Following is the speech by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, at the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong Museum of Art exhibition "The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Cézanne and Renoir Looking at the World – Masterpieces from the Musée de l’Orangerie and the Musée d’Orsay" today (January 16):
Ms de Brabander (Head of International Exhibitions Projects of the Musée d’Orsay, France, Ms Stéphanie de Brabander), Mr Michael Lee (Chairman of the Hong Kong Jockey Club), Professor Douglas So (Chairman of the Museum Advisory Committee), Counsels-General, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
On behalf of the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, I welcome you all to the opening ceremony of this captivating exhibition, featuring 52 priceless masterpieces from two renowned museums, Musée de l’Orangerie and Musée d’Orsay, in France.
The two museums are internationally celebrated for their outstanding Impressionist art collections, and Hong Kong is delighted to exhibit these national treasures of France that are cherished by audiences worldwide.
The exhibition will open to the public tomorrow and run here at the Hong Kong Museum of Art until May 7. It is a brilliant illustration of cultural exchange between East and West, a glowing testament to Hong Kong-French co-operation, and a tribute to last year's 150th anniversary of the world’s first Impressionist exhibition.
The exhibition focuses on two of the leading figures of Impressionism, Paul Cézanne and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and these two masters are renowned for their distinctive styles and friendship that spanned the whole of their artistic careers.
Alongside the exhibition, the Hong Kong Museum of Art has commissioned two Hong Kong artists to create installations inspired by the art, which will also open to the public tomorrow.
There will also be a series of public talks, drawing workshops and other events associated with the exhibition. And I'm pleased to note that guided tours are being arranged for schools and charitable organisations.
Let me add that the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will partner with another internationally renowned French museum, the National Museum of Asian Arts – Guimet, for the fourth edition of the Museum Summit, in late March this year, here in Hong Kong.
As always, we are supporting the annual French May Arts Festival. This year marks the 32nd anniversary of French May – another remarkable example of Hong Kong's rising status as the world's East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.
Ladies and gentlemen, Hong Kong is a melting pot of Chinese and Western cultures. We have the advantage of strong support from our motherland and close connections to the world. Our world-class arts and culture facilities, as well as our diverse arts environment, help further develop Hong Kong's role as a cultural hub for the region and the world.
Allow me to express the Chief Secretary's and my heartfelt gratitude to the French museums participating for lending us their priceless art.
I would also like to thank the Hong Kong Jockey Club, the sole sponsor of this exhibition, for its generosity and boundless community spirit.
I know we will all treasure the exhibition and our longstanding friendship with France.
I wish you all an enjoyable evening. Merci beaucoup.
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