FLORIAN KNOTHE
Dr Florian Knothe is the Director of the University Museum and Art Gallery at the University of Hong Kong and Fellow at the Hong Kong Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences. He teaches Museum Studies at the university’s Faculty of Arts, and researches and lectures on the history of decorative arts in the 17th and 18th century with particular focus on the social and historic importance of royal French manufacture. Florian has long been interested in the early modern fascination with Chinoiserie and the way royal workshops and smaller private enterprises helped to cater to this long-lasting fashion. He has also worked at the Huntington Collection and The Metropolitan Museum of Art focusing on European Sculpture and Decorative Arts, and on European and East Asian glass at The Corning Museum of Glass.
Florian publishes widely on early modern European and Chinese fine and decorative arts, as well as on museum studies-related research topics. He studies international law with an emphasis on legal questions concerning the accessibility, preservation and ownership of cultural heritage. His academic work has won him several research and teaching grants, as well as national medals from the governments of the Republic of France and of Hungary.
Which are your three favourite cultural destinations (established or new ones)?
Los Angeles, a fast developing and by now super exciting cultural destination. The city of angels has numerous very different and diverse museums, nice galleries and fun coffeehouses and bars for refreshments in between.
Cape Town is long developed and still growing every year with more museums and contemporary art galleries and art cafes. It is also of such natural beauty and its cultural destinations are embedded in the old city centre, gracing the Waterfront or nestled between vineyards.
Shanghai is ever changing and developing at such a speed, one cannot keep up with the new cultural venues. Like in LA and Cape Town museums and event spaces can be located in restored historic buildings as well as in cutting-edge contemporary architectural marvels, and here the emphasis is on Chinese art, which is hugely diverse now and a hot commodity.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE EMERGING CULTURAL CITIES IN THE WORLD AND WHY?
Jakarta and Manila are two interesting emerging art scenes. Both boast old and new museums, increasing numbers of galleries, and indigenous and fast developing art markets that need watching.
Tell us about a cultural project with great potential for social impact.
In Hong Kong, the University Museum and Art Gallery’s (HKU) virtual platform developed exponentially this year and has massive growth potential. It presents academic digital exhibitions on Chinese and international art and culture in an accessible format and introduces not only art but also historic and literary projects, in the most educational and enjoyable way.
What has been your most memorable recent cultural experience?
Visiting the Kulturforum in Berlin is a cultural overload and a truly enriching experience. The quality of the exhibitions at the Kunstgewerbemuseum and Gemäldegalerie, and the accessible method of communicating artworks of different cultures, art forms and time periods is outstanding and a perfect benchmark for other institutions to follow.
Describe the perfect cultural day of the city you live in.
Walking through the Old Town Central in Hong Kong makes for a perfect cultural day with visits to the contemporary galleries at the re-invented former Central Police Station and Police Married Quarters, a stroll through Hollywood Road with its old art galleries and Man Mo Temple, and museum visits to the Liang Yi Museum and the city’s oldest, the University Museum of HKU.