The Hong Kong Government has been increasingly supporting Arts and Culture events in Hong Kong. The Mega Arts and Cultural Events Fund (Mega ACE), launched in 2023, targets events organised by private sectors and non-government organisations. According to the Government, it aims to attract and support international large-scale arts and cultural events to be held in Hong Kong.
The First Ever Impressionist Exhibition
Following this, there are ongoing art exhibitions in Hong Kong. For example, the Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMOA) exhibits “Cézanne and Renoir Looking at the World — Masterpieces from the Musée de l’Orangerie and the Musée d’Orsay”. This is the result of a partnership between the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD).
HKMOA Impressionist Exhibition display (Photo by: Chloe Wong)
Due to the Mega ACE fund, Hong Kong citizens and tourists alike can enjoy arts from other countries. “It’s crazy how you can look at a painting that came from France”, says Juwon Jeong, a 19-year old visitor of the HKMOA exhibition.
This is the first ever display of Impressionist masters – Paul Cézanne (1839 – 1906) and Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841 – 1919), in Hong Kong. The exhibition showcases 52 pieces from the Musée de l’Orangerie and the Musée d’Orsay in France. It runs from January 17th 2025 to May 7th 2025. The tickets cost 50HKD per person, with a concessionary rate of 25HKD for students, senior citizens, disabled people, and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) Scheme people.
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What is Impressionism?
The Impressionism art style includes objectively recording contemporary life with light and colour, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica. This was controversial in the 19th century. Historical or biblical paintings were preferred over paintings of personal expression or daily life. Being rejected by traditional art exhibits, 30 artists including Cézanne and Renoir joined together to display their artworks themselves.
Many of Cézanne’s works are displayed in the exhibition. Cézanne works include dramatic tonal contrasts, using thick layers of pigment to build on form, according to The Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET). Constantly experimenting with his style, Cézanne eventually abandoned harsh contrasts for a more subtle gradation of colour to create dimension. Contrary to this, Renoir uses loose brush strokes and brighter colours. This captures the effects of rippling water and streaming sunlight. HKMOA contrasts the two painters by placing similar paintings by each artist side by side.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Peaches 1881 (Photo by: Chloe Wong)
Paul Cézanne, Still Life with Soup Tureen ca. 1877 (Photo by: Chloe Wong)
VR Experience in Hong Kong
Additionally, the exhibition “Tonight with the Impressionists, Paris 1874 – An Immersive Expedition in Virtual Reality” is another example of the increasing art scene in Hong Kong. Participants wore VR headgear and were transported to Paris during the opening night of the first ever Impressionist exhibition. The 360-degree perspective allows for an immersive experience that makes you feel like you are actually in 1874’s Paris.
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Visitors of the VR Exhibition in HKDI Gallery (Photo by: Chloe Wong)
This exhibition was organised by the Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI). The LCSD also supported this, saying that the partnership between HKDI and foreign cultural institutions is essential in underpinning Hong Kong’s status as a global hub for design and creative industries.
According to the government, the Mega ACE Fund has supported 20 large-scale arts and cultural events so far, such as “Botticelli to Van Gogh: Masterpieces from the National Gallery, London” in 2024. There are more scheduled to come in 2025, such as “The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Picasso for Asia – A Conversation”. This shows the government sustained interest in positioning Hong Kong as a global art scene and opening up the possibility of more international art exhibitions.