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Coffeeshop Chit Chat - Now, National Heritage Board Scandal...</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=msgtable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="96%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msg vAlign=top><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgbfr1 width="1%"> </TD><TD><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead vAlign=top><TD class=msgF width="1%" noWrap align=right>From: </TD><TD class=msgFname width="68%" noWrap>kojakbt_89 <NOBR></NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate width="30%" noWrap align=right>9:44 am </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT height=20 width="1%" noWrap align=right>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname width="68%" noWrap>ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> (1 of 3) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft rowSpan=4 width="1%"> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>31713.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt>Apr 14, 2010
Museum returns 'major gift' to donors
<!-- by line -->By Deepika Shetty
<!-- end by line -->
<!-- end left side bar --><!-- story content : start -->
A HIGH-PROFILE donation to the Peranakan Museum originally valued at $15 million has been returned to the donors after questions were raised over what it was actually worth.
The 300 pieces of Straits Chinese silverware and porcelain were a major gift to the museum in 2008, and earned the donors a prestigious award as well as significant tax exemptions.
But almost as soon as the donation was made, doubts arose over the initial valuation.
Two subsequent valuations were done and the third one went as low as under $2 million.
As the checks progressed, seven of the nine members of the Asian Civilisations Museum board, including the chairman, Ms Priscylla Shaw, quit last December. The Asian Civilisations Museum runs the Peranakan Museum.
Shortly afterwards, the low-profile donors, Mr and Mrs Tan Eng Sian, asked for their donation to be returned.
The couple, from a Singapore Peranakan family descended from pioneer and philanthropist Tan Kim Seng, would have received a tax deduction of about $30 million based on the initial $15 million valuation of the donation.
The Tans, who received the Distinguished Patron of Heritage award last year for their donation, have returned the award, which is given to those who make donations of $2 million or more in cash, artworks or artefacts.
They are also no longer entitled to the tax exemption.
While the donation was announced with fanfare, there had been no official announcement that the collection of Nonya ware had been returned to the Tans.
Responding to queries from The Straits Times yesterday, Mr Michael Koh, chief executive officer of the National Heritage Board, confirmed what had happened.
'After the Patron of Heritage Awards were announced in April 2009, there was public feedback regarding the valuation of the Tan donation, which prompted us to initiate discussions with the Tan family and agencies,' Mr Koh said in an interview.
'After further consultations with the family, the family requested the return of the donation, which the board acceded to with effect from January this year.'
He also confirmed that Ms Shaw and the other board members had resigned last year and that an expanded 11-member board led by senior lawyer Lee Suet Fern was now in place.
Several people familiar with the controversy over the donation told The Straits Times that questions about its value were raised in 2008 after the museum acquired the collection.
The Straits Times understands that some former board members, who included three lawyers, two prominent art collectors and a publisher, had questioned the value of the donation.
Those contacted declined to comment.
They quit the board in quick succession late last year, saying in their letters of resignation that they lacked time and had personal commitments.
But The Straits Times understands that several members were unhappy with the initial valuation.
Between early 2008 and late last year, the collection was valued by three different experts.
The first said it was worth $15 million. The second, in the middle of last year, put it at between $4 million and $5 million.
The last, late last year, put the collection at under $2 million.
Asked about the disparity yesterday, Mr Koh said: 'Given the subjectivity of valuations, it is not uncommon in the art market to have differences in valuation.'
Asked why there had been no announcement that the gift had been returned to the donors, he said the National Heritage Board had been planning to include this in its an-nual report due in September.
It also had not announced the mass resignations of board members, and was planning to name the new board next month along with the news of a successor to Asian Civilisations Museum director Kenson Kwok, who retired last year.
When the Tan donation was announced in April last year, the contribution was described as having helped the Peranakan Museum build one of the best collections of Nonya ware in the world.
Highlights of the donation included three large-sized kamcheng, the covered containers used to store food, water or pickles, two pairs of large serving platters, and European-style coffee cups and saucers.
Some pieces from the collection had been slated to travel to the Quai Branly Museum in Paris for a three-month show on Peranakan art starting in October.
The donation fell under the Approved Museum Scheme, through which donors are eligible for double tax deduction on the appraised va-lue of the donated artefacts or artworks.
Mr Koh said yesterday that it was time to relook the evaluation process of donations.
Past practice had been to rely on internal assessment of a donation, followed by a valuation done by an expert in the field and approval from an acquisitions committee.
He said: 'The valuation processes for donations have served us well over past years. These processes are similar to what other countries practise.
'We will continue to improve our processes. For example, we will involve a spectrum of valuers for high-value donations. This is needed today, given the dynamic and rapidly rising art market that we are witnessing.'
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Options</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Museum returns 'major gift' to donors
<!-- by line -->By Deepika Shetty
<!-- end by line -->
<!-- end left side bar --><!-- story content : start -->
A HIGH-PROFILE donation to the Peranakan Museum originally valued at $15 million has been returned to the donors after questions were raised over what it was actually worth.
The 300 pieces of Straits Chinese silverware and porcelain were a major gift to the museum in 2008, and earned the donors a prestigious award as well as significant tax exemptions.
But almost as soon as the donation was made, doubts arose over the initial valuation.
Two subsequent valuations were done and the third one went as low as under $2 million.
As the checks progressed, seven of the nine members of the Asian Civilisations Museum board, including the chairman, Ms Priscylla Shaw, quit last December. The Asian Civilisations Museum runs the Peranakan Museum.
Shortly afterwards, the low-profile donors, Mr and Mrs Tan Eng Sian, asked for their donation to be returned.
The couple, from a Singapore Peranakan family descended from pioneer and philanthropist Tan Kim Seng, would have received a tax deduction of about $30 million based on the initial $15 million valuation of the donation.
The Tans, who received the Distinguished Patron of Heritage award last year for their donation, have returned the award, which is given to those who make donations of $2 million or more in cash, artworks or artefacts.
They are also no longer entitled to the tax exemption.
While the donation was announced with fanfare, there had been no official announcement that the collection of Nonya ware had been returned to the Tans.
Responding to queries from The Straits Times yesterday, Mr Michael Koh, chief executive officer of the National Heritage Board, confirmed what had happened.
'After the Patron of Heritage Awards were announced in April 2009, there was public feedback regarding the valuation of the Tan donation, which prompted us to initiate discussions with the Tan family and agencies,' Mr Koh said in an interview.
'After further consultations with the family, the family requested the return of the donation, which the board acceded to with effect from January this year.'
He also confirmed that Ms Shaw and the other board members had resigned last year and that an expanded 11-member board led by senior lawyer Lee Suet Fern was now in place.
Several people familiar with the controversy over the donation told The Straits Times that questions about its value were raised in 2008 after the museum acquired the collection.
The Straits Times understands that some former board members, who included three lawyers, two prominent art collectors and a publisher, had questioned the value of the donation.
Those contacted declined to comment.
They quit the board in quick succession late last year, saying in their letters of resignation that they lacked time and had personal commitments.
But The Straits Times understands that several members were unhappy with the initial valuation.
Between early 2008 and late last year, the collection was valued by three different experts.
The first said it was worth $15 million. The second, in the middle of last year, put it at between $4 million and $5 million.
The last, late last year, put the collection at under $2 million.
Asked about the disparity yesterday, Mr Koh said: 'Given the subjectivity of valuations, it is not uncommon in the art market to have differences in valuation.'
Asked why there had been no announcement that the gift had been returned to the donors, he said the National Heritage Board had been planning to include this in its an-nual report due in September.
It also had not announced the mass resignations of board members, and was planning to name the new board next month along with the news of a successor to Asian Civilisations Museum director Kenson Kwok, who retired last year.
When the Tan donation was announced in April last year, the contribution was described as having helped the Peranakan Museum build one of the best collections of Nonya ware in the world.
Highlights of the donation included three large-sized kamcheng, the covered containers used to store food, water or pickles, two pairs of large serving platters, and European-style coffee cups and saucers.
Some pieces from the collection had been slated to travel to the Quai Branly Museum in Paris for a three-month show on Peranakan art starting in October.
The donation fell under the Approved Museum Scheme, through which donors are eligible for double tax deduction on the appraised va-lue of the donated artefacts or artworks.
Mr Koh said yesterday that it was time to relook the evaluation process of donations.
Past practice had been to rely on internal assessment of a donation, followed by a valuation done by an expert in the field and approval from an acquisitions committee.
He said: 'The valuation processes for donations have served us well over past years. These processes are similar to what other countries practise.
'We will continue to improve our processes. For example, we will involve a spectrum of valuers for high-value donations. This is needed today, given the dynamic and rapidly rising art market that we are witnessing.'
</TD></TR><TR><TD> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msgleft width="1%"> </TD><TD class=msgopt width="24%" noWrap>
