A new gallery in Hong Kong marks a welcome shift in the contemporary display aesthetic and style from the usual minimalist white box and austere industrial loft to an elegant, intimate, French maison with dark timber floors, classic moulded wall panels and a sleek central staircase linking 2,000 sq ft over three floors.
The founders, Dominique de Villepin – the art collector, writer and diplomat who served as French Prime Minister from 2005 to 2007 – and his son Arthur, who has lived in Hong Kong for over a decade, collaborated with local interior designer Louis Chon to create a bright, clean, and modern yet unpretentious space, intended to provide a personal experience for fellow collectors. ‘It was important to us that we did something that feels true and authentic to our family,’ says Arthur.
Arthur and Dominique de Villepin, 2020. Courtesy of Villepin
The inaugural exhibition is equally personal, presenting a collection by the late Chinese-French artist Zao Wou-Ki’s of paintings, Chinese inks, lithographs and dramatic, colourful watercolours. The painter, who was born in Beijing, moved to Paris in 1965 and the exhibition shows works produced from the late 1940s to the early 2000s arranged to highlight his wide range of influences from early figurative works to later abstract pieces. There are several rare paintings and drawings, among them Zao Wou-Ki’s only self-portrait that Dominique serendipitously discovered on the back of another work while reframing it.
Installation view, ‘Friendship and Reconciliation: Zao Wou-Ki’.@ Visual Voices. Courtesy of Villepin. Artworks (from left to right): Zao Wou-Ki, Sans Titre, 1950, Sans Titre, 1950, Sans Titre, 2006, Sans Titre, 2002, Sans Titre, 1986
There is also a collection of personal photographs of the de Villepin family with Zao Wou-Ki, who was a close family friend, some intriguing African masks bought by Dominique, and vintage furnishings, including a striking sideboard cabinet by Charlotte Perriand and a sinuous 1950’s Italian sofa.
Zao Wou-Ki, ST aqua (2007-11) Gaudigny, 2007. Watercolour on paper, 66 x 102 cm
The title of the exhibition – ‘Friendship & Reconciliation’ – reflects the artist’s two lives and cultures as well as his signature blend of Western and Eastern techniques. Now is undoubtedly a challenging time to be opening a gallery, but both father and son agree that the message of friendship and reconciliation has never been more relevant. ‘We want the gallery to be a place for conversation and new perspectives.’
Installation view, ‘Friendship and Reconciliation: Zao Wou-Ki’ @ Visual Voices Courtesy of Villepin. Artworks (from left to right): Zao Wou-Ki, 07.05.2002, 2002, Hommage à Renè Char – 10.01.73-05.04.73, 1973, 10.05.62, 1962
Zao Wou-Ki, Sans titre (Funérailles), 1949. Oil on canvas, 87.5 cm x 131 cm
Zao Wou-Ki, Sans titre (Funérailles), 1949. Oil on canvas, 87.5 cm x 131 cm © ProLitteris, Zurich Courtesy of Villepin
Installation view, ‘Friendship and Reconciliation: Zao Wou-Ki’.
INFORMATION
‘Friendship and Reconciliation: Zao Wou-Ki’, until 20 September, Villepin Gallery. villepinart.com
ADDRESS
Villepin Gallery
53-55 Hollywood Road, Central
Hong Kong
-
Think small, think electric, as Hyundai attempts to revolutionise the classic Indian three-wheelerHyundai’s Micro Mobility strategy, in collaboration with Indian manufacturer TVS, has revealed two conceptual takes on small electric urban transport in a bid to cut the country’s crushing pollution issue
-
‘Just beneath the surface there’s another world’: How David Lynch used hair and make-up to create his singular universeFrom Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive to Twin Peaks, David Lynch used hair and make-up in his films as a narrative device, writes Laura Havlin
-
Burns Night 2025: where to celebrate in LondonIt is time to raise a wee dram to Scotland’s national poet Robert Burns on Burns Night (25 January). Here is our pick of places to enjoy an evening of generous speechmaking, toasting, and drinking around London
-
What is RedNote? Inside the social media app drawing American users ahead of the US TikTok banDownloads of the Chinese-owned platform have spiked as US users look for an alternative to TikTok, which faces a ban on national security grounds. What is Rednote, and what are the implications of its ascent?
-
Inside the distorted world of artist George RouyFrequently drawing comparisons with Francis Bacon, painter George Rouy is gaining peer points for his use of classic techniques to distort the human form
-
Love, melancholy and domesticity: Anna Calleja is a painter to watchAnna Calleja explores everyday themes in her exhibition, ‘One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night’, at Sim Smith, London
-
Henni Alftan’s paintings frame everyday moments in cinematic renditionsConcurrent exhibitions in New York and Shanghai celebrate the mesmerising mystery in Henni Alftan’s paintings
-
Inside Jack Whitten’s contribution to American contemporary artAs Jack Whitten exhibition ‘Speedchaser’ opens at Hauser & Wirth, London, and before a major retrospective at MoMA opens next year, we explore the American artist's impact
-
‘This blood that is flowing is my blood, and that should be a positive thing’: Tracey Emin at White CubeTracey Emin’s exhibition ‘I followed you to the end’ has opened at White Cube Bermondsey in London, and traces the artist’s journey through loss
-
Harlem-born artist Tschabalala Self’s colourful ode to the landscape of her childhoodTschabalala Self’s new show at Finland's Espoo Museum of Modern Art evokes memories of her upbringing, in vibrant multi-dimensional vignettes
-
Artist Peggy Kuiper’s impactful figurative works explore her memories and emotional landscape with striking visual intensityPeggy Kuiper presents ‘The Conversation That Never Took Place’ at Reflex in Amsterdam, featuring over 25 new works (until 13 July)
