Cataloguing the Work of a Modern Artist: The Cardinal Example of Zao Wou-ki

Evening discussion with: Francoise Marquet, Zao Wou-ki Foundation; Yann Hendgen, Zao Wou-ki Foundation; Melissa Walt, Colby College, Maine, USA; Jean-Paul Desroches, Curator, Sophia Law, Lingnan University (Moderator)

Drinks reception: 6:30 pm
Discussion: 7:00 pm
Close: 8:00 pm

The catalogue raisonné is a comprehensive catalogue of all the artworks produced by an artist. It is the ultimate reference allowing scholars, museums and collectors to study art works, determine the provenance, prevent misattributions, and weed out fakes on the market. Specifically through the example of catalogue-in-progress of Zao Wou-ki, one of the most important Chinese painters of modern times, panelists will discuss how such a catalogue is relevant for understanding and appraising the work of an artist, and its impact on their individual projects. 

Françoise Marquet was for 35 years the Curator of National Heritage at the Modern Art Museum in Paris. She initiated the catalogue raisonné of Zao Wou-ki, and oversees the project.

Yann Hendgen is an art historian who joined Zao Wou-ki Foundation as Artistic Director in May 2012. Hendgen was previously personal assistant to Zao Wou-ki for 10 years, during which he coordinated exhibitions with galleries and museums worldwide; contributed to various catalogues and publications as a writer and editor; and was the manager of the Archives of Zao Wou-ki. He graduated from the École du Louvre in Museology and holds a Master's Degree in Oriental Archaeology from the Panthéon-Sorbonne University (Paris 1).

Melissa Walt is a scholar of modern and contemporary Chinese art, with a particular interest in Chinese artists working outside of China. She earned her undergraduate degree from Stanford University, and graduate degrees from Yale University and the University of Washington, where her doctoral dissertation examined the life and art of Tseng Yuho. Dr. Walt, who is currently a Visiting Scholar at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, is now collaborating on an exhibition of the works of Zao Wou-ki — Zao Wou-ki: Lost and Found in America.

Jean-Paul Desroches was the General Curator of National Heritage, and Chief Curator of the Asian Art department at the Guimet Museum in Paris for 40 years. He has developed an exhibition project, Zao Wou-ki and France, in collaboration with the Archives of Zao Wou-ki.

Sophia Suk-mun Law is Associate Professor in the Department of Visual Studies at Lingnan University. Trained as an art historian, Law’s research interests include modernity in Chinese painting, aesthetics of Chinese painting and calligraphy, history of Hong Kong art, and art and well-being. Her current research projects focus on art and community, art and trauma. Law has published two books in Chinese, including "對焦中國畫" (Beyond Forms and Colours — Six Ways to Read Chinese Painting), and "張大千與現代中國畫" (Zhang Daqian and Modern Chinese Painting). (Moderator)

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