In 1963, William Willetts was appointed by the University of Singapore to succeed Dr Michael Sullivan as lecturer in the History of Art course and Curator of the Art Museum, the predecessor institution of the NUS Museum. He oversaw the division of the Art Museum’s collection following the 1962 separation of the University of Malaya between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. He pioneered scholarships into Southeast Asian architecture, textiles and ceramics, and was influential beyond the Art Museum as the founder of the Southeast Asian Ceramic Society. Following the discontinuation of the History of Art course and the closure of the Art Museum in 1972, he continued his teaching career at the University of Malaya (Kuala Lumpur).

As part of the NUS Museum Anniversary Lecture Series (2018), Kwa Chong Guan delivered a lecture on William Willetts, his contributions to scholarship, museum practice and the broader regard for cultures in Southeast Asia in Singapore, through which perspectives into the roles of the museum and the curator lodged within a university institution may be drawn, and prospected across periods and contexts. The lecture was also published in book form, featuring both personal recollections and considerations of Willetts as an art historian, educator and curator.

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This publication can be purchased at NUS Museum or ordered via mail.

To order via mail, please contact museum@nus.edu.sg