Message by Lesley Lau
Chief Curator of the Art Promotion Office
The Art Promotion Office is delighted to support the exhibition Fantasies and Crises: Works of Austrian Artists, Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele presented by the Austrian Consulate General in Hong Kong, which aims to foster cultural exchange and promote the art of Austria to the Hong Kong public. Renowned throughout the world as the capital of classical music, Vienna has also always been home to a flourishing art scene that has made influential contributions to the history of Western art. The city was an important cradle of modern art: the formation in the late 19th century of the Vienna Secession, one of whose founders was the pioneering modernist Gustav Klimt, shifted the focus of art to individual expression and a more immediate connection with contemporary life.
This exhibition showcases more than 30 high-quality reproductions of works by two important Austrian artists, Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele, that both reveal their fantastical imagination and reflect the social and political crises of their time. Curated by students of the Department of Fine Arts of the University of Hong Kong, the exhibition can also be seen as part of the APO’s efforts to provide opportunities for young curators to demonstrate their talent.
I would like here to express my gratitude to the Austrian Consulate General for bringing this marvellous exhibition to Hong Kong. My appreciation also goes to HKU’s Department of Fine Arts for its contribution to the success of Fantasies and Crises: Works of Austrian Artists, Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele.
藝術推廣辦事處很高興作為奧地利駐港領事館所舉辦《幻想與危機：奧地利畫家古斯塔夫･克林姆及埃貢･席勒展覽》的支持機構，藉此促進中外文化交流，並向本地市民推廣富濃厚文化特色的奧地利藝術。奧地利維也納的音樂藝術一直享負盛名，而源於維也納的視覺藝術對西方藝術歷史亦具有一定的影響。就現代藝術而言，於19世紀末至20世紀初由藝術家古斯塔夫･克林姆創立的奧地利維也納分離派鼓吹新藝術運動，強調藝術家的個人創作風格，並與現代生活相結合。他豐富的個人創作以及其他奧地利藝術家的作品均能反映出奧地利維也納在當時作為現代藝術搖籃的重要性。
是次展覽展出這位奧地利藝術大師古斯塔夫･克林姆以及埃貢･席勒共30多件高質素的複製藝術品，作品均呈現這兩位奧地利畫家自身對當時社會時局的幻想與所感到的危機。此展覽同時獲得香港大學藝術學系協助策劃，藉以為年青策展人展示策展才華而提供了機會。
我在此感謝奧地利駐港領事館將優質的藝術展覽帶來香港，《幻想與危機：奧地利畫家古斯塔夫･克林姆及埃貢･席勒展覽》的成功舉行，同時得香港大學藝術學系的協作策劃，我謹致衷心的謝意，並祝願今次的展覽圓滿成功。
藝術推廣辦事處總館長 劉鳳霞