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to the Museum & Art Gallery Select Committee on the purchase or acquisition of works with which the panel is concerned, i.e. local and contemporary art, Chinese antiquities, Chinese art, Chinese jade and hard stone carving, and local history. The report on Museum & Art Gallery Services of 1965 is in fact the long term plan for the establishment of an adequate Museum & Art Gallery in Hong Kong.
MR. KAN:-Mr. Chairman, I see from the reply that in 1968-69, the actual expenditure on art works was 8% below the budget and in 1969-70 it was 50% below the budget and last year it was 15% below the budget. Now does it mean that there are not enough works of sufficiently high artistic merit on the local market to be purchased?
MR. T. C. Lo:-Mr. Chairman, art works and antiquities and that sort of thing are considered for purchase from time to time. The Select Committee views these possible various purchases and decides whether to purchase or not. I can assure my friend Mr. KAN that we will endeavour to come nearer the vote this year.
MR. BERNACCHI:-Surely, we are in fact, Mr. Chairman, a branch of the Government of Hong Kong and, therefore, although a vote is, say, a million dollars that does not mean that we should purchase an art piece for more than it is worth and therefore, I know myself that the Museum and Art Gallery Select Committee has turned down various items, not because we haven't got the money but because we do not think that the article is worth that price. I think that is right?
MR. T. C. Lo:-That is quite correct, Mr. BERNACCHI. But although that is so, we could certainly make an effort to cast our net perhaps a bit wider and get up something worth purchasing.
MR. KAN: Mr. Chairman, I find Mr. BERNACCHI's answer most enlightening. Perhaps he was acting also as the Acting Chairman of the Museum . . .?
MR. BERNACCHI:-No, no, no, far be it. I have complete confidence in Mr. Lo but I was enquiring whether that was not in fact the position.
MR. T. C. Lo:-Mr. Chairman, I must say I too was under the impression that Mr. BERNACCHI's remarks were in the form of a question.
MR. BERNACCHI:-It was indeed an informal question.
MR. KAN:-Mr. Chairman, I have another supplementary. It is that a quick work out shows that for 1968-69 the average cost per item is $633. Now in 1969-70 the average cost was $729 per item and last year it was a little bit better. I suppose the living costs have gone up so it works out to be about $1,500 per item. Now when I look at paragraph (d) I see that the purchases improved, Chinese jade, hard stone carving, Chinese antiquities, but I just wonder how these prices can purchase these types of art works? You realize these work out to be about £50 for each piece and I think any painting on anyone's walls would cost a lot more than that. Would the Chairman say whether these figures are a bit low or are there any other reasons for this?
MR. T. C. Lo:-May I have some clarification, which figures are a bit low?
MR. KAN:-The average price per item.
MR. T. C. Lo:-Well, Mr. Chairman, I think it is a little misleading to talk about average prices because some of the things we purchase may cost only about $100 or $200. We might purchase quite a few of those. They will bring down the average. But certain pieces might cost $15,000 to $20,000 so I think to talk of an average price is not much assistance.
CHAIRMAN:-Perhaps you have a preference for the . . .
MR. KAN:-Well, actually, Mr. Chairman I am afraid if this trend continues this Art Gallery will become famous especially for low-cost art works. In Hong Kong we are already famous for low-cost housing and resettlement estates. We don't want another low-cost Art Gallery. Can the Chairman assure us this report on the Museum and Art Gallery Services will be reviewed from time to time as it has been in existence for six years already and is due for a review so that we won't be acquiring only very cheap items?
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, isn't the policy of the Select Committee a very flexible one where the Committee purchases on the merit of the item? As the Chairman said some of the items are rather inexpensive and others are high price depending on what is available at the time the purchases are made so the question of average price is really, in this particular instance, not particularly relevant but it is at least one way of looking at it.
MR. PETER C. K. CHAN:-Mr. Chairman, I have never been on the Museum and Art Gallery Select Committee before. Perhaps you know the Chairman can consider, once a year, perhaps at the end of the financial year, displaying all the articles that have been purchased during the year for all the members, particularly members like me who know very little about art and museums, to have a look and the price of it and we can review it from those expert's point of view and from those who know nothing about it like me so that we can learn something?
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