Hongkongers to be given chance to view 52 world-renowned paintings with collection from London’s National Gallery to go on display
- Hong Kong Palace Museum says jointly organised exhibition will showcase collection from the National Gallery from November 22 to April 11 next year
- Museum visitors will be able to see works by artists such Botticelli, Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Goya, Turner, Constable, Monet and van Gogh
Hongkongers are to be given a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to view more than 50 world-renowned paintings by European masters ranging from Botticelli to Monet in an exhibition set to open in November.
The Hong Kong Palace Museum on Thursday said the jointly organised exhibition would showcase the collection from the National Gallery in London from November 22 to April 11 next year and allow people to view paintings by the most revered artists up close.
“The Hong Kong Palace Museum is thrilled to be the first cultural institution in Hong Kong to partner with the National Gallery in bringing some of the most significant works in its collection to Hong Kong,” director Louis Ng Chi-wa said.
“The exhibition takes visitors on a journey through Western art history, affording audiences in Hong Kong and nearby cities an exceptional opportunity to view these legendary paintings without having to travel to London.”
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Titled “Botticelli to Van Gogh: Masterpieces from the National Gallery, London”, 52 artworks dating from the 15th to the early 20th century encompass the Renaissance to impressionism and post-Impressionism by artists such as Botticelli, Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Goya, Turner, Constable, Monet and van Gogh.
Highlights include The Garvagh Madonna by Italian Renaissance artist Raphael depicting the Virgin Mary, the Christ Child and the infant John the Baptist, Irises by French painter and impressionism founder Claude Monet and Long Grass with Butterflies by Dutch post-Impressionist Vincent van Gogh.
Gabriele Finaldi, director of the National Gallery, said his organisation was committed to cultural exchange internationally and looked forward to introducing the collection to visitors in Hong Kong.
“This tour demonstrates the continued interest of audiences from around the world in the European tradition and the world-renowned collection we are custodians of here at the National Gallery,” he said.
Divided into six themes, the exhibition will take people on a journey through sacred images, mythological stories, everyday scenes, portraiture, landscapes and paintings of modern life.
The museum said it would present the exhibition with an emphasis on scientific research done by conservators at the National Gallery on a selection of paintings.
“Audiences will be fascinated by the layers of secrets hidden beneath the surface, revealed by science and advanced technology,” it said.
Visitors will also be able to attend other events as part of the exhibition including talks, painting inside the gallery, music performances, hands-on workshops, and art workshops for teachers and students to “give participants a deeper insight into the cultural milieus within which the paintings were created”.
The Hong Kong Palace Museum is the third stop of the exhibition’s Asia tour, following Shanghai and Seoul in South Korea. More than 420,000 people viewed the exhibition in Shanghai.
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Entry will cost HK$150 (US$19) for adults and HK$75 for children, full-time students, people with disabilities and seniors aged over 60 years.
Another exhibition, titled “Gazing at Sanxingdui: New Archaeological Discoveries in Sichuan”, opened on Wednesday and will run until January 8 next year.
A combination ticket allowing visitors to view both shows on the same day will cost HK$240 for adults and HK$120 for concessions.
