Hong Kong’s future museum for visual culture M+ has received a donation of 37 works of Chinese contemporary art by Guan Yi, one of the region’s most prominent collectors. Upon opening in 2017, M+ will house 20th and 21st century visual art, design and architecture and moving image from Hong Kong, China, Asia and beyond.
Guan Yi’s acclaimed collection is noted for its emphasis on the 1985 New Wave, conceptual art and large scale installations, and reflects key moments in the trajectory and evolution of Chinese contemporary art. Donated pieces span from the years 1979 to 2005, and consist of works by renowned Chinese contemporary artists. The donation also includes Canton Express, the historic 2003 exhibition at the Venice Biennale which was the first major international presentation of contemporary art from the Pearl River Delta region.
Guan Yi said, “This donation focuses on the beginnings of contemporary Chinese art, while making careful selections from later movements, altogether representing the transformation of the conceptual landscape of contemporary Chinese art in the past 30 years… Art is ultimately destined for enjoyment by the general public, so it is inherently natural to make a donation to a public institution, and doing so makes it all the more gratifying! This donation is just the beginning of my relationship with M+.”
Guan Yi’s donation is the latest of remarkable gifts to M+. In June 2012, the museum also received a donation of 1463 works by Dr. Uli Sigg of Switzerland.
Zheng Guogu– Canton Express (2002)
Courtesy of West Kowloon District Authority
Wang Guangyi– VISA (1996)
Courtesy of West Kowloon District Authority
Zhou Tiehai – Shanghai Asia’s Top City of the Future (1994)
Courtesy of West Kowloon District Authority
by Louise Lui