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Born in Vienna and raised in New York, Henry Steiner is an internationally renowned graphic designer who studied at Yale under Paul Rand before entering Sorbonne as a Fulbright scholar.

In 1964, Steiner established Steiner & Co in Hong Kong and it has since become one of the world’s leading design consultancies concentrating on branding and corporate identity, encompassing creative works in corporate identity programmes, naming, corporate literature, architectural graphics, publication design and banknotes. His clients include HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank, Hong Kong Jockey Club, Hongkong Land and Lane Crawford. His ubiquitous design can also be found in several series of banknotes for Hong Kong and coins for the Singapore Mint.

Steiner’s distinguished body of work led to professional recognition – as president of Alliance Graphique Internationale; fellow of the American Institute of Graphic Arts, the Chartered Society of Designers and the Hong Kong Designers Association; honorary member of Design Austria and member of the New York Art Directors Club. He was named Hong Kong Designer of the Year, and was included in Icograda’s "Masters of the 20th Century".

Awarded the Golden Decoration of Honour of the Republic of Austria as well as an Honorary Doctorate by Hong Kong Baptist University, Steiner is Honorary Professor at The University of Hong Kong’s School of Architecture and Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s School of Design. He is co-author of "Cross-Cultural Design: Communicating in the Global Marketplace" (Thames & Hudson 1995). A monograph, "Henry Steiner: Designer’s Life", in Chinese, was published in 1999.

In this lecture, Steiner will explain why creating a corporate identity is all about visual communication and cross-cultural inspiration. He will share his experience with special focus on analysis and the design process.

This lecture introduces the works of an underground art group named Wuming (meaning No Name) active in Beijing between 1973 and 1981. During the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966-76), socialist realism remained the artistic orthodox and western modernism was strictly forbidden. How could an alternative modernist Chinese art movement grow in such an environment? The solidarity of the Wuming group provides an excellent example. Painting landscapes, portraits, and still lifes in oil, the Wuming artists rejected academic conventions and shunned political propaganda art, eking out an early form of Chinese modernism still little known. As a group, their alternative, counter-culture identity also exemplified the underground movements that emerged in the closing stages of the Maoist era. Samples of Wuming art will be shown to illustrate how they were produced in the living, social and historical context of that period.

Speaker:

Dr. Wang Aihe holds a PhD in East Asian Languages, Civilizations and Social Anthropology from Harvard University. She is currently an Associate Professor in the School of Chinese at The University of Hong Kong. Her representative publications include "Cosmology and Political Culture in Early China" (Cambridge University Press, 2000, 2006), and the "Wuming (No Name) Painting Catalogue", 13 volumes (The Hong Kong University Press, 2010). Born in Beijing, she was assigned to a plastic factory in 1971, working there until 1983. During that period, she met other self-taught oil painters and they eventually formed the Wuming group. Her paintings have been shown in Wuming exhibitions in 1974, 1979, 1981, 2006-07, and 2011.

We are fortunate to be able to schedule a guided tour with two of Christie’s Asian arts specialists, Rosemary Scott and Pola Antebi to view highlights of the Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art at Christie’s Spring Exhibition.

Rosemary Scott is the International Academic Director of Christie’s Asian Art Department. Before joining Christie’s, she was Curator of the Percival David Foundation and Head of the Museums Department of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Prior to this, she was Deputy Keeper of the Burrell Collection in Glasgow, responsible for the Oriental Art collections. Scott is the former President of the London Oriental Ceramic Society.

Pola Antebi is the Head of the Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Department in Hong Kong, which under her leadership has grown exponentially. She also supports Christie’s sales in London, New York and Paris. Her areas of expertise include imperial ceramics, jades and works of art from the Yuan to the Qing periods. She holds degrees in French Literature and Art History from the University of Vermont in the United States.

Back for its fourth year, ART HK 2011 will take place from 26–29 May 2011 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. In just three years, ART HK has positioned itself as the key fixture in the international art scene. It is now one of the leading platforms for international, modern and contemporary art in Asia, bringing together collectors, curators, artists and galleries from Asia and all corners of the world.

In 2010, the Fair welcomed 155 of the world’s leading galleries from 29 different countries and an audience of over 46,000. This year, the Fair will showcase 161 galleries worldwide. Included among the leading galleries are the Gagosian Gallery, Hauser & Wirth, Lisson Gallery, Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin and White Cube. ART HK 2011 will also feature two gallery sections – Art Futures and Asia One. Art Futures will showcase emerging talents represented by young galleries while Asia One will present solo exhibitions of Asian artists. Both promise to provide visitors a unique opportunity to experience the newest developments in cutting-edge art.

Do join us for this guided tour to visit seven selected galleries and view their highlights of ART HK 2011.

For the latest updates, please visit http://www.hongkongartfair.com/

As part of this year’s Le French May 2011, UMAG will present an exhibition, "Dance Melodies in Colours – Paintings by Lalan (神韻舞色 : 謝景籣繪畫)". Also known as Xie Jing Lan (1921–1995), Lalan was first married to abstract master Zao Wou-ki (趙無極). She lived in France for almost 50 years and her artworks undoubtedly reflect the dual influences of both China and France. A woman ahead of her time, Lalan lived her life with passion and courage as an accomplished painter, composer, dancer, choreographer and poet.

Our evening’s programme will begin with a short video of Lalan’s dance and music followed with a guided tour of the exhibition with Zhao Jialing, the only son of Lalan and Zao Wou-ki. Naturally, family stories and interesting artistic insights will be shared.

In addition, Jean-Michel Beurdeley, a close friend of Lalan and Zhao will be present. In 1992, Beurdeley was introduced to Lalan during an exhibition at Guimet Museum in Paris named Journees <<pour la Poesie>>. Fascinated by Lalan’s work, he became an ardent collector of her work and promised to publish her first art album. However, with her untimely death, the album could not materialise.

Coming from four generations of art collectors, Beurdeley was an art dealer who frequently travelled to Asia, promoting art and cultural exchanges between Europe and Asia. He has authored four other publications, including "Thai Forms, Jim Thompson, The House on the Klong, and Following the Manuscript and The Heritage of Thai Sculpture", which won an award from Academie Francaise.

Do join us for an evening of art and friendship.

Popular scholar Lee Mei-yin will give a comprehensive introduction in cantonese on the historical background, cultural relics, folk lives and grotto systems of Dunhuang. The importance of protection and preservation will also be discussed. It will be an information-packed afternoon with a double-screen presentation for trip participants as well as those who are not. Tea refreshments will be served.

Synopsis

When the University of Hong Kong was founded a hundred years ago, the presiding Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Frederick Lugard claimed that it was founded for the benefit of China. In fact, Zhang Renjun, the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi was one of the major donors of the University. However, when the University was formally opened in 1912, the Qing regime had already collapsed. It was replaced by a Republic whose first President was one of the first two graduates of the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, often considered the forerunner of The University of Hong Kong. What were the motives behind Zhang’s generous donations? Who were the University’s Mainland students in the Pre-war decades? Has Lugard’s mission been achieved? Why did the University’s mission shift gradually from that of “for China” to that of “for Hong Kong” in the Post-war era? These, together with issues related to the University’s history and development over the past century, will be addressed.

Guest Speaker

Dr. Joseph Ting graduated from The University of Hong Kong in Chinese Literature and Chinese History in 1971 followed with a MPhil in 1979 and a PhD in 1989. He joined the Hong Kong Museum of Art in 1979 as Assistant Curator and was transferred to the Hong Kong Museum of History in 1988 as Curator. Dr. Ting was promoted to Chief Curator in 1995 and he held this position until his retirement in 2007. During this period, he was involved with the planning and completion of several new museums – the new Hong Kong Museum of History with its permanent exhibition, the “Hong Kong Story”, Museum of Coastal Defense, and the Sun Yat-sen Museum. At present, he is Honorary Advisor to numerous cultural institutions both in Hong Kong and China, including UMAG.

Qingbai wares are also known as yingqing wares. They refer to porcelains first fired in Jingdezhen during the Song dynasty with translucent glaze tinted with a hint of blue or jade-like green. They were available in multifarious forms including tea cups/stands, dishes, bowls, ewers, boxes and funeral objects with mostly incised or moulded motifs. Later, it was also produced in kilns of Anhui, Zhejiang, Hubei, Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi.

Veteran dealer and connoisseur of Chinese art and antiquities in Hong Kong, Kai-yuen Ng graduated cum laude with a B.A. from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Two years after his graduation, he inherited his father's antique business and worked relentlessly to increase his knowledge and expertise. In 1975, he became Assistant Curator of the Hong Kong Art Museum. In 2001, he established K.Y. Fine Art on Hollywood Road and has since gained respect and renown in this field. Ng has collaborated with many art museums and institutions by providing services in appraisal, evaluation and translation. He has also organized exhibitions, edited catalogues and served in various leadership roles in the professional community. Since 2001, he has been the Vice Chairman of the HKACMA's Authentication Committee.

This lecture will be presented mainly in Cantonese, supplemented with some English. His presentation will include numerous visual images to illustrate the subtle differences between works that are genuine and imitated, as well as those from various regions and periods.