A New Era Begins 1975-78

5. Jade Carvings through the Ages (1977); 6. Lacquer of Sung to Ming Periods (1977); 7. Donations to the Art Gallery from 1971 to 1977 (1978) ； 8. Trade Pottery in East and South-east Asia (1978); 9. Annual exhibits of the works of graduating students of the Fine Arts Board. For each of the above exhibitions, the Art Gallery has prepared and printed descriptive catalogues, with subsidies from private donors. These publications are regularly exchanged for catalogues of other museums of the world, thus enriching the resources of the Institute. Acquisition Fund In order to develop the artistic resources of the Art Gallery, the University decided to provide an annual budget for art acquisitions beginning wi th 1976-77, wi th funds coming largely from friends o f the University. As mentioned in the previous Report, the first major acquisition was the Jen Yu-wen Collection of Kwangtung artists in 1973, which gave the Art Gallery its needed local context and uniqueness. Other important donations in kind began to follow. One unique donation included a Sung rubbing of a Han Stele, a collection of 300 bronze seals, mostly dating from the Ch'in and Han dynasties, and 463 pieces of jade flowers, which are the only collections of their kind in the world. Other valuable donations and acquisitions include porcelains and the calligraphy and paintings of the Yang-chow Eccentrics of late Ming and early Ch'ing dynasties. As a rule, the Ar t Gallery makes its purchases on the principle that the chosen items should serve as illustrations of Chinese art history not yet covered by the Art Gallery collection, thus establishing a completely representative collection to serve the University as a teaching museum. Annex and Workshop As a result of the rapid expansion of the work of the Art Gallery, the space allotted to it within the Institute building soon became inadequate to serve its developing needs. Moreover, as the collection grew through acquisitions and donations, it became more and more evident that proper technical services must be provided. Happily, the Lee Hysan Foundation recognized this need and generously donated a well-equipped three-storey Annex to the Institute building. It was completed in 1978. The upper floor includes an office, and restoration and conservation laboratories equipped with instruments for physical and chemical examination of works of art. Two workshops are on the ground floor: one for the mounting and restoration of Chinese paintings, and the other for woodwork. The photographic studio and the dark room occupy the lower floor. A total of 64 paintings and calligraphy have been remounted and restored during recent years. The photographic archive has added another 1,000 slides and photographs since 66