Brief Overview
In 2015, the Hong Kong Museum of Art and Hong Kong Art History Research Society started a collaborative research project entitled "A Survey of Western Media Art in Pre-1960s Hong Kong". Its aim was to investigate the development of art-making in Western media in Hong Kong from the early 1930s to the pre-1960s. The research focuses on artists who had received formal art training overseas and then returned to Hong Kong.
As there was a serious lack of data and research on early Hong Kong artists who specialised in Western media, this research project focuses on the biographical studies, education and artworks of this group of Hong Kong artists and collected related materials to examine their contribution to the Hong Kong art scene. It was hoped that the research result could deepen the understanding of the history of Hong Kong art.
The project was carried out in two phases. Phase I, which was completed in 2017, covered six Hong Kong artists, namely Luis Chan, Chan Shek-kwan (G T Chan), Chen Shou-soo, Lee Byng, Wong Chiu-foon and Yee Bon. Concluding in 2020, Phase II studied three additional artists, including Li Tiefu, Ng Po-wan and Xu Dongbai (T P Chui), as well as supplementary material on Chen Shou-soo. A detailed report and a large amount of data have been collected. Interviews with some of the artists' descendants now living around the world were conducted. A considerable number of primary research materials were compiled, contributing significantly to the formation of an important archive.
On 25 February 2020, the findings of the Phase II research were presented in a video-recorded talk (public seminar was cancelled due to COVID-19). To view the talk, please click on the hyperlink below:
Dialogue on "A Survey of Western Media Art in Pre-1960s Hong Kong (Phase II)" (Cantonese)
The interviews about the 3 artists can be viewed on-site by appointment. Please refer to the FAQs for details.