Newsletter No. 25

CUHK Newsletter No.25 December 1991 文物館二十周年紀 念 Twentiet h Anniversar y o f the Ar t Galler y equipment fo r the exhibition i s ready, that lay-out plans and location charts have been finalized, an d that tailor- made descriptions for each exhibit have been prepared. The exhibition hall must be duly decorated and press releases prepared and sent out. When all is ready, some members o f the Ar t Gallery staff will travel to the host museum to escort with their mainland colleagues th e precious relics al l th e wa y to Hong Kong. This is a task which is carried out jealously by the escorts, who must keep a watchful ey e o n their invaluable charges throughout. The exhibits are, o f course, fully insured during their journey. The exhibits usually arrive a t th e Art Gallery 1 0 days before th e exhibition is open t o th e public, an d the gallery's researchers will take advantage o f this period t o study them closely. The Ar t Gallery staff also take their responsibilities as hosts seriously, and ac t as tourist guides t o their mainland guests, taking them t o visit many places o f interest. Most o f these ‘guides’ have been to Ocean Park more than 10 times! Even during the relative calm of the gallery when a n exhibition i s i n progress, staff members cannot really relax. Some may have t o act as guides in the exhibition hall, while others may be involved with compiling data fo r input to the data base, or busy preparing the next exhibition. Working with Local Collectors: A Much Simpler Task Although the procedures involved in organizing joint exhibitions with local partners are more or less the same as with mainland partners, somehow i t is a much less complicated process, involving fa r less documentation an d tedious application formalities. Th e exhibits also d o no t require th e long distance escort service, arriving instead about a year before the exhibition is set to take place, which gives the gallery researchers amuch longer time to study them. Limited Funds for New Acquisitions Ninety pe r cent o f th e gallery's resident collection are donations by art enthusiasts. A major benefactor i s th e ‘Friends of the Ar t Gallery', an association of some 450 local ar t lovers and collectors, who have just donated to the gallery a Buddhist stone stele which i s worth HK$350,000 as a gift for its 20th birthday. What about acquisitions by the Ar t Gallery itself? The gallery does have an annual budget fo r new acquisitions to augment its collection, but the amount is so minimal (about one per cent of the gallery's annual operating budget) that a local ar t collector once jokingly remarked that i t was only sufficient for a curio stand. And because the amount is small, art gallery staff have t o scour antique markets and curio shops for purchases that they can afford. When they have decided on a piece, they will seek the advice of outside scholars and antiques experts, an d th e approval o f th e Management Committee before th e transaction is finally completed. Painting an d calligraphy b y Guangdong artists currently form th e largest collection i n th e Ar t Gallery, followed b y ceramics, rubbings o f ancient inscriptions, bronze seals, and jade carvings. I f funding i s available, the gallery would like t o add many other arts and crafts t o it s collection, mainly paintings an d calligraphy b y non-Guangdong artists an d contemporar scholars. Mos t Recen t Acquisition s of th eAr t Galler y Can yo u guess ho w much they ar e worth? Axlecapbowlforthe potter'swheel, Jianware, SouthernSongDynasty Earthen-ware loka pala, Tang Dynasty 8