Devoted to offering diversified visiting experiences, the 15 museums and two art spaces under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) have been popular among the local public and tourists and yielded remarkable results. They attracted a total of over 6.35 million visitors last year.
Among these museums, the Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) has scaled new heights since its reopening after renovation in 2019. The HKMoA welcomed its 3 000 000th visitor while celebrating its 62nd anniversary this month. In 2023, the HKMoA recorded a total of over 1.25 million visitors, recording the highest single-day attendance on National Day with 19 228 visitors.
The "Timeless Diva: Anita Mui" exhibition of the Hong Kong Heritage Museum (HKHM) currently on display has also been highly acclaimed by the public. It has received 100 000 visitors since its opening on December 24 last year.
The Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mr Vincent Liu, visited the two museums yesterday (March 6). He presented a porcelain plate designed with the collection of the museum to the 3 000 000th visitor of the HKMoA to mark the extraordinary moment. The Museum Director of the HKMoA, Dr Maria Mok, gave an exclusive guided tour to this visitor from Seoul, South Korea, who was visiting the museum for the first time.
Mr Liu and the Museum Director of the HKHM, Mr Brian Lam, also presented a gift pack to the 100 000th visitor of the "Timeless Diva: Anita Mui" exhibition, who is Ms Zhang from Beijing, yesterday. The gifts included a special souvenir designed by Mr Eddie Lau, a close friend of Anita Mui and prominent fashion and image designer, an exhibition poster autographed by Mr Lau and an exhibition postcard. As a fan of Anita Mui for over 20 years, Ms Zhang said that she was visiting this exhibition on purpose to commemorate the superstar during her stay in Hong Kong. Her favourite exhibit was the stage costume worn by Anita Mui when she received the Golden Needle Award at Radio Television Hong Kong's "The 21st Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award Concert" in 1998.
Established in 1962, the HKMoA is the first public art museum in Hong Kong and the custodian of an art collection with over 19 500 items. The attendance of the HKMoA surpassed 3 million, breaking the record within seven months after it received its 2 000 000th visitor in August last year. According to the latest Visitor Profile Report 2023 released by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the HKMoA ranked ninth for places visited among overnight visitors and eighth for places visited among overnight visitors from Mainland China.
Apart from being popular among visitors, the HKMoA is also well recognised by collectors and artists. The museum has recently received a generous donation of HK$100 million from Mr Wu Keyu, the son of renowned artist Wu Guanzhong, for the establishment of the Wu Guanzhong Art Sponsorship special fund, to support the promotion of Wu Guanzhong and related Chinese modern art. The first "Wu Guanzhong Art Sponsorship Exhibition Series", to open from March 22, will include the Thematic Exhibition Series: "Wu Guanzhong: Between Black and White", the Cross-disciplinary Series: "Wu Guanzhong x Chris Cheung" and the Dialogue with 20th Century Chinese Art Series: "True Likeness: The Art and Collection of Jingguanlou" exhibitions, which aim to let more members of the public know more about the outstanding works of Wu and masters of his time.
The various Hong Kong pop culture-related exhibitions staged at the HKHM also received overwhelming public response. The "Timeless Diva: Anita Mui" exhibition currently on display showcases 70 sets of precious exhibits in relation to Anita Mui including classic stage costumes, trophies and autographed vinyl records, which allow visitors to understand the stories of this superstar and how she strived to achieve success.
Besides exhibitions featuring superstars in the local music industry, the HKHM will launch the "A Path to Glory – Jin Yong's Centennial Memorial, Sculpted by Ren Zhe" exhibition from March 16 to October 7 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Dr Louis Cha (Jin Yong). Sculptor Ren Zhe will bring 22 of Jin Yong's well-known characters to life in unique representations. The exhibition is one of the pre-opening programmes of the Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival 2024. For details of the exhibition, please visit hk.heritage.museum/en/web/hm/exhibitions/data/renzhe.html.
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For details of the HKMoA's new exhibitions, please visit the museum website at hk.art.museum/en/web/ma/home.html, or follow its Instagram at www.instagram.com/hkmoa and Facebook at www.facebook.com/hkmoa.
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