Ming dynasty ceramics, Shen Zhou hand scroll, new gallery, and more as Hong Kong Museum of Art marks its 60th anniversary

Of the exhibitions at the Hong Kong Museum of Art for its 60th anniversary, one highlight is a gallery dedicated to 20th century Chinese artist Zhu Qizhan

A Shen Zhou hand scroll is on display, along with a copy and an interactive game to work out which is which; and a collection marking a Ming emperor’s reign

Reading Time:3 minutes

“Plum Blossoms” by Zhu Qizhan. To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Hong Kong Museum of Art, a new gallery is opening with Chinese artworks and artefacts donated by collectors. Photo: Hong Kong Museum of Art

Published: 11:15am, 12 Dec 2022Updated: 4:26pm, 12 Dec 2022

The Hong Kong Museum of Art is celebrating its 60th anniversary with the unveiling of new donations and exhibitions. One highlight is a new gallery dedicated to the paintings and calligraphy of the late 20th century artist Zhu Qizhan.

Called Jingguanlou, which means “viewing silently”, the gallery is the result of a new donation by nonagenarian Hong Kong doctor Leo Wong Kwai-kuen, a keen photographer and connoisseur of Chinese art. Wong, who has donated more than 1,100 items to the museum since 2021, had known Zhu well and saw him as a mentor.

Zhu, who died in 1996 at the age of 103, was a prominent Shanghai artist best known for combining Western oil painting methods and his deep knowledge of Western art history with traditional Chinese ink techniques.

His works can be found in museums around the world, including the British Museum in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

“Loquats” by Zhu Qizhan. Photo: Hong Kong Museum of Art

Born into a notable merchant family in 1892, Zhu travelled to Japan around 1917 to learn oil painting, and was exposed to the work of artists like Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh and Henri Matisse, which made a deep impression on him.