 300 exhibitions involving 100 artists in Singapore and abroad. As a tribute to her, 24 Singaporean artists who had all worked with her at some stage in their careers, held The Mother Of The Artists exhibition in honour of her 70th birthday on 24 April 1992. It was held at the Riverwalk Galleria Exhibition Hall, and a 60 cm by 72 cm portrait of Della painted by Beijing artist Li GuiHua, was presented at the opening of the exhibition.
Besides championing for the arts, her friends remember her for her sense of righteousness, and her willingness to fight for it. Mrs Ros Lovell, owner of lifestyle shop Cho Lon in Holland village and Della's neighbour remembered that she once spent several days chained to a tree, in order to protest and save it from being cut down. Friends took meals to her in support of her cause, and eventually saved the tree.
Della Butcher, died in her sleep on Monday morning at her home in 1 Preston Road.
had made a formal request to the Rotary Club of Orchard, Singapore to create an award and to be given to the best graduate painter from Lasalle-SIA College of the Arts
in her honour. This request was made on the formal installation ceremony of the Club's third President, Professor Val Winslow on 15 June 1993. The trophy was designed by Temasek Polytechnic
, with a S$2,000 prize money sponsored by Mastercard
.
The Club invited Lasalle to select five outstanding students with consistently high performances as nominees for the award, and presented to the best art student with the first Della Butcher Award at a closed-door ceremony in 1994. In 1995, this Award opened its doors to 5 other nominated students from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
(NAFA).
But unlike the inaugural Award, all 10 nominees from the Academy and Lasalle were recognized for their unique artistic expression. The fourth President of the Rotary Club Orchard Vijay Krishnan believed that recognizing a wide spectrum of artistic expression would be ideal in honouring Della's spirit and her open-ness to supporting all forms of Singaporean art in her lifetime. In 1996, the Award continued to expand its recognition of art forms, and presented to a graduating art student from the National Institute of Education
.
In November 1995, Friends of Della Butcher and the Club held an exhibition-cum-auction of Della's personal trove of art prints and 75 paintings. These works of art were by artist-friends like Ong Kim Seng
, Tay Bak Koi, Nai Swee Leng, Prabhakara Jimmy Quek and Ang Ah Tee, and bought with Della's own pocket as her support for these artists in their struggling years. The total collection valued at S$87,000, was displayed and auctioned at the Regent Hotel. After the three-day event all the money raised was used to fund the Della Butcher Foundation, ensuring the Della Butcher Award can continue to be awarded to promising young artists. At the same time, the Foundation had intentions to give out art scholarships for promising young artists in Singapore in the future.
She was born and raised in London, and studied art at London College of Art (now Royal College of Art
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
). After her graduation from College in 1939, she joined a fashion house as a designer, but did not stay with the house for long as she had disagreements with work ethics found with the management. She tried her hand in auto racing
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
but felt it was too exhilarating for her. She joined the British Police Division in Reigate
Reigate
Reigate is a historic market town in Surrey, England, at the foot of the North Downs, and in the London commuter belt. It is one of the main constituents of the Borough of Reigate and Banstead...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
at the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. becoming the first woman constable in the history of that county.
When the War ended, Della took on various jobs such as a telephone operator, and as a stewardess on the Hunting Clan Airlines. Being a wanderlust by nature, she was enthralled with flying to various parts of Europe and Africa and seeing different cultures and places. She was especially fond of the life and culture of Africa.
Leaving behind her flying days, Della took an office job as a manager for Skyways Aircraft Corporation in Cyprus in 1953. It was there that she met and fell in love with an archeologist doing field work in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. She resigned from Skyways to become his assistant for six years. Digging for artifacts excited her, and she kept everything she found. When she had amassed enough artifacts she would organize an exhibition, arranging and showcasing them to interested parties. It was her first foray into preparing art exhibitions. When her archeologist boyfriend was promoted as the new assistant curator for the London Museum, Della decided to end the relationship as she in her words, "just couldn't see myself working in the basement of the Museum for the rest of my life..." She had moved on with her life which took her to Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
working as public relations for the Alumni Association of the American University. At the University she wrote art reviews for the alumni magazine, and was involved in organizing art and artifact exhibitions with the University arts group.
The exotic colors and excitement of life there captured every bit of her imagination, and she thought for sure it would be the last place that she would ever leave. She chanced upon a lady in Lebanon and found out that she had owned a boutique in Jesselton (now Kota Kinabalu
Kota Kinabalu
Kota Kinabalu , formerly known as Jesselton, is the capital of Sabah state in East Malaysia. It is also the capital of the West Coast Division of Sabah. The city is located on the northwest coast of Borneo facing the South China Sea. The Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park lies on one side and Mount...
) in Sabah
Sabah
Sabah is one of 13 member states of Malaysia. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country after Sarawak, which it borders on its southwest. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south...
. It was 1964, and the lady offered her a position as a manager for her boutique in Jesselton. Della saw the chance to see new cultures in exotic Asia, and agreed to take up that position.
Esplanade, Singapore
The Esplanade is a waterfront location just north of the mouth of the Singapore River in downtown Singapore. It is primarily occupied by the Esplanade Park, and was the venue where one of Singapore's largest congregation of satay outlets until their relocation to Clarke Quay as a result of the...
, and was captured by the beautiful creations on display by Singaporean artists Cheong Soo Pieng
Cheong Soo Pieng
Cheong Soo Pieng was a Singaporean artist who was a pioneer of the Nanyang art style, and a driving force to the development of Modernism in visual art in the early 20th-century Singapore...
, Lee Man Fong
Lee Man Fong
Lee Man Fong was a painter born in Guangzhou, China. His father, a merchant with ten children, brought him to Singapore. When his father died in 1930, Man Fong had to work hard to earn a living for his mother and siblings using his skill in painting ads and artwork. However, that was not enough...
, Chen Wen Hsi
Chen Wen Hsi
Chen Wen Hsi , is one of Singapore's pioneer artists, known for his avant-garde Chinese paintings.He was born in Baigong in Guangdong province, and had his early education at Chen Li Primary School and St...
and Thomas Yeo for the first time. She also realized these artists had no art galleries to represent and sell their works at all. When it was time to leave for Jesselton she resolved to return to the island country to make a difference for Singapore artists, just as she boarded the Straits Steamship The Raja Brooke.
Jesselton was a logging town, with a thriving community of white expatriate loggers and local Iban
Iban people
The Ibans are a branch of the Dayak peoples of Borneo. In Malaysia, most Ibans are located in Sarawak, a small portion in Sabah and some in west Malaysia. They were formerly known during the colonial period by the British as Sea Dayaks. Ibans were renowned for practising headhunting and...
and Kenyah tribespeople interacting. Often these tribepeople would emerge from the jungles with their traditional handicrafts to sell for money, and to buy tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
and colored calico. Della saw the opportunity to sell Iban and Kenyah crafts and jewellery by exporting these traditional wares to Singapore.
Two and a half years later in 1967, Della came back to Singapore once again. She studied the local art market, and found that there was only the Donald Moore Gallery in Liat Towers which sold artifacts at that time. She fell seriously ill, and had to be admitted at the Mount Alvernia Hospital
Mount Alvernia Hospital and Medical Centre
Mount Alvernia Hospital was the first private hospital in Singapore. It is located in Thomson Road, Singapore.-History:Mount Alvernia Hospital was founded in 1961, by a group of Roman Catholic Sisters from the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood.In 1949, a small group of Franciscan...
. Though in her grave condition, she had not forgotten her conviction for Singaporean artists and the will to open gallery to promote Singapore art. She was certain that local artists had the potential to succeed as local expatriates were increasingly fond of Chinese artworks by Singapore artists, notwithstanding the lack of interest with art by locals seeking wealth and fortune in post-war Singapore.
In July 1968 Della met Constance Meyer, an expatriate wife living in Singapore, and an avid collector of antiques and Balinese art
Balinese art
Balinese art is art of Hindu-Javanese origin that grew from the work of artisans of the Majapahit Kingdom, with their expansion to Bali in the late 13th century. From the sixteenth until the twentieth centuries, the village of Kamasan, Klungkung , was the centre of classical Balinese art. During...
. They shared a passion for Singapore art, and Constance thought it was essential for Singapore artists to have a place to exhibit their artworks and where tourists visiting Singapore can buy from, in order to develop an international recognition for themselves. Over the next 20 months the two women went into planning and action, searching for a good location to launch their gallery idea. Their gallery, named the Meyer Gallery was officially opened on 17 March 1970 in an old shophouse next to Robinson's Department Store
Robinson & Co.
Robinson & Co. Limited is a retail company which has department stores in Singapore and Malaysia. The company owns the Robinsons department store, John Little in Singapore and has franchise outlets of Marks and Spencer in both countries. The company has grown into one of the country's most renowned...
on the corner of Raffles Place
Raffles Place
Raffles Place is a geographical location in Singapore, south of the mouth of the Singapore River. Located in the Downtown Core and the Central Area, it features some of the tallest buildings and landmarks of the country.-History:...
and Chulia Street.
This gallery was set up with help from the then-Minister for Culture Jek Yuen Thong, Minister for Finance Goh Keng Swee
Goh Keng Swee
Goh Keng Swee was the second Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore between 1973 and 1984, and a Member of Parliament for the Kreta Ayer constituency for a quarter of a century. Born in Malacca in the Straits Settlements into a Peranakan family, he came to Singapore at the age of two years...
, the Chairman of National Theatre Trust Dr. Goh Poh Seng
Goh Poh Seng
Goh Poh Seng , Singaporean dramatist, novelist and poet, was born in Malaya in 1936. He received his medical degree from University College Dublin, and practised medicine in Singapore for twenty-five years. In his time living in Singapore, Dr Goh held many honorary positions including the Chairman...
, the High Commissioner of Malaysia Dr. Lien Ying Chow and the US Ambassador to Singapore, Mr. Francis J. Galbraith.
The new gallery sold both Singapore art, and tribal handicrafts. Della later renamed her gallery The Gallery of Fine Art when her partner Constance left for Australia. Running the business on her own, money became a constant problem for Della and often had to take on other freelance jobs like organizing film documentary sessions for multinational corporations, and designing and making 33 pairs of uniforms for Saber Air Private Limited within 3 weeks, just to keep it going and to support local artists. Being new to the business, she also faced criticisms from other people - for presenting too many pictures at a show, for poor display and lighting, and for not providing proper catalogues. These criticisms did not bother her, as she was more determined with getting buyers for Singapore artists. She valued every exhibition space she can get her hands on, from busy hotel lobbies, to makeshift stalls on street pavements and the decks of luxury liners, and even driving around the island with paintings in the boot of her old yellow 1962 Morris Minor
Morris Minor
The Morris Minor was a British economy car that debuted at the Earls Court Motor Show, London, on 20 September 1948. Designed under the leadership of Alec Issigonis, more than 1.3 million were manufactured between 1948 and 1971...
, just so that potential buyers can see the actual paintings and buy them. On 21 November 1972, a massive fire broke out at Robinson's Department Store
Robinson & Co.
Robinson & Co. Limited is a retail company which has department stores in Singapore and Malaysia. The company owns the Robinsons department store, John Little in Singapore and has franchise outlets of Marks and Spencer in both countries. The company has grown into one of the country's most renowned...
and caused inmeasurable damage to her gallery. This forced to relocate her business to the Raffles Hotel
Raffles Hotel
Raffles Hotel is a colonial-style hotel in Singapore, and one of the world's most famous hotels. The hotel was established by the famous Armenian Sarkies Brothers. Opened in 1887, it was named after Singapore's founder Sir Stamford Raffles. Managed by Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, it is...
. Moving to the new location, she had to recover her losses and to pay her bills fast. Thus she started buying flats, and renting them out to people to supplement her income. She also exhibited Singapore art at the Long Bar and the Tiffin Room in the Hotel. In the late-1970s, The Gallery of Fine Art was relocated to the Orchard Towers and it was here that Della made major headway to internationalise Singapore art.
With each successful exhibition, Della become increasingly bold and creative in promoting her art business. On January 1979, she clinched a sponsorship from the Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines Limited is the flag carrier airline of Singapore. Singapore Airlines operates a hub at Changi Airport and has a strong presence in the Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and "Kangaroo Route" markets...
to put up a series of art exhibitions featuring 150 paintings by 8 Singaporean artists - Ang Ah Tee, Nai Swee Leng, Ong Kim Seng
Ong Kim Seng
Ong Kim Seng , was born in Singapore and has been a full-time artist since 1985. He has participated in group and solo exhibitions at Singapore and in the United States, China, United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Belgium, Federal Republic Of Germany, France, Middle East, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the...
, Tang Juey Lee, Tay Bak Koi, Wan Soon Kam, and sibling artists Henry and Karen Hoisington - in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
ern cities of Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
, Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
and Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
. The exhibition tour began in the city of Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
on 9 January 1979, and lasted for 5 days at each city. In spite of the fact that she had organized the show single-handedly, the touring exhibition received enormous success especially in the city of Dubai. The Dubai Arts Society also had sponsored mobile screens to exhibit the paintings at the Dubai Sheraton Hotel. She had not only sold 50 paintings in that city alone, the show had also helped to generate much interest in Singapore as tourist spot, by the locals. Further to that the Society had also agreed to cultural exchange exhibitions with artists from both lands, in Dubai and at her Gallery in Singapore respectively in the following year.
In 1982, The Gallery of Fine Art opened a new branch at the newly opened Changi Airport. It was claimed as the world's first art gallery to be found in an airport. The Gallery was unique as it had no walls, and the paintings were displayed on mobile revolving screens. She also held exhibitions on board the luxury cruise ship, The Princess Mahsuri (now known as Spirit of Adventure) in 1984. Della's reputation grew to be known as one of the first local art dealers who promoted Singapore art overseas, and to declare that Singapore art were on par with "international standards".
UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
also noted her keen business sense, on their study of the Singapore arts climate over two occasions between 1980 and 1982. In the study of the Singapore art culture between 2 May and 8 May 1980, Duncan noted Della's uniqueness in making use of Mandarin Hotel's premises to launch her ambitious series of exhibitions, in contrast to peer art galleries which normally had art exhibitions within their own premises. In fact, this uniqueness went one step further in the 1986 Arts Festival fringe art effort held between May 31 and June 15. During the Festival Della showcased an exhibition of orchid paintings by Tang Juey Lee at the Hilton Hotel Music Room. At the same time, an exhibition of Choy Moo Kheong's paintings was advised to, and curated at the rival Low Pine Gallery in Ming Court Hotel, also as part of the Festival programme. Though both Tang and Choy were represented by Della's gallery, she had no qualms to Choy exhibiting with a competitor, and even providing aid to setting up the exhibition at the location. This not only demonstrated flexibility in running her arts business, it also showed her generosity to work with, and share with her peers.
Tang And Choy's exhibition was the last show she had organized with the Gallery of Fine Arts. With her poor health she ended the gallery business at the end of the Arts Festival in 1986. She returned to business again in 1988 with a new Della Butcher Gallery located in Cuppage Terrace.
Della Butcher Art Gallery at 39A Cuppage Terrace
Peranakan
Peranakan Chinese and Baba-Nyonya are terms used for the descendants of late 15th and 16th-century Chinese immigrants to the Indonesian archipelago of Nusantara during the Colonial era....
house. Though she is a businesswoman, she is clear that her heart for the business was never set on making money. It was important to her that art is the heart and soul of nations, and thus a successful art gallery runs on strong passions for the art they represent.
Though Singapore became increasingly affluent, she continued to fight perceptual challenges by locals that art is only for the rich and that buying art is an unpragmatic luxury that served no purpose especially during economic recessions, when people are more concerned about bread-and-butter issues. She acceded that this perception was especially true during economic recessions and people would find art serving no purpose to them. Even offices would just put up "economically-friendly" items to bring out the ambience of the place, during these hard times.
That being said, Della advocated Singaporean art have their unique qualities and also represent good value for money, as compared to other art from similar establishments and values in Asia.
Della's hands-on approach in running her art gallery and her devotion to the artists she represents, continued to be her formula for success. With her artistic experience and appreciation of the paintings' unique personalities she would personally deliver and hang the paintings for her clients, to bring out the best for her clients' homes.
On 29 November 1990 Della was invited to be a part of a task force to look into the development of the arts industry and to develop it into one that can contribute to economic growth. This task force, under the Economic Development Board
Economic Development Board
-Overview:The Economic Development Board is a statutory board of the Government of Singapore that plans and executes strategies to sustain Singapore as a leading global hub for business and investment....
's Creative Services Strategic Business Unit (SBU), composed of art experts from commercial and educational institutions, was to make a four-month assessment of the state of fine arts in Singapore, with particular emphasis on promoting and selling Singapore art.
The Mother of Singapore Artists
The name 'Della Butcher' was never far from the memories of many Singapore artists and peers from her industry.
A rival gallery owner had nothing but praises for her indomitable spirit to help Singapore artists through the decades. Whether it was in the 60s or the 70s when Singapore art was deemed unsaleable, or in the 80s when the Singapore art market was invaded by China art, Della stayed on with Singapore artists.
The late Cultural Medallion
Cultural Medallion
The Cultural Medallion is a Singapore cultural award conferred to those who have achieved artistic excellence in dance, theatre, literature, music, photography, art and film....
artist Ng Eng Teng
Ng Eng Teng
Ng Eng Teng , The Grandfather of Singapore Sculpture was a sculptor in Singapore known for his figurative sculptures, many of which are found in public locations around Singapore...
attested to this unshakeable faith of hers, citing that she never gave up even when artists were relatively unknown to anyone and continued to push on with her beliefs despite growing competition from other galleries and during bad times. Whenever artists faced financial problems she was always ready to give them money, and to buy their paintings to tide them over. Watercolourist Ong Kim Seng
Ong Kim Seng
Ong Kim Seng , was born in Singapore and has been a full-time artist since 1985. He has participated in group and solo exhibitions at Singapore and in the United States, China, United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Belgium, Federal Republic Of Germany, France, Middle East, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the...
remembered in his first exposure at a group artshow that Della organized, he was disappointed that he had not been able to sell a single piece of art. He was overjoyed when he received a call from her the next day telling him that one his paintings was sold during the show, only to find out much later in his life that the one painting was actually bought by Della herself.
Indian woman artist Roopa Natarajan had a very successful exhibition by Della in 1991, featuring the artist's series of nude paintings and sold nearly all the 43 paintings (35 oils and eight watercolour paintings) She was grateful to Della for launching her career in Singapore art circles and attributed much of that success to her.
By 1992 Della had mounted more than 300 exhibitions involving 100 artists in Singapore and abroad. As a tribute to her, 24 Singaporean artists who had all worked with her at some stage in their careers, held The Mother Of The Artists exhibition in honour of her 70th birthday on 24 April 1992. It was held at the Riverwalk Galleria Exhibition Hall, and a 60 cm by 72 cm portrait of Della painted by Beijing artist Li GuiHua, was presented at the opening of the exhibition.
Besides championing for the arts, her friends remember her for her sense of righteousness, and her willingness to fight for it. Mrs Ros Lovell, owner of lifestyle shop Cho Lon in Holland village and Della's neighbour remembered that she once spent several days chained to a tree, in order to protest and save it from being cut down. Friends took meals to her in support of her cause, and eventually saved the tree.
Della Butcher, died in her sleep on Monday morning at her home in 1 Preston Road.
Della Butcher Award
In recognition of her lifetime commitment to championing for Singaporean art, Professor Tommy KohTommy Koh
Tommy Koh was born in Singapore on 12 November 1937. He is an international lawyer, professor and Ambassador-At-Large for the Government of Singapore...
had made a formal request to the Rotary Club of Orchard, Singapore to create an award and to be given to the best graduate painter from Lasalle-SIA College of the Arts
LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts
The LASALLE College of the Arts , formerly LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts, is an arts educational institution in Singapore. It was founded in 1984 by De La Salle brother, Brother Joseph McNally. Currently, LASALLE has design, fine arts, integrated arts, media arts and performing arts faculties...
in her honour. This request was made on the formal installation ceremony of the Club's third President, Professor Val Winslow on 15 June 1993. The trophy was designed by Temasek Polytechnic
Temasek Polytechnic
Temasek Polytechnic is the third polytechnic to be set up in Singapore. The polytechnic was established on April 6, 1990. With a 30 hectare campus overlooking the scenic Bedok Reservoir in the eastern part of Singapore, TP's campus places particular emphasis on the preservation of the natural...
, with a S$2,000 prize money sponsored by Mastercard
MasterCard
Mastercard Incorporated or MasterCard Worldwide is an American multinational financial services corporation with its headquarters in the MasterCard International Global Headquarters, Purchase, Harrison, New York, United States...
.
The Club invited Lasalle to select five outstanding students with consistently high performances as nominees for the award, and presented to the best art student with the first Della Butcher Award at a closed-door ceremony in 1994. In 1995, this Award opened its doors to 5 other nominated students from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts is one of the oldest and most established tertiary arts institution in Singapore....
(NAFA).
But unlike the inaugural Award, all 10 nominees from the Academy and Lasalle were recognized for their unique artistic expression. The fourth President of the Rotary Club Orchard Vijay Krishnan believed that recognizing a wide spectrum of artistic expression would be ideal in honouring Della's spirit and her open-ness to supporting all forms of Singaporean art in her lifetime. In 1996, the Award continued to expand its recognition of art forms, and presented to a graduating art student from the National Institute of Education
National Institute of Education
The is an institute of the , Singapore.NIE, Singapore, provides all levels of teacher education, from programmes to for in-service teachers and executive for Principals, Departmental Heads and other school leaders. NIE also administers postgraduate programmes that lead to the award of in...
.
In November 1995, Friends of Della Butcher and the Club held an exhibition-cum-auction of Della's personal trove of art prints and 75 paintings. These works of art were by artist-friends like Ong Kim Seng
Ong Kim Seng
Ong Kim Seng , was born in Singapore and has been a full-time artist since 1985. He has participated in group and solo exhibitions at Singapore and in the United States, China, United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Belgium, Federal Republic Of Germany, France, Middle East, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the...
, Tay Bak Koi, Nai Swee Leng, Prabhakara Jimmy Quek and Ang Ah Tee, and bought with Della's own pocket as her support for these artists in their struggling years. The total collection valued at S$87,000, was displayed and auctioned at the Regent Hotel. After the three-day event all the money raised was used to fund the Della Butcher Foundation, ensuring the Della Butcher Award can continue to be awarded to promising young artists. At the same time, the Foundation had intentions to give out art scholarships for promising young artists in Singapore in the future.