Expatriate Forums in Hong Kong

Jack

Until August 29th 2005

To mark the 180th anniversary of the arrival in Macau of George Chinnery (1774-1852), a flamboyant British artist, the Hong Kong Museum of History is displaying some 180 of his works. HSBC, a giant international bank, has contributed 70 paintings by Chinnery from its extensive collection. They will join works from the Peabody Essex Museum in Massachusetts and from privately owned collections.

Chinnery died in 1862, aged 78, after a life of extravagant living, reckless borrowing and opium addiction. His work was shown at London's Royal Academy of Arts when he was 17, after which he fled to India to escape his wife. When she followed him there 15 years later, he moved to Macau, attracted by its cosmopolitan feel. Chinnery spent most of the early 19th century documenting the Portuguese colony, as well as Hong Kong and other parts of the Far East. His oils, watercolours and sketches, remarkable for their draughtsmanship, include portraits and landscapes.

Special Exhibition Gallery, Hong Kong Museum of History, 100 Chatham Rd South, Tsim Sha Tsui. Open: Mon, Wed-Sat 10am-6pm; Sun 10am-7pm. Tel (+852) 2724 9042. For more details, see the museum’s website.

Source: economist.com