Rosamond Brown British, b. 1937

Rosamond Brown, born in the United Kingdom in 1937, arrived in Hong Kong in 1964 and has lived and worked there ever since. From the outset, she played a key role in bridging Eastern and Western artistic communities, joining the local avant-garde and collaborating with artists such as Hon Chi-fun, Gaylord Chan and Cheung Yee. Together, they shared exhibitions and exchanged ideas, shaping a distinctly Hong Kong artistic identity during a formative period.

 

Brown held solo exhibitions at the influential Chatham Gallery – Hong Kong’s first permanent space for contemporary art – in 1964 and 1966. In 1978, Rosamond staged a landmark solo show at the British Embassy in Beijing, the first exhibition of contemporary Western art in China following the Cultural Revolution. The event attracted both dignitaries and local artists, many of whom were struck by her semi-abstract compositions and fluid brushwork.

 

Brown studied at Belgrade University and the Central School of Art and Design (now Central Saint Martins), London. She has also taught at the University of Hong Kong. Brown’s work has been exhibited at the Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong; the Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong; Fukuoka Art Museum, Fukuoka; and the Seoul Metropolitan Museum of Art, Seoul.