THE ARTS
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Exhibition organized annually in Britain by the Sunday Pictorial was displayed. Attendance figures for the exhibitions reached a daily average of approximately 1,500 and increased with each fresh exhibition. Through the art gallery eight paintings were sent to London as Hong Kong's contribution to the Commonwealth Art Today exhibition organized by the Commonwealth Institute. Apart from displays in the art gallery and museum there were continuous exhibitions by local groups, societies and artists— including photographic societies in the two exhibition halls which are available for hire. Most exhibitions lasted from three to 10 days and all were well attended.
GOVERNMENT COLLECTIONS
The Government Collections of pictorial material consist of the Ho Tung Collection, the Chater Collection, and the Law and Sayer Collections. They contain more than 700 items including paintings, prints, engravings and photographs. They illustrate the growth and development of Hong Kong, and life in the Colony, Macau and the China Coast area during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. On the opening of the City Hall an-exhibi- tion which included many of the paintings in the collections was arranged and an exhibition of old photographs of Hong Kong was shown later.
Arrangements are being made to transfer the Government's Henry Yeung Collection of Chinese Ceramics from the University, where it has been on display, for some years pending the com- pletion of the City Hall. The collection comprises 166 pieces and consists of some fine grave pottery of the Han Dynasty, a series of early bronze mirrors, and outstanding pieces of Ming porcelain. The selection and acquisition of further items and collections for the City Hall art gallery and museum is now the responsibility of the Urban Council; the art gallery purchased 11 paintings during the year to add to its collection of works by local artists.
The Maglioni Collection of books and archaeological material was donated to the Government by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Hong Kong in 1954. Both the books and the archaeological collection are on loan to the University, where they are available to scholars and research students. The Kotewall Collection, also a gift to the Government, consists of nearly 15,000 volumes,