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Starting tomorrow, members of the public who visit the Hong Kong Museum of Art can enjoy an extraordinary art tour. They will be invited to appreciate the true beauty of art by actually reaching out and touching great works, such as the ancient Greek Goddess "Venus de Milo" or "The Rebel Slave" by Michelangelo, and many other renowned Western sculptures.
The exhibition, entitled "Touching Art: Louvre's Sculptures in Movement" will be held at the Museum of Art from tomorrow (December 10) until February 20, 2011, and features 18 replicas of famous Louvre Museum sculpture and relief, which date from 200BC to the 19th century. Made of resin or plaster, they are all exact copies of the original marble or bronze works. Rather than just looking, visitors can enjoy a tactile encounter with the art pieces and actually feel the shape, composition and texture of these sculptures with their hands - and perhaps their hearts. It also offers the disabled community, especially the visually impaired, an opportunity to enjoy the pleasure of art.
Jointly presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the Louvre Museum in collaboration with the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau, the exhibition is jointly organised by the Hong Kong Museum of Art and the Louvre Museum and sponsored by Henderson Land Group.
The exhibition was officially opened today (December 9) by the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tsang Tak-sing; the Head of Artistic Education, Louvre Museum, Mr Cyrille Gouyette; the Acting Consul General of France in Hong Kong and Macau, Mrs Agnˆos Humruzian; the General Manager of the Corporate Communications Department, Henderson Land Group, Ms Bonnie Ngan Suet-fong; the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mrs Betty Fung Ching Suk-yee, and the Chief Curator of the Museum of Art, Mr Tang Hoi-chiu.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr Tsang noted that the Louvre Museum, one of the most renowned museums in the world, established the Tactile Gallery in 1995. It was designed to allow visitors to experience art through the sense of touch. Mr Tsang said the Louvre Museum had specially selected some of the sculptures from the Tactile Gallery for display in a special Asian touring exhibition, and the Hong Kong Museum of Art was honoured to be included in the tour.
The exhibits on display are divided into five sections: Effort, Run, Dance, Take Off and Fall. The bodily movements shown in these sculptures reflect the European pursuit of physical beauty and balance.
To echo the exhibition, six tactile works by local artists will be shown along with the artworks from the Louvre Museum. Under the theme of movement in nature, the six works display the artists' interests in the subject of "Art Without Boundaries".
Special facilities, such as Braille captions, guided routes and audio guides, will be provided to assist visually impaired visitors. During the exhibition period, special guided tours showing visitors how to appreciate the beauty of art through touching will be arranged.
Additionally, a series of lectures, video programmes and workshops will be organised. Among them, a lecture entitled "Touch vs Sight: Art Appreciation with Different Senses", to be conducted by the Head of Artistic Education, Louvre Museum, Mr Cyrille Gouyette, will be held on December 11 from 2.30pm to 4.30pm. The lecture, in English, is free and 150 seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Museum of Art is located at 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. It opens from 10am to 6pm from Sunday to Wednesday and Fridays, and from 10am to 8pm on Saturdays. On Christmas Eve and Chinese New Year's Eve, the museum will close at 5pm. It is closed on Thursdays (except public holidays) and the first two days of the Chinese New Year. Admission is $10 and a half-price concession is available to full-time students, senior citizens and people with disabilities. Admission is free on Wednesdays.
For more information about the exhibition and related educational programmes, please check out the Museum of Art's website hk.art.museum. For enquiries, call 2721 0116.
Ends/Thursday, December 9, 2010
Issued at HKT 19:01
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