Picasso in Sha Tin? How Le French May founder Andrew Yuen overcame prejudice to lead the Hong Kong arts festival for 26 years
Andrew Yuen has led Hong Kong Francophile arts festival Le French May since its inception in 1993 – here he looks back on its greatest challenges, and the meaning of passing time
Le French May, which hosts more than 150 programmes across two months, is one of Asia’s largest cultural events. Andrew Yuen, chairman since 1993, recalls some of the most challenging aspects of organising the event. “It is always a delicate balancing act of finding the right venue to suit the availability of the artworks and artists, and to satisfy the expectations of the donors,” he says.
One of Yuen’s most memorable challenges came in 2012 when an opportunity arose to host pieces from the Musée Picasso in Paris while the museum was undergoing renovation. However, the Hong Kong Museum of Art was not available to host the event, and at first sponsors were not keen to host the exhibition at Hong Kong Heritage Museum in Sha Tin. Despite the hurdles, the exhibition, titled the “20th edition of Le French May Picasso, Masterpieces from Musée National Picasso, Paris”, was eventually held there.
“I dare say there is never a dull moment preparing for the events but there is always a silver lining,” he says of the stressful yet challenging movement.
After many years as chair of Le French May, Yuen continues to find satisfaction in his role. “To me, the biggest motivation is knowing that millions of Hong Kong citizens and visitors have enjoyed our programme and, in particular, seeing how our art students have benefited from such exposure.”
Apart from being chairman of Le French May, Yuen is deputy managing director of Dayton Group, co-chairman of the Hong Kong Cancer Fund and vice-president of the Society of the Academy for Performing Arts, the academy’s fundraising arm.
With his hectic schedule, managing time is a juggling act. “It’s an art that I am still learning to manage,” he says. “In our younger days, we would focus on our work and tend to overlook things like our health or spending time with our families. I now enjoy my time travelling with my family or exercising with my son.”
Yuen says it is important to understand that time is limited; then, people will learn how to treasure this precious commodity. It’s also the simple pleasures that now seem to be the greatest luxury he enjoys in life.
“I am lucky to be very close with my family and so we all enjoy spending time together. I am blessed with parents who are still healthy and active, and I love travelling with them. I also appreciate having time to travel with my son and I have to keep reminding myself that soon he will be going abroad to study and start a life of his own. Otherwise, my favourite pastime is enjoying a good conversation with friends over a nice meal.”
When asked the meaning of time in his life, he replies, “Time is definitely a luxury, especially quality time with my family.”
Andrew Yuen’s preferred watch