JOSEPH HOTUNG

HOTUNG-- Sir Joseph Edward. It is with great sadness that we announce that Sir Joseph Edward Hotung has passed away at the age of 91. The Hong Kong philanthropist and businessman died peacefully at his home in London on Thursday, December 16. Sir Joseph, the grandson of Sir Robert Hotung, was born in Shanghai where he lived during his formative years. For much of his working life he was involved in Hong Kong real estate development and investments. Among many prominent positions he held in Hong Kong, he served as a director of HSBC Holdings plc, was on the board of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC), was a director of the Hong Kong Electric Holdings Ltd, a director of the China & Eastern Investment Company and the first Chairman of the Art Development Council in Hong Kong. In the United States, Sir Joseph was best known as a patron of the arts. He served on the board of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where he was named a Trustee Emeritus and a Fellow for Life. He was also a trustee of the Asia Society and served on the visiting committee of the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. Sir Joseph continued to work in commercial real estate, diversifying into the US market and amassing an impressive portfolio of properties across the country. In the 1970's, Sir Joseph embarked on what became a lifelong passion both studying and collecting works of art. He collected distinguished works from many cultures, but it was his keen eye for archaic Chinese jades that developed into a world-renowned collection which is now on display at the British Museum in London. Sir Joseph funded the renovation of the Oriental gallery of the British Museum in 1992, and again after 25 years, in 2017. Both times, the gallery was reopened by Her Majesty the Queen. He was a Trustee of the British Museum from 1994-2004 and subsequently Trustee Emeritus. He was very well respected as a board member of major art museums on both sides of the Atlantic for his business acumen which, together with his passion and understanding of art, was a rare and much valued combination. Sir Joseph was deeply private and never sought the limelight, though he was often pressed into it. Throughout his life he remained modest, preferring to maintain a low profile. Sir Joseph's philanthropic interests were not confined to the arts, but were wide and varied. He had a particular passion in regard to education and human rights. He funded a postdoctoral research program at Columbia University in New York, and established a program for Law, Human Rights, and Peace Building in the Middle East at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London where he also sat on the governing board. He was a Council Member of the University of Hong Kong and a founding member of the University of Hong Kong Business School. He also provided startup funding for the Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education. Sir Joseph was a major benefactor of medical and healthcare charities, most notably at St. George's University Hospital in London, where he funded research into molecular immunology and HIV/AIDS, and where the Sir Joseph Hotung Centre provides a facility for musculoskeletal treatment, research, and education. In 2021, St. Georges conferred an honorary doctorate on Sir Joseph recognizing his 20 year investment in the hospital's research. Thanks to his funding, the researchers are close to starting clinical trials for a groundbreaking plant-based antibody to prevent the spread of HIV from pregnant mothers to their unborn children. Most recently, he funded a program researching treatment for macular degeneration at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. Sir Joseph was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1993 for his charitable activities. He will be dearly missed by his loving children Joseph, Patrick, Ann and Ellen; his daughter-in-law Lisa, and son-in-law Stephen; his grandchildren Sarah, Jack, Becky, Charlotte, Grace, Katherine, Lauren, Ian, Nicholas; his sister Antonia; as well as his many friends and colleagues.