【“The Pride of Hong Kong: Three Preeminent Collections of Ancient Paintings and Calligraphies” International Academic Lecture Series】
Session 1
Painting and Calligraphy Collecting in 20th-Century Hong Kong (Concluded)
by Dr Nadia Lau, Curator (Chih Lo Lou), Hong Kong Museum of Art
The mid-20th century was a golden era for the collection of Chinese paintings and calligraphies in Hong Kong. This lecture, referencing the Xubaizhai and Chih Lo Lou Collections in the Hong Kong Museum of Art, will offer insights into the painting and calligraphy collecting activities during the era.
Date: 2025.06.14 (Saturday)
Time: 2:00 – 3:30 pm
Venue: Lecture Hall, B/F, Hong Kong Museum of Art (Live streaming via Zoom)
Speaker: Dr Nadia Lau
Language: Cantonese
Fee: Free
Remarks: Enrolment is not required. The Hall will be open for admission 15 minutes before the event commences. Limited quota available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Session 2
“Freshly Painted in a Spirit of Fear”: Huang Xiangjian’s Sublime Paintings of Southwest China (Concluded)
by Prof Elizabeth Kindall, Professor, University of St. Thomas, USA
Enter the sublime and terrifying world of the 17th-century southwest through the paintings of Huang Xiangjian (1609 – 1673). This filial son traveled the length of China to Yunnan to rescue his parents and bring them back home to their native Suzhou. His paintings capture this dramatic odyssey.
Date: 2025.06.14 (Saturday)
Time: 4:00 – 5:30 pm
Venue: Lecture Hall, B/F, Hong Kong Museum of Art (Live streaming via Zoom)
Speaker: Prof Elizabeth Kindall
Language: English
Fee: Free
Remarks: Enrolment is not required. The Hall will be open for admission 15 minutes before the event commences. Limited quota available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Session 3
Nagao Usan and Connoisseurship of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy in Modern Japan (Concluded)
by Prof Motoyuki Kure, Associate Professor, Institute for Research in Humanities, Kyoto University
This lecture will introduce the ideas and practices of Chinese painting and calligraphy collection among Japanese literati through the authentication activities of modern Japanese sinologist Nagao Usan (Nagao Ko, 1864 – 1942).
Date: 2025.06.21 (Saturday)
Time: 2:00 – 3:30 pm
Venue: 1/F, Experiential Learning Space, West Wing, CUHK Art Museum (Getting There) (Live streaming via Zoom)
Speaker: Prof Motoyuki Kure
Language: Putonghua
Fee: Free
Remarks: Enrolment is not required. The venue will be open for admission 15 minutes before the event commences. Limited quota available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Session 4
A Legacy for Eternity: Lee’s Bei Shan Tang and the Collecting of Chinese Paintings and Calligraphies (Concluded)
by Dr Phil Chan, Associate Curator (Painting and Calligraphy), Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
This lecture will focus on the history of Bei Shan Tang, its relationship with the Art Museum CUHK, and its collection of Chinese paintings and calligraphies, as well as Dr Lee Jung-sen’s (1915 – 2007) contribution in safeguarding Chinese culture.
Date: 2025.06.21 (Saturday)
Time: 4:00 – 5:30 pm
Venue: 1/F, Experiential Learning Space, West Wing, CUHK Art Museum (Getting There) (Live streaming via Zoom)
Speaker: Dr Phil Chan
Language: Putonghua
Fee: Free
Remarks: Enrolment is not required. The venue will be open for admission 15 minutes before the event commences. Limited quota available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Session 5
Masks and Dramatic Images in Ming Painting: After Ma Yuan’s The Stamping Song attributed to Dai Jin from the Art Museum of CUHK (Concluded)
by Prof Huang Xiaofeng, Dean and Professor, School of Humanities, Central Academy of Fine Arts
This lecture will discuss the dramatic thematic images that appear in Ming dynasty painting. Although these works belong to different eras and audience tiers, they collectively showcase a focus on drama and performance.
Date: 2025.06.28 (Saturday)
Time: 2:00 – 3:30 pm
Venue: 1/F, Experiential Learning Space, West Wing, CUHK Art Museum (Getting There) (Live streaming via Zoom)
Speaker: Prof Huang Xiaofeng
Language: Putonghua
Fee: Free
Remarks: Enrolment is not required. The venue will be open for admission 15 minutes before the event commences. Limited quota available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Session 6
Transformations of Chinese Calligraphy in Seventeenth Century (Concluded)
by Prof Xue Longchun, Professor, School of Art and Archaeology, Zhejiang University
This lecture will use selected exhibits as examples to explore how 17th-century Chinese calligraphy initiated visual transformations under the sustained influence of the ideal of spontaneity, the format of colossal hanging scrolls, and the rising prominence of epigraphic studies.
Date: 2025.06.28 (Saturday)
Time: 4:00 – 5:30 pm
Venue: 1/F, Experiential Learning Space, West Wing, CUHK Art Museum (Getting There) (Live streaming via Zoom)
Speaker: Prof Xue Longchun
Language: Putonghua
Fee: Free
Remarks: Enrolment is not required. The venue will be open for admission 15 minutes before the event commences. Limited quota available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Session 7
Tale of Two Cities: Chinese Painting Collections in Berlin and Amsterdam (Concluded)
by Dr Wang Ching-ling, Curator of Chinese art, Rijksmuseum
This lecture will introduce the establishment, development, and current status of the Asian art collections at the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam during the early 20th century. It will focus particularly on their Chinese painting collections, examining their criteria for connoisseurship and acquisition. Additionally, the lecture will highlight significant works within these collections and their importance in the history of Chinese painting.
Date: 2025.07.05 (Saturday)
Time: 2:00 – 3:30 pm
Venue: Lecture Hall, B/F, Hong Kong Museum of Art (Live streaming via Zoom)
Speaker: Dr Wang Ching-ling
Language: Putonghua
Fee: Free
Remarks: Enrolment is not required. The Hall will be open for admission 15 minutes before the event commences. Limited quota available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Session 8
Poetry and Painting in Harmony: Selected Masterpieces from the Three Preeminent Collections (Concluded)
by Prof Mok Kar Leung Harold, Emeritus Professor, Department of Fine Arts, CUHK
This lecture will analyse exemplary works from the three preeminent collections to illustrate “Poetry and Painting in Harmony”, a significant concept in traditional Chinese literati art that embodies the interconnected relationship between literature and painting.
Date: 2025.07.05 (Saturday)
Time: 4:00 – 5:30 pm
Venue: Lecture Hall, B/F, Hong Kong Museum of Art (Live streaming via Zoom)
Speaker: Prof Mok Kar Leung Harold
Language: Cantonese
Fee: Free
Remarks: Enrolment is not required. The Hall will be open for admission 15 minutes before the event commences. Limited quota available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Session 9
Chinese Painting and Calligraphy at The Met: A New York Story (Concluded)
by Dr Joseph Scheier-Dolberg, Oscar Tang and Agnes Hsu-Tang Curator of Chinese Painting, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City collected its first Chinese painting in 1902. Since then, the collection has grown to become one of the most comprehensive outside Asia. This lecture will narrate the formation of the collection through a focus on key personalities, moments, artworks, and exhibitions.
Date: 2025.07.12 (Saturday)
Time: 2:00 – 3:30 pm
Venue: Lecture Hall, B/F, Hong Kong Museum of Art (Live streaming via Zoom)
Speaker: Dr Joseph Scheier-Dolberg
Language: English
Fee: Free
Remarks: Enrolment is not required. The Hall will be open for admission 15 minutes before the event commences. Limited quota available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Session 10
The Phenomenon of Dissection and Dispersal of Ancient Paintings and Calligraphies in Collection History at Home and Abroad: The Discovery of Wang Yuan's Hibiscus (Concluded)
by Mr Ling Lizhong, Director and Curator of the Department of Painting and Calligraphy, Shanghai Museum
The Hong Kong Museum of Art and the Art Museum of The Chinese University of Hong Kong are key institutions for the collection of ancient paintings and calligraphies in Hong Kong, particularly represented by Low Chuck-tiew's Xubaizhai, Ho Iu-kwong's Chih Lo Lou and Lee Jung-sen's Bei Shan Tang. This lecture will explore the phenomenon of dissection and dispersal in the history of connoisseurship, both at home and abroad. It will analyse the historical reasons and methods behind this phenomenon, as well as its contemporary significance for the appreciation and study of traditional Chinese art.
Date: 2025.07.12 (Saturday)
Time: 4:00 – 5:30 pm
Venue: Lecture Hall, B/F, Hong Kong Museum of Art (Live streaming via Zoom)
Speaker: Mr Ling Lizhong
Language: Putonghua
Fee: Free
Remarks: Enrolment is not required. The Hall will be open for admission 15 minutes before the event commences. Limited quota available on a first-come, first-served basis.
