M+ presents Henry Steiner: The Art of Graphic Communication

M+, Asia's first global museum of contemporary visual culture in the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong, announces Henry Steiner: The Art of Graphic Communication, a solo exhibition of Henry Steiner (b. 1934), the father of graphic design in Hong Kong. The exhibition celebrates Steiner's influential graphic language with a selection of some of his most iconic projects tracing Hong Kong's development for more than sixty years. The exhibition will open to the public on Saturday, 15 June 2024 in the Cissy Pui-Lai Pao and Shinichiro Watari Galleries.

Henry Steiner designed the red-and-white hexagon logo for HSBC, the banknote designs for Standard Chartered Bank, and logos for many renowned Hong Kong-based companies. Henry Steiner was born in Austria in 1934 and has worked in Hong Kong since 1961. His graphic designs are informed by principles he learned while studying under renowned American designer Paul Rand. He later pioneered a form of graphic communication that skilfully juxtaposes multiple cultural elements with visual acuity. His designs are often playful and engage the viewer through the element of surprise.

Henry Steiner: The Art of Graphic Communication highlights some of Steiner's most significant and widely recognised projects from the 1960s to the present by featuring more than 200 objects from the M+'s Collections and Steiner's personal collection. This exhibition is the second in the Pao-Watari Exhibition Series, a new series of monographic exhibitions on historically important figures and moments.

Henry Steiner: The Art of Graphic Communication is divided into two sections. The first one introduces Steiner's formative years and arrival in Hong Kong. In 1938, Steiner's family was forced to leave Austria after Germany annexed it and anti-Jewish policies were implemented. His education in New York exposed him to some of the day's leading artists and, later, at Yale School of Art, to renowned American designer Paul Rand. In 1961, Steiner was sent to Hong Kong to help open the Hong Kong office of The Asia Magazine. In 1964, he established his own company, Graphic Communication Ltd. (now Steiner&Co.), in Hong Kong.

The exhibition's second section presents selected items from the M+ Henry Steiner Project Archive, showcasing how Steiner's designs reflect the development of the city itself as well as changes in people's everyday lives. Ranging from important landmarks like Ocean Terminal and Connaught Centre (now Jardine House) to the city's promotional campaigns, consumer products, banks, hotels, and private clubs, the selected projects showcase some of Hong Kong's most enduring brand identities.

Suhanya Raffel, Museum Director, M+, says, 'We are delighted to celebrate the remarkable life and work of Henry Steiner, a leading figure in graphic design in Hong Kong and beyond, at M+. His transformational, cross-cultural design is deeply embedded in the everyday lives of Hong Kong people and has brought this city to the international stage. His work constitutes an important part of Hong Kong visual culture. This retrospective is the result of the museum's years of research into building the M+ Henry Steiner Project Archive. With the commitment to deliver the stories of our region, we house the most comprehensive archival collection of this eminent graphic designer in the world.'

Tina Pang, Curator, Hong Kong Visual Culture, M+, says, 'This exhibition elaborates Henry Steiner as a pioneer in designing for multi- and cross-cultural contexts, adept at integrating his modernist training in art and design with his deep knowledge of and sensitivity to the histories and vernacular languages of Asia. The exhibition not only presents Steiner's most significant projects from the 1960s, but also traces his formative years and his engagement with visual art, which are lesser known to the public. Through the presentation of his key design projects, we invite the audience to discover how Steiner's work has shaped Hong Kong's visual identity and reflected the city's social and economic development over the past decades.'

Henry Steiner says, 'It gives me immense pleasure to witness my personal creative journey and my work in this solo exhibition at M+, a distinguished museum celebrating visual culture rooted in Asia. Hong Kong, the city I call home, has been a constant source of inspiration for my projects over the years. I take great pride in having contributed to the transformative growth of Hong Kong in various aspects and enabling a global audience to understand and reimagine the art of graphic communication as part of Hong Kong visual culture through this retrospective.'

Opening talk

To coincide with the exhibition, M+ will host a free public talk with Henry Steiner and Billy Potts, local designer and writer, at The Forum, 14:30–16:00 on Saturday, 15 June 2024. The talk, titled In Conversation: Henry Steiner, will explore Steiner's approach to graphic design and some of his favorite projects. The talk will be conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation in Cantonese. More event and registration details are available on the M+ website.