DENG FEN (1894-1964)

Private collection of Mr. Zhong Shichuan

Business-entrepreneur Zhong Shiquan had a strong interest in the arts and was an active participant in cultural activities. Artists such as Yang Shanshen and Liu Shaolu felt that artists who immigrated to Hong Kong would feel isolated in the foreign territory, and so, with Zhong's help, they founded the "Painting and Calligraphy Museum of Art" as a place for artists to gather. Zhong paid to found the museum in the penthouse of the Hong Kong Hotel (now Central Building), and Zhang Daqian wrote the plaque for the museum as a sign of support. In 1968, Zhong opened a department store in Taipei; coincidentally Zhang Daqian was also in Taipei to accept an honorary PhD at the Chinese Cultural University, and the two friends were able to meet. These works are unique reminders of the friendship and familiarity between Zhong and the artists.