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As this year marks the 110th birthday of Professor Chao Shao-an, a master of the Lingnan school of painting, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum and the Guangzhou Museum of Art have jointly organised the exhibition "The Pride of Lingnan: In Commemoration of the 110th Birthday of Chao Shao-an". Featuring more than 130 of Professor Chao's representative works, the exhibition, to be held at the Heritage Museum from tomorrow (May 23), will offer a comprehensive display of his lifetime of artistic development and his contributions to the world of art.
The opening ceremony for the exhibition was held today (May 22). The officiating guests included the Under Secretary for Home Affairs, Ms Florence Hui; the Head of the Museum Division of the Administration of Culture, Press, Publication, Radio and Television of Guangzhou Municipality, Mr Zeng Zhiguang; the Director of the Guangzhou Museum of Art, Mr Chen Wei'an; the second son of Professor Chao, Mr Chiu Chi-tai; the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Ms Michelle Li; and the Museum Director of the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Ms Fione Lo.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ms Hui said that, as a master of Chinese painting in the 20th century, Professor Chao embraced innovation while adhering to tradition. He learned painting from one of the founders of the Lingnan school, Gao Qifeng, and rose to fame in the 1930s. He was renowned for his magnificent landscape paintings as well as his vivid flower and bird paintings. By blending the East and the West, the old and the new, he expounded the doctrine of the Lingnan school in his works and created a strong palette in his own style.
Ms Hui said that in commemoration of Professor Chao's 110th birthday, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum is collaborating with the Guangzhou Museum of Art in staging the touring exhibition "The Pride of Lingnan" this year. As works from the collection of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco in the United States will also be on display, paintings by Professor Chao are being reunited here in Hong Kong.
Professor Chao Shao-an (1905-1998) was a renowned master of the Lingnan school of painting. Following the tradition of Chinese painting, he aimed to merge art with life in creating a unique artistic style to advocate the "modernisation of Chinese painting" in the Lingnan school. His work has been an important influence not only in Hong Kong, but also by placing the Lingnan school in a significant position in the development of Chinese art.
Professor Chao had a teaching career of more than 60 years. He founded the Lingnan Art Studio in Guangzhou and Hong Kong, held exhibitions and gave lessons to students in Europe and America. In 1995, he donated his private collection to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, and this donation contributed to the establishment of its permanent Chao Shao-an Gallery. He also donated important works to the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco and the Guangzhou Museum of Art, showing his support to cultural and museum undertakings.
The exhibition will feature Professor Chao's works from the 1930s to the 1990s. The exhibits will cover the subjects of birds and flowers, landscapes, insects, animals, figures and calligraphy. Highlights include "Tiger", "White Peacock", "Moonlight over the Pond" and the five-panel screen "Plantain Trees" from the collection of the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, and "Peacock", "Fishermen Gather in River Bank" and "Flower Bridge in Guilin" from the Guangzhou Museum of Art. Other exhibits include sketches and poem manuscripts by the artist, offering a comprehensive display of Professor Chao's artistic style and talent. Interactive programmes will be set up and precious video clips of the artist offering demonstrations will be shown to increase audience interest.
In addition, "Treasures Abroad: Works of Chao Shao-an from the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco" will also be held at the Chao Shao-an Gallery, featuring 12 signature works borrowed from the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Exhibits will include the triplet "Buffaloes at Rest", "Red Kapok Blossoms" and "Rooster". Selections of Professor Chao's seals, old photographs and publications will also be displayed.
Both exhibitions will be held until September 7. The Hong Kong Heritage Museum is located at 1 Man Lam Road, Sha Tin. For details of the exhibition, please visit the Heritage Museum's website at www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk or call 2180 8188.
Ends/Friday, May 22, 2015
Issued at HKT 19:09
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