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VISITING

Museum Hours:
Monday to Sunday 10 am to 5 pm
Closed on public holidays

Address:
Art Museum Institute of Chinese Studies,The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T. Hong Kong

Tel:(852)39437416.
Fax:(852)26035366
Email:artmuseum@cuhk.edu.hk
Admission Free

MISSION

The Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong serves the community by collecting, preserving, researching and exhibiting a wide range of artifacts illuminating the rich arts, humanities, and cultural heritage of ancient and pre-modern China. The Art Museum promotes the excellence of both its permanent collections and loan collections of Chinese art and their use for scholarly endeavours and outreach efforts. As auniversity teaching museum, it offers in-depth practice of museology and teaching of art history and heritage through direct and sustained access to original Chinese works of art by collaborating with

the Department of Fine Arts. With different University faculties it advocates interdisciplinary approaches to the social, cultural, technologicaland historical context of Chinese art. Founded in 1971, the Art Museum has been taking an active role in achieving the objectives of the University in promoting Chinese culture and heritage,and facilitating academic exchange between China and the West, as well as enriching the cultural lives and spiritual well-being of society.

COLLECTION

Starting from nothing, the entire collection now comprises over twelve thousand items. The acquisition of the late Mr. Jen Yu-wen's collection in 1973,

which consisted of over one thousand items of Ming, Qing and modern Guangdong pieces, formed the core of the Art Museum's painting and calligraphy collection. Since then, gifts from generous donors have continuously augmented the holdings, including works from the Song and Yuan to modern periods. Since the inception of the Art Museum, Chinese epigraphy and rubbings have been its major objectivesin acquisition and research. The rare rubbings from the Song and Ming eras are renowned. The ceramics collection is fairly comprehensive. As for the other collections such as bronzes, jades, lacquer ware, ivories, objects for the scholar's desk and sculpture, even though the items are relatively few in number, many of them are nonetheless of outstanding quality. In particular, the Museum has representative research collections of diversified themes, including ancient seals, epigraphic specimens, rubbings, painting and calligraphy by renowned masters, wood and bamboo slips of Qin and Han times, and export ceramics. These collections have attained recognition at international level.

RESEARCH

Art Museum curators undertake research projects to study the permanent collection as well as related objects in other collections. Some are joint projects with colleagues or overseas scholars. Recent projects, supported by competitive grants, involve studies of paintings, calligraphy, seals, rubbings, ceramics, and using modern tools and techniques to authenticate and date Chinese artefacts. Some recent research projects include:

- Analysis of Ceramic Finds from Penny's Bay, Hong Kong
- A Comprehensive Study of Song Rubbings of the Chunhuage tie
- A Study of the Art of Chen Hongshou
- Studies of Ancient Chinese Gold Ornaments using Surface Science Techniques
- A Study on the Devolution and Impact of the Chunhuage tie

TEACHING

As a university museum, the Art Museum plays an active role in teaching. The exhibits and collection providefirsthand material for the study of

Chinese history and culture. Close ties are maintained with the Fine Arts Department, particularly in contributing to the teaching of the art history courses and in arranging special viewing sessions. Moreover, the Art Museum is the training ground in museum practice for fine arts students, at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. In addition, it provides a venue for the fine arts graduation exhibition held every year in May and June.

CONSERVATION ANNEX

The Conservation Annex was established in 1977 forthe restoration and conservation of works of art. It also provides technical support forthe Art Museum, as it houses a conservation laboratory for the restoration of artworks, a photography studio, mounting workshop and a woodwork workshop.

ARCHIVE LIBRARY

To facilitate research work and the organization of exhibitions, the Art Museum maintains an archive library of reference books, exhibition catalogues and an archive of photographs and slides on Chinese art and archaeology through purchases, donations and exchanges with other museums.

SREVICES

Free Identification of Chinese Art Objects The Art Museum provides members of the CU staff as well as of the public with free identification of Chinese antique art objects. Please make an appointment and fill out an application form for this entirely free service.

Audio Gallery Guide Gallery guides are free. Group visitors may book in advance for a guided tour by a museum staff member or a docent. The Art Museum also provides audio gallery guides for groups and individual visitors, with an aim to widely promote the appreciation and understanding of Chinese art.