Over 300 sets of export paintings and works are on display on the third and fourth floor of the Macao Museum of Art (MAM) for a large-scale exhibition entitled “Focus: Integration of Art between China and the West in the 18th -19th Centuries”.
The term “export paintings” refers to paintings that are created in one country or region and then sold or shipped to be displayed or sold in another country or region.
Showcased across three sections across both floors, the works displayed at the free-admission exhibition are from MAM, the Macao Museum, Guangdong Museum and the Hong Kong Museum of Art, according to a statement from the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC).
The statement added that the exhibition “presents a full account of export paintings, showcases the dialogue and integration between Chinese and foreign artists amid globalisation of the visual arts during the 18th and 19th centuries, and highlights Macau’s significant role in the encounter between the Chinese and Western cultures”.
Visitors to the museum’s third floor will be able to view rarely seen artworks by English painter George Chinnery (1774-1852), along with works by his followers, the statement said. Titled “Integration of the Painting Styles: George Chinnery and His Painting Styles”, this section also shows Chinnery’s “significant influence on export paintings”, the statement said. One can view these works until September 15.
Moving up to the fourth floor, one can find the sections “Acclimation of the Painting Skills” and “Adaptation of the Painting Materials”, which are both on until August 11. The former provides “a glimpse of the visual dialogue and integration of Chinese and Western painting skills”, while the latter gives an overview of both the adaptation and integration of painting materials found in both styles, the MAM website notes.
The museum is open from Tuesdays to Sundays, including public holidays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., with no admission after 6:30 p.m. It is closed on Mondays.
Photos: Rui Pastorin
