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The following is issued on behalf of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority:
Following is the speech by the Chairman of the Board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, Mr Stephen Lam, at a press event on world class collection donated to M+ today (June 12):
Dr (Uli) Sigg, members of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon. We are very pleased to be gathered here today to make this momentous announcement about the donation which we are receiving from Dr Sigg to the West Kowloon authority - a donation which is of a collection world-famous in terms of its artwork stature, and this Chinese contemporary art donation is the largest in recent history. Now, on this very auspicious occasion, I wish to emphasise three aspects to this gathering.
Firstly, as the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, in the last few years we have made a lot of efforts to further the cause of West Kowloon, to roll out our infrastructure hardware programme. For example, most recently we just launched the architectural competition for our Xiqu Centre. But today we are also making real and specific progress in terms of the software - artwork which Hong Kong people can appreciate. And we are very pleased that this artwork will define M+ and our modern art museum. Very grateful to you, Dr Sigg, for making this donation to Hong Kong.
Dr Sigg is a very accomplished art collector. He has international stature and a fine reputation, so we are very pleased to welcome him and his collection to Hong Kong.
Secondly, this collection which Dr Sigg has put together dates from 1979 to 2009. This is precisely the three decades over which China's Four Modernisations and the open-door policy have been in force, have affected development of our country. And in the last three decades our country has progressed momentously, and in the economic and other spheres we have made tremendous progress. For example, today China is the second largest economy in the world. In the last few years, we have hosted the Olympics and the Expo. Today, we have a programme to reach the moon in a few years' time. But we often talk about China's development in economic terms. Today, we are very pleased to be able to have this collection in Hong Kong to show the world how China has progressed in cultural and artistic terms. How the open-door policy and the process of modernisation have affected our country. And this really brings me to the third point.
Dr Sigg has been in the commercial world operating in China. He has also represented his country, Switzerland, as ambassador. He knows China. He has a passion for Chinese art and culture. He is a friend of the Chinese people. This collection which Dr Sigg is bequeathing to Hong Kong will enable us to strengthen our position as the cultural hub in Asia. It will also strengthen our exchanges with the arts world around the world, with fellow museums in the Mainland and in Europe, in America, in Asia, all different continents. It will also strengthen Hong Kong's position as Asia's world city.
Arts and culture are to be embraced for their intrinsic value. But because they are a very effective medium, armed with this Sigg collection in Hong Kong we will be able to strengthen our exchanges with our friends around the world.
So in conclusion I warmly applaud the fact that Dr Sigg is bequeathing his efforts, accumulated over 30 years, to Hong Kong and, through Hong Kong, to the world. You have placed Hong Kong on the international arts map.
Ends/Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Issued at HKT 20:09
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