A Portrait of CLAF founder Jane Chao Lee, Shanghai 2017. Image courtesy, artist Dryden Goodwin.
Promoting and supporting figurative contemporary painting in Hong Kong
About Chao Lee Art Foundation
Chao Lee Art Foundation
Mission
To champion, preserve, and advance the art of portraiture by commissioning legacy-defining works, discovering emerging talent, education and cultural exchange, creating a cultural heritage for the city of Hong Kong.
About
The Chao Lee Art Foundation (CLAF) is a private non-profit organisation based in Hong Kong, dedicated to promoting and supporting figurative contemporary painting, to enrich the cultural landscape of the city.
Through its core initiatives, the Foundation promotes and supports portraiture by connecting local and international artists with the people and stories of Hong Kong.
At the heart of the Foundation’s work are two initiatives: A Hong Kong Portrait Collection and The CLAF Portrait Award.
The Collection celebrates Hong Kong’s distinguished residents through commissioned portraits that honour their contributions to the city. The list of commissioned artists will be released in 2027.
The CLAF Portrait Award is a regional competition. First place will receive a cash prize and a portrait commission with a fully funded artist residency in Hong Kong. The prize supports emerging talent and fosters artistic exchange. Full details will be announced in 2027.
To further support the appreciation of portraiture and figurative traditions in Hong Kong, CLAF continues to produce a rich series of talks and workshops to nurture the understanding and enjoyment of figurative contemporary painting.
As a patron to the arts, Jane Chao Lee has built a private collection of modern and contemporary art with a focus on portraiture and figurative painting. Jane is a custodian to over 300 prints, drawings, paintings and sculptures by distinguished Modern British and international contemporary artists including Gwen John, Cedric Morris, Frank Auerbach, Michaël Borremans, Maggi Hambling, Neo Rauch, Elizabeth Peyton, Hernan Bas, William Kentridge and Paula Rego. Loans of artworks are made possible for museum exhibitions.
In 2010 Chao Lee founded both Galerie Huit, a commercial art gallery and consultancy that introduced overseas artists to the Hong Kong community, and the design boutique Maison Huit, where she continues to source and curate fine silver objects, ceramics and contemporary jewellery. Until recently, Chao Lee served as council member to The Changing Young Lives Foundation. As co-chair of the annual gala event, she played an integral role, and the charity continues to fund a learning centre for underprivileged children in Shek Kip Mei, Hong Kong.
Currently, Chao Lee serves on the board of Wah Kwong, a third-generation family-owned shipping company based in Hong Kong. Since 2020, Chao Lee has been privately developing her studio practice as a painter, portraying tableau scenes of urban life, still lives and portraiture.
The Founder
Where Are We Going?, 2018. Image courtesy, artist Yan Ping and Massimo de Carlo, Hong Kong, Acquisition 2023.
Selection Committee
Singaporean collector Cindy Chua-Tay has been supporting the Guggenheim Museum since 2013. Currently, she sits on the Board of Trustees and M+ Board and Acquisitions Committee.
Jane Chao Lee is an arts patron, collector and philanthropist based in Hong Kong.
In 2010 Chao Lee founded both Galerie Huit, a commercial art gallery and consultancy that introduced overseas artists to the Hong Kong community, and the design boutique Maison Huit, where she continues to source and curate fine silver objects, ceramics and contemporary jewellery.
Currently, Chao Lee serves on the board of Wah Kwong, a third-generation family-owned shipping company based in Hong Kong.
Johnson Chang is an independent curator, guest professor of China Academy of Art (Hangzhou, China), and director of Hanart TZ Gallery (Hong Kong). He has been active in curating Chinese exhibitions since the 1980s, notable curated projects include Guangzhou Triennial in 2008 (“Farewell to Post-Colonialism”), Shanghai Biennale in 2012, and “East Meets West” at Saatchi Gallery in 2014.
Joyce Tam leads a team of private wealth advisors within Asset & Wealth Management, responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with ultra high net worth individuals and families across Hong Kong and China.
Joyce is a member of the Hong Kong Mega Arts and Cultural Events Committee, the Commercial Properties Committee and the Audit Sub-Committee of the Hong Kong Housing Authority. She also serves on the Fundraising Committee of Mother’s Choice
and is an advisor to the Faith and Global Engagement initiative at the University of Hong Kong. Additionally, Joyce is a founding member and trustee of Design Trust.
Board of Directors
Li served as Regional Chief Executive, Asia Pacific of Richemont from 2006 until his retirement, where he was responsible for overseeing and cultivating the presence and development of some of the world's most coveted luxury Maisons in the region.
Currently, Li serves as President of The French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Hong Kong, Board member of Las Vegas Sands and Remy Cointreau, Senior Advisor of SIA Partners and on the Asia Advisory Board of Phillips.
Bassam Salem is an independent consultant and active Board member focusing on governance and long-term strategy by setting policies, evaluating business decisions and executive performance, and fulfilling fiduciary responsibilities.
Salem is a board member of the Swiss Chamber in Hong Kong, chairing the finance committee. He is a former Senior Advisor at McKinsey & Company and the former CEO of Citi Private Bank in Asia. In addition, he was a founding partner of EFG Bank in Zurich.
Jane Chao Lee is an arts patron, collector and philanthropist based in Hong Kong.
In 2010 Chao Lee founded both Galerie Huit, a commercial art gallery and consultancy that introduced overseas artists to the Hong Kong community, and the design boutique Maison Huit, where she continues to source and curate fine silver objects, ceramics and contemporary jewellery.
Currently, Chao Lee serves on the board of Wah Kwong, a third-generation family-owned shipping company based in Hong Kong.
Viola Chen Cheong currently serves as the Director of Startune Limited, a non-profit organisation that introduces and promotes art therapy to underprivileged youths in Hong Kong through co-creating programmes with young ambassadors. Her passion for philanthropy is deeply rooted in her family tradition, with her family founding a number of non-profit kindergartens in Hong Kong.
Chen Cheong is the co-founder of design gallery Maison Huit and jewelry company Scipian – platforms that brought designers and their unique creations from around the globe to Hong Kong, offering a space for education, exchange and encounters.
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