[Digital Exhibition 網上展覽] Past and Present: Paintings by Brian Tilbrook 昔與今：白賴恩· 陶布力繪畫 The University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong, is thrilled to present "Past and Present: Paintings by Brian Tilbrook", a retrospective exhibition of artworks by the renowned Hong Kong artist. Born in England in 1932, and residing in Hong Kong since 1965, Tilbrook is recognised first and foremost for the naturalistic paintings of historical buildings and antiquities in Hong Kong that he executed in the 1980s, as well as for his more recent abstract compositions.Collected for years by such local stalwarts as Hongkong Land, Swire Group and The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, Tilbrook has fulfilled commissions of expansive mural paintings that count among Hong Kong’s most recognisably abstract artworks. Visually appealing, the subject matter of his more recent works often engages with global geopolitical issues, such as climate change, as a way to express his sense of concern. Tilbrook, a former head of the art department at the South Island School, has given purpose to his art by documenting local heritage buildings and by bringing awareness to ongoing global affairs.With unfailing precision and attention to detail, Tilbrook’s heritage paintings create a record of intrinsic beauty and documentary value. Commissioned by the Hong Kong Government’s Antiquities Advisory Board and executed within a single year, the historical sites and the painter’s engagement with them are of growing importance as Hong Kong is destined to change with further urban development, and as fine landscape painting seems fated to vanish with the ubiquitous use of photography. One of the great pleasures Tilbrook derived from being allowed to freely paint what he wanted was the ability to visually delete entire high-rise apartment complexes, which contributed disturbing reminders of the present day.Emerging from this traditional genre, Tilbrook masters semi-abstract and abstract works that allow him freedom of design and a distancing from concrete subject matter. Here he combines his fine skill as a draughtsman and knowledge of colour theory to convey a sense of urgency about the acute danger of threats to the environment—both natural and built—that he observes in the world.Alongside these themes stand Tilbrook’s graphic compositions that incorporate Chinese characters. These visual juxtapositions are indicative of the expatriate painter’s interest in Asian design and philosophy, and their inherent influence over his own ever-evolving art. Together, these artworks are testament to the artist’s past and present accomplishments, and the basis for this comprehensive and celebratory exhibition in Tilbrook’s 90th year.View the Digital exhibition here: https://www.virtual.umag.hku.hk/past-and-present因疫情關係，「昔與今：白賴恩．陶布力繪畫」線下展覽現已延期至2022年10月7日至2022年12月30日。香港大學美術博物館欣然舉辦展覽「昔與今：白賴恩．陶布力繪畫」，以回顧著名香港藝術家白賴恩．陶布力的創作生涯。陶布力於1932年出生於英格蘭，自1965年起定居香港。他是首位於1980年代以自然手法描繪香港史蹟的藝術家，其後則以抽象畫作為人所熟悉。陶布力曾獲置地公司、太古集團和滙豐銀行等之委托繪製巨型壁畫。這些作品可稱得上是香港最為人熟知的抽象畫作，多年來獲這些企業所珍藏。其近作除令人賞心悅目外，亦經常探討氣候變化等全球地緣政治議題，展示他對社會的關注。身為南島中學的前美術部主任，陶布力記錄了本地文物建築，借此提高大眾的公民意識，為其創作賦予了意義。陶布力的繪畫態度一絲不苟，使他畫筆下所描繪香港史蹟的作品得以同時具備建築物的美態及文獻價值。受古物諮詢委員會委托，陶布力曾在短短一年時間內便完成一系列畫作。在城市急速發展下，本地的城市面貌瞬息萬變；而隨著攝影的普及，細膩的風景畫也似乎注定被淘汰。因此，畫家與史蹟間的互動對本地社會的變遷更顯得舉足輕重。在這個委托過程中，陶布力的最大樂趣源自政府給予他的創作自由，允許他抹消高聳的屋苑大廈等突兀的現代工業產物。陶布力從傳統流派轉而掌握半抽象和抽象畫，以追求更高的設計自由及脫離具象主題的限制。他感受到如今自然與人工兩種環境皆面臨重重威脅，於是在抽象繪畫之中結合了熟練的畫技和色彩理論的知識，以表達這些威脅為他帶來的壓迫感。除上述主題以外，陶布力的平面構圖亦經常注入漢字元素。中西元素交融的作品顯示出這位外籍畫家對亞洲設計和哲學的深厚興趣，以及兩地文化對他持續演化的藝術風格所帶來的影響。本次展出的畫作印證陶布力過往至今的藝術成就，亦令這場慶祝陶布力九十壽辰的展覽更為豐富多彩。到此瀏覽網上展覽：https://www.virtual.umag.hku.hk/past-and-present Date/Time: 01/07/2025 to 30/06/2026 00:00-23:59 Venue: Online Organized by: University Museum and Art Gallery

Uploaded at 2026/05/04