Community & Charities
Arts, Culture and Heritage
Jockey Club supports exhibition of exemplary painter Pan Yu-lin’s work
12/09/2018
From now until 6 January, Hong Kong people have a chance to learn more about the painting and sculpture works of artist Pan Yu-lin (1895-1977) at a free exhibition entitled “The Hong Kong Jockey Club Presents - Song of Spring: Pan Yu-lin in Paris”. It is being staged at the Asia Society Hong Kong (ASHK) Center in Admiralty.
A pioneer in modernising Chinese art with western painting styles, Pan belonged to the first generation of Chinese students to study fine arts in France, at a time when it was rare for women to achieve independent careers as professional artists.
Funded exclusively by the Club’s Charities Trust, this exhibition is the first major presentation of Pan in Hong Kong and the second instalment in the 20th Century Chinese Female Artist Series. The funding also covers The Jockey Club Art Education and Female Empowerment Series, allowing participants to understand the path of Pan's artistic development as a female role model of her era, and the endeavours of other women in art and different fields.
Born of humble origins, Pan seized the chance to be one of the first Chinese students to study fine arts in France. At the National School of Fine Arts in Paris, she was the first Asian student to win a scholarship to study at Accademia del Belle Arti di Roma, where she studied sculpture and painting. She returned to China in 1928 and was hired by the Shanghai Art Academy as the head of western painting. She also taught at the Nanjing Central University Fine Art Department from 1931 onwards, and remained a researcher and tutor at the Shanghai Art Academy's painting research institute Yiyuan.
This exhibition explores Pan's unique trajectory and significance to modern Chinese art history by focusing on her second period in France, with over 60 works across four chambers dedicated to the themes of portraiture, nudes, cityscapes and landscapes. There are also dance figure paintings alongside archival materials and videos that delve into a comprehensive look at the art world of Pan Yu-lin. The art works come from the Anhui Province Museum in China, where some are categorised as Grade One Cultural Relics of China, and from the Cernuschi Museum in France. Over 25,000 people are expected to view the exhibition.
To enhance public understanding of Pan's work and contemporary art, The Jockey Club Art Education and Female Empowerment Series, running alongside the exhibition, gives participants the chance to understand more about her artistic journey and the stories behind other female role models.
The programme includes a series of public lectures related to Chinese female artists in the contemporary art world and the role of women in historic events. Some outstanding female leaders from different fields are being invited to share their experience of striving for success, for example Yip Wing Sie, Music Director of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, and dance choreographer Mui Cheuk Yin.
Empowerment programmes are also being organised for children from underprivileged families and single-parent households, helping them build self-confidence, discover new personal capabilities and expand their problem solving skills.
