A large-scale exhibition entitled “Focus: Integration of Art between China and the West in the 18th-19th Centuries” was inaugurated at Macao Museum of Art (MAM) in Nape yesterday evening as part of the 34th Macao Arts Festival (MAF).
Organised by MAM and the Guangdong Museum (Guangzhou Luxun Museum), the exhibition is held on the 3rd and 4th floors of MAM, under the patronage of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province and the Macau SAR’s Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), with the support of the Hong Kong Museum of Art (under the neighbouring SAR’s Leisure and Cultural Services Department).
Through three different perspectives – painting styles, painting skills and painting materials, the exhibition showcases the visual dialogue and integration between China and the West, brought about by Chinese and foreign artists in the Pearl River Delta area during the 18th and 19th centuries.
This exhibition is the largest historical and export painting exhibition ever held in Macau, featuring over 300 pieces/sets of selected export paintings from the Guangdong Museum, Hong Kong Museum of Art, MAM and the Macao Museum, aiming to present a full account of the origin and development of export paintings and to highlight the inclusive and exploratory spirit of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau artists over the course of trade globalisation two centuries ago, according to IC.
Furthermore, marking the 250th anniversary of English painter George Chinnery’s birth on 5 January 1774, the exhibition features a significantly high number of artworks by this artist, who died in Macau on 30 May 1852 and is buried in the city’s Old Protestant Cemetery.
Guided tours in Cantonese will be made available for the public at 3 pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 18 May. There are also other activities held in conjunction with the exhibition.
The exhibition on the 4th floor will run until 11 August, while the 3rd floor section will remain open until 15 September. The museum is open from 10 am to 7 pm daily (no admission after 6:30 pm) including on public holidays, except Mondays. Admission is free. For more information visit MAM’s website or the Facebook page “Macao Museum of Art”. (Gilbert Humphrey)
Images: IC
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