Exclusive | Art unites and overrides geopolitics, can help Hong Kong tourism, Italian princess says
Princess Camilla of Bourbon Two Sicilies says Hong Kong can be Asia’s art capital as she auctions her prized Van Gogh masterpiece
Art and culture can remain vital channels of communication between countries despite geopolitical tensions and could be a driving force for tourism in Hong Kong as the city strengthens its artistic credentials, according to a prominent art collector and Italian princess.
One prized artwork in Princess Camilla of Bourbon Two Sicilies’ collection is Les canots amarrés by the famed Post-Impressionist Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh, which will be auctioned on Thursday in Hong Kong with its upper estimate fetching HK$380 million (US$50 million).
Speaking to the Post at The Peninsula in Tsim Sha Tsui on her third visit to Hong Kong, the princess – donning a white dress with a matching jacket adorned with a yellow floral brooch – said she was particularly impressed by the city’s dynamic energy.
“Every time we come here, we see a new building, we see a new business. Hong Kong is really, for us, an admiration, because everything is moving so fast. In Europe, we are definitely not moving so fast,” she said.
Princess Camilla, daughter of the late Italian billionaire Camillo Crociani and his wife Italian actress Edy Vessel, married Prince Charles of Bourbon Two Sicilies in 1998, a royal family that reigned over the south of Italy between 1734 and 1861, according to her.
