HKU Bulletin October 2008 (Vol. 10 No. 1)

20 21 The Chronicle of a Killer Plague T he Museum and Art Gallery’s recent exhibition From the Plague to New Emerging Diseases celebrated the 120th anniversary of the Institut Pasteur through the life and work of the remarkable Pasteurian scientist, Alexandre Yersin. Yersin, a Swiss-born medical scientist, dedicated his life to fighting infectious diseases in Asia and is credited with discovering the true cause of the bubonic plague. At the end of the 19th century bubonic plague was one of the world’s most feared diseases. An outbreak regularly resulted in a devastating loss of life. Although overcrowding and poor sanitation were recognized associations, the true cause of the plague was still unknown. An outbreak in southern China in the early 1890s led to more than 100,000 deaths in Canton and, due to the region’s importance on the trade routes, a worldwide epidemic was feared. When the plague reached Hong Kong, in 1894, Yersin, then working in French Indochine (Vietnam), was sent to the colony by the French Government to investigate. He was not alone. Governments across the globe saw the outbreak as an opportunity to study the plague and identify its cause. So, numerous scientists arrived onshore. Amongst them was one of the most celebrated scientists of the day, Shibasaburo Kitasato who, in 1887, had isolated the bacillus of tetanus and subsequently developed a vaccine. The Hong Kong plague’s epicentre was in the overcrowded Chinese quarter of Tai Ping Shan, modern-day Western, and Yersin had his laboratory built adjacent to the Alice Memorial Hospital, in Kennedy Town. It was here that he identified the bacillus that now bears his name: Yersinia Pestis. The exhibi t ion emphasised the importance of global col laboration in the identification and prevention of deadly epidemics such as dengue fever, avian influenza and SARS. The Institut Pasteur continues to maintain its international network which includes the HKU-Pasteur Research Centre. A model of Yersin’s makeshift laboratory in Kennedy Town Picasso Exhibit Hailed a Great Success O ne of the most remarkable sets of prints created by Spanish painter Pablo Picasso has been on display at the University’s Museum and Art Gallery. The Vollard Suite – a collection of one hundred prints named after the art dealer Ambroise Vollard who commissioned them - went on display in May. The collection, completed in 1937, is grouped into five categories: The Sculptor’s Studio, The Battle of Love, Rembrandt, The Minotaur and The Blind Minotaur show Picasso at his most playful. In addition there are 27 prints on disparate themes, including three portraits of the art dealer himself. Using the techniques of etching, drypoint and aquaprint, Picasso explores classical and neo-classical subjects with archetypes from Greek mythology, such as the Minotaur and Pygmalion, reinterpreted to reveal Picasso’s thoughts on the relationship between artist and model. In The Sculptor’s Studio series, he depicts himself as a sculptor, painter and lover, often representing himsel f as a mythological figure, frequently with his nude model lying in his arms. In The Battle of Love, the artist is represented as a Minotaur driven by desire for his model. Many of the prints also reveal Picasso’s concern for the fate of the Spanish nation during the Civil War of 1936. Various prints depict a bull, the symbol of war and brutality, attacking a horse – a metaphor for innocent victims. They appear as a precursor to Picasso’s iconic, anti-war, painting Guernica . The prints, presented to Vollard in 1937, were placed in storage when the art dealer died in a road accident two years later. In 1948, the Parisian art dealer, Henri Petiet bought them and sold them separately. It was not until 1956, when the Swiss book dealer, Hans Bolliger, published them in book form that scholars began to consider the prints as an integrated set. The Museum’s Ass i stant Curator, Ms Annie Chow, said: “Picasso needs little introduction. However, in Hong Kong we rarely have the opportunity to see the work of this prolific and impor tant twent ieth century artist first hand. This exhibition showed the complete Vol lard Suite showcasing a broad range of the artist’s talents: drawing, composition, sculpture and of course, printmaking. Created at a significant period in Picasso’s l i fe, when he was ref lect ing upon the role of the artist, and his relationship to his art and his muse, these prints are some of h i s greatest pr i ntmak i ng achievements. “The museum was honoured to be ab l e to present th i s exhibition as part of Le French May for the benefit of the Hong Kong public and the University population. The exhibition attracted over seven thousand visitors from different walks of life, especially students, teachers, print makers, and tourists. We received many positive comments about the exhibition from members of the public, and special requests for guided tours from Warwick University Graduates’ Association in Hong Kong, students from the Hong Kong Design Institute, as well as the architects of the Main Building and the Fung Ping Shan Building, Leigh & Orange.” ARTS