London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

As Police Tear-Gassed Protesters Outside Its Doors, the Hong Kong Museum of Art Shut Down Its Grand Reopening

The protests continue in Hong Kong, where police used teargas on demonstrators gathered outside of the Hong Kong Museum of Art.
As the protests rage on in Hong Kong, police used teargas on demonstrators gathered outside of the Hong Kong Museum of Art yesterday. The clash between law enforcement and protesters look place just one day after the museum’s reopening following a four-year HK$934 million ($119 million) expansion project.

The rally in the city’s Tsim Sha Tsui district had been approved ahead of time by the police, and drew tens of thousands of peaceful protesters, according to the Art Newspaper. But just an hour into what was supposed to be a three-hour demonstration, police began firing teargas into the crowds and announced that anyone who refused to disperse could be arrested for “illegal assembly.”

Ahead of the clash between the police and the protesters, which included children and the elderly, the government-run museum posted a notice that it would be closing early. It is unclear whether the institution may have allowed people fleeing the teargas to seek shelter inside.

The Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill movement has a list of five demands, chief among them the withdrawal of legislation allowing China to extradite fugitives. As protests escalate, the situation potentially threatens both visitors to the museum and its artworks.

The inaugural exhibitions include “A Sense of Place: From Turner to Hockney,” which features loans of some 70 works from London’s Tate Modern. Hong Kong artists were also invited to respond to three centuries of British landscape painting, including works by J.M.W. Turner and David Hockney.

“We have and will continue to closely monitor the situation in Hong Kong in dialogue with colleagues at the Hong Kong Museum of Art to ensure the safety of staff and the collection,” Cecily Carbone, the Tate’s press officer, told Artnet News in an email ahead of the exhibition’s opening. Judith Nesbitt, the director of national and international partnerships at Tate, and exhibition curator Anne Lyles were both on the ground in Hong Kong for the opening.

Other institutions that have been affected by the ongoing unrest include the Hong Kong Museum of History, which has suspended its current exhibition “Glistening Treasures in the Dust – Ancient Artefacts of Afghanistan.” The museum is located across the street from Hong Kong Polytechnic University, where a police siege began on November 17, and saw protesters set fire to the campus.

Lévy Gorvy’s new Hong Kong gallery, which opened earlier this year, has postponed its exhibition of Chinese artist Tu Hongtao, originally set to open November 22. A representative of the gallery told Artnet News that the space is currently closed to the public, but open for private viewings.

Also in limbo is Hauser & Wirth’s planned Hong Kong outing of photographer Annie Leibovitz, according to the Financial Times. The organizers of Art Basel Hong Kong have denied rumors that the annual art fair is considering relocating its 2020 fair, which is scheduled to open in Hong Kong on March 19.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
×