Elaine Kwok’s Picks

THE KIRKPATRICK CHILDREN (1805) BY GEORGE CHINNERY

HSBC has one of the largest collections in the world of paintings by British artist George Chinnery, who documented life in Hong Kong, Macau, mainland China and India in the 18th and 19th centuries. This 1.5-metre-tall oil painting depicts the children of James Achilles Kirkpatrick, a British colonel in the East India Company, and his Indian wife Khair un-nissa, a Muslim noblewoman. The couple defied prejudice at the time to marry, although their story had an unhappy ending: shortly after their two children travelled from India to the UK to start school, at the ages of three and five, their father died aged 43, leaving their mother a widow at 19. The children remained with extended family in the UK and never saw their mother again. Chinnery’s painting was acquired by HSBC at auction in 1951. “The significance of this piece lies within the story and its cultural dynamics,” says Kwok. “This is the kind of piece I would’ve gladly written an essay on when I was in college.”

SILK TAPESTRY FROM 1902

This striking hand-embroidered silk tapestry was presented by Hong Kong merchants to HSBC’S Chief Manager, Thomas Jackson, on his retirement in 1902. Under Jackson’s direction, HSBC became the leading bank in Asia. The birds and animals on the tapestry are auspicious, and the Chinese characters praise Jackson and wish him a happy retirement. This tapestry was a major inspiration for Threads of Life, a digital artwork now on display at the HSBC Wealth Centres at K11 Atelier Victoria Dockside and Hysan Place. “I love how a digital artist referenced this interesting anecdote of Hong Kong history, while simultaneously creating a work that reflects today’s animation technology,” says Kwok.

ANNUAL REPORTS DESIGNED BY HENRY STEINER

HSBC’S archives include copies of the bank’s annual reports, including several created in the 1970s and Eighties by legendary graphic designer Henry Steiner, who was also responsible for HSBC’S logo. Steiner’s work is so renowned that it’s also collected by world-class institutions. “There are a few HSBC items designed by Henry Steiner in the Main Hall Gallery at M+, such as annual reports and magazines,” says Kwok, who has long been a fan of Steiner’s work.