New Hong Kong art museum debuts, welcoming small groups with 30 high-quality Monet reproductions
- Amid closures due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Metropolis museum is opening its doors in Hong Kong
- The new museum will focus on high-quality reproductions of European masterpieces
As the rest of the world engages in ever more drastic measures to curb the spread of coronavirus, life in Hong Kong appears to be returning to semi-normality. With worries centred around overseas returnees, fears of local transmission have lessened, allowing institutions such as libraries and museums to resume operations, albeit with health-related measures in place.
A new museum in Wong Chuk Hang has decided to open its doors to the public after initially delaying its debut. Metropolis Museum will premiere its first show on Monday, welcoming visitors to its substantial space in groups of no more than 10 to 15 people.
The focus of the museum is on high-quality replicas of European masterpieces, with the aim being to give greater access to paintings rarely seen in East Asia. The first exhibition centres on the perennially popular Claude Monet.
With current restrictions on travel, and the Art Basel art fair relegated to online showings, this could be the best way for Hongkongers to get up close and personal with famous works.
Some 30 pieces are being displayed, almost double the 17 pieces brought in 2016, a mixture of museum prints, hand-painted reproductions and 3D printed replicas, the last of which is a technology employed by major institutions to permanently digitally archive important works in case of future damage or theft.
