Minyong Cho teaches a course on Islamic art as a Research Scholar from the Society of Scholars in the Humanities. Michelle Huang and Stacey Pierson are appointed on a part-time basis to teach contemporary Chinese art, Chinese ceramics and museum studies.

>> Dr. Hammers leads a field trip to Shanghai in October.

The Department receives a 6th full-time teaching position due to the Centennial Recruitment plan and Opher Mansour joins the Department, offering courses on Baroque art in Europe, early-modern cultural exchange, and Western architecture. Alice Weisberg-Roberts is appointed to teach collecting and garden history of Western culture. Together the couple lead a field trip to Taiwan in October. Alma Mikulinsky teaches early 20th century European art in the Department as a Research Scholar from the Society of Scholars in the Humanities. Koon Yeewan organizes the conference, A Connective History of Qing Art, in June, followed by a summer field trip to Japan, where students volunteer at the 5th Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial.

<< Staff and speakers at the A Connective History of Qing Art conference.

Major changes take place as the Department moves from Main Building to Run Run Shaw Tower over the summer. While it settles in a high rise environment, it confronts with the implementation of a new academic structure for tertiary education in Hong Kong. Students under the three-year curriculum and four-year curriculum, Roslyn Hammers offers the Department’s first Common Core course, Art and Ideas: East and West. Florian Knothe begins his service as the director of UMAG, taking up courses on museum studies with his fellow curatorial staff. Elisa Lai is appointed on a part-time basis to teach Hong Kong art and contemporary Chinese art. Alicia Weisberg-Roberts stays. Nicole Fung becomes the new Demonstrator. Koon Yeewan organizes an international conference, Encounters: Art and Artists of 20th Century China, in February. Carolyn Muir, having taught at the Department for over thirty years, retires at the end of the academic year and alumni return for her farewell dinner party.

>> Dr. Muir at her retirement party.

Katherine Moore joins the Department as an Assistant Professor, teaching courses on Renaissance and Islamic art and architecture. The compulsory methodology survey course, ARTH2081 Art History and its Methods, for Fine Arts majors begins this year. Hwang Yin is appointed a part-time lecturer to teach printmaking and Buddhist art. Koon Yeewan leads a group of Fine Arts students and curates the exhibition, “Fantasies and Crises: Works of Austrian Artists Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele”, at the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre.  The Department has an unprecedented number of 45 majors and 12 minors graduate.

<< Dr. Hammers and Dr. Koon lead a group of students to the UK in December.

Kathleen Wyma is hired as David Clarke’s full-time replacement when he is on a full year research leave. Part-time lecturers including Elaine Kwok, Catherine Mauldsley, Josefine Baark and Hwang Yin teach for the Department. The last class under the three-year curriculum graduates and the Department begins offering new specialized classes for third-year students in their four-year curriculum. Opher Mansour leads a field trip to Spain in the fall. Artstation in the University Artists Scheme works with our students to build a site-specific installation on the Centennial Campus. Later in the year, it is announced that in Hong Kong’s 2014 Research Assessment Exercise, the Department tops HKU’s research output ratings.

>> Students with Ms. Anne Hayes and Mr. Glenn Davidson, the co-directors of Artstation.

Kathleen Wyma stays to cover for Katherine Moore’s resignation. She lectures on modern art, contemporary art, Indian art, and American art. Ruby Leung is appointed a part-time lecturer, teaching courses on literati art and culture. The Department starts the Fine Arts Internship programme, giving students the opportunity to work in the art field. Asia Art Archive contributes to the teaching of Hong Kong Art Workshop. Greg Thomas organizes a research symposium, “Jesuits and the Arts in China”. The new Faculty Dean, Derek Collins, shows a great enthusiasm in supporting the Department to host public events, including the talk with Cai Guo-qiang and Yoshitomo Nara at Loke Yew Hall in April, and later in July, the 5 day summer programme co-organized with Christie’s Education.

<< Public lecture at the Loke Yew Hall.

David Clarke retires after 30 years of service at the Department, commemorated by the joyous DEXIT party in December and the launching of his lectures series, “A history of modern art in 73 lectures” on YouTube. Wan Qingli dies in January 2017, and a memorial is held in his honour. Koon Yeewan is away for a fellowship programme at Columbia University. The number of internship partners expands to five, including Asia Art Archive, Asia Society Hong Kong Center, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Oil Street, and University Museum and Art Gallery.

>> Prof. Clarke at the DEXIT party.

Vivian Sheng joins the Department, teaching courses on contemporary art and theories. Coming for a year, Greg Bryda and Jawon Lee offer courses on the Renaissance and Korean art. Ruby Leung, Alicia Weisberg-Roberts, and Kathleen Wyma continue to hold their teaching roles at the Department. The second semester is packed with exciting activities. Alicia leads a field trip to the UK while Vivian brings students to Beijing. There is also a range of well-attended seminars, workshops, and co-organized public events, including the Asia Art Archive Symposium, It Begins with a Story, in January, as well as the Guerrilla Girls happenings in March.

<< Dr. Koon at the Guerrilla Girls happenings.

Chan Chun Wa and Elizabeth Lastra join the Department this year, offering courses respectively in East Asian art and architecture, and Medieval art and architecture in Europe as well as that of the Islamic world. While Greg Thomas is in charge of the MA programme preparation, Koon Yeewan and Roslyn Hammers co-chair the Department. Koon Yeewan leads a field trip to Korea, visiting Gwangju Biennale in which she participates as a curator when she goes on leave. During the spring reading week, Vivian Sheng brings a group of students to Shanghai and Opher Mansour brings another group to the Netherlands. 

>> Dr. Mansour and students in the Netherlands.

The Department starts to offer the one year, full-time MA in Art History (MAAH) programme. It is the first MA in Hong Kong to focus on art history. Susanna McFadden, who specializes in art and archaeology of the Greco-Roman and Late Antique Mediterranean, joins the Department as the MA Programme Coordinator. Opher Mansour and Alicia Weisberg-Roberts leave the Department. But with the new MA programme and the expansion of the Department, Susan Cooke, Peter Cobb, Angie Baecker and Sim Hinman Wan, are hired as part-time lecturers. They offer courses in ancient Mediterranean, Mediterranean/Classical and Near Eastern archaeology, modern and contemporary Chinese art, and global Early Modern art and architecture respectively. The Department organizes a series of public lectures, namely Art and its Histories, as part of its broader dedication to promoting the importance and relevance of art history in Hong Kong. Carman Lau is hired as the administrator for the MA programme. 

The Department celebrates its 40th anniversary with an alumni dinner at Loke Yew Hall in September. In light of the 40th anniversary, a group of Fine Arts alumni established the HKU Fine Arts Alumni Association (HKUFAAA). In response to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the University switches to online teaching.