Page 51 - Christie's Leisurely Life May 29, 2019 Hong Kong

QUEK KIOK LEE – A CONNOISSEUR OF DISTINCTION

Mr Quek Kiok Lee (1920-2018) was a Chinese Singaporean who had a long-term
fascination for Chinese ceramics and works of art. Throughout his long collecting 㒹Գ⏙ Ĝ
career, Mr Quek meticulously recorded every single piece in his collection which
included where each item was purchased, writing a detailed description, and noting ೀ㨳ЦԘⅲ㞚㇦೰
and supporting his research on the dating. All-in-all his decades of enthusiasm led

to the compilation of his handwritten inventory of the collection, numbering over ׹⯇ᙲ࠼஽⎏㛖ݐ◶ 卿ཌԋஇ⻱ワ᚝Ⴁ⢙Ӵ
a thousand pieces, being passed down in two thick volumes. Ӷ㈛Ԡ⤏ǯݯཌ⯇㕇⻦৅ⴢӶኀᇵⒺ⨶卿⡿⮏㈛㍡ǯὍ
㋏ᛓ㰍ᡟ⡠㱈卿ᙷջ،ᗌ卿≾⯍ᛓ׹ᴹ৅⏟卿மᘘݣݦ
His own records indicated that he started collecting during the 1960s, firstly with ទ࣡༰⎏ᘘ⻦㉃㢙⋁ԋǯӳࢨᢣ⎏⏫ᏼ⭧㉙卿ໃㅏリ㧿
an interest in snuff bottles and then later in ceramics, jades, bronze mirrors of the ὍӶ㘲㬖߅㘺ׅ⻦།ᛓൈ׍⏭ᇅ㘺ᏼ⤩ᇵࢮӽ⎏ᘘ⻦ǯ
Shang to the Tang dynasties, and scholar’s objects made of bamboo, and different
types of stones. His research was largely driven by his curiosity for Chinese art 㛖ӽ◶⎏ᘘ⻦⊂Ᲊංᙻӳӽ⡕ݪࢦჺջ卿ݎᛓڍዴ䁉ὸ
where he could wonder, explore, experience, and play with the objects in his ೭Ǯ㙊⩧ࣽݻ♥⡾ᝤഅཌਦॶᶴ৿㠩㥚ࣿ≢ℱណ⒢⛛㫌
collection. Mr Quek humorously intimated to his daughter that on occasions ✙ᙔᏑ᳖؊⎏Ḽ࣡⯞㑪ǯஙൃഞᇵ⎏㴯ײӴ卿ձཊᡜ♾
when he felt inclined he would hold a ‘cabinet meeting’ to consider how to re- ᄓ卿㧙Ⓔ᭯⡷卿ᘘ⻦ᙻݯ⩧㈲卿Ӷۣगᛓᐍ⅊卿ᝤᛓㇼ
arrange his collection in a ‘cabinet reshuffle’. 㕇ዷई⻱ワ⯝⊂᰻⎏Մ࡚ǯձཌഺݓൈ᫉㘺⯺ᆨ༏⯇
ႠĜĜῂㄌԠካ卿Ӭ⫍ሗዏ卿ᬔᬔᴣӳᇵ㯔卿⃫ൈङ㧷
Undoubtedly, Mr Quek was not collecting purely to amass objects, he also Ǹݤ㨌ᝯ㍗ǹ㙊リݥ㬷Ǹ㞒ᙃǹǯ
generously shared his knowledge and experiences to a wider public audience.
He was one of the founding members of the Southeast Asian Ceramic Society ᘘ⻦㩶⯇ළԠം卿㛖ݐ◶ᝤཆݯ♦ነᏒໝճ㋭༰㓁卿ݩ
(SEACS), and was invited by the Chancellor of Singapore University to assume an ㋭ᙻ␕ǯݯᝪἃែࢶՌ㪃≢ໝᝯࠛ㗤՞ԠӬ卿ᝤᙻ
appointment as the museum’s acquisitions advisor for Chinese antiquities in 1994. ჺㄴᙲ࠼஽இ⛁ഌໝᡉ㧩㚉֌ഌໝࢷ⁒㱦ݣ⻦ԋஇ⻱ワ
For six years until his retirement in 2000, he worked alongside his friends Er Lu 㱦⻦⎏ໝワ㰀ਮ卿ӻ㧩㙤ݪჺԠԜ卿ݯ㧿⯝㱦㧩✙՞Ք
and curator Lu Yeow. Ꮀⴢ㘭ԠՒ卿⏜ᇅݯ ჺཱ㘧֝Ԡ䁬Ꮭ࣎֌㊃⪰ǯ

Mr Quek’s collection remained his pride and joy until his death in 2018 at the age 㛖ݐ◶ᙻ ჺս ᫐Ԡ㵶䁬㗧ӽ卿᫉Ӭᘘ⻦ज㋵う
of 98. With illustrious and solid provenances, some dating back to the 1960s, it is ᝯݯ⊳⊂⠢㵱卿⏌㰆ⵖ㰍ۓ㵓ǯ࠼ԠӬ␕⻦৅അᙻݪࢦ
believed that this collection will bring much excitement to collectors, and indeed ჺջᇌݣ⻦卿ൈ᳖᫉ᜁज㬵Ԡ׹ᴹ卿ឃ⬒ݻ᪖ἃ᫉ᐽ㐈
for the objects to find new appreciative owners. ᒽ㑌㵶ᷲ卿ᝤἃ㘺ᏼᘘ⻦㇩ᇑⰮԖǯ

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