PHILIPSBURG – The Philipsburg Revitalization Corporation has commissioned artist Robert Lui through Marlin Art, Inc. of Deer Park, New York, to paint an original watercolor depicting the Historic Philips Hotel in Downtown Philipsburg. The work will be for sale at a Live Auction on April 10 at the Rowland Theatre.
The Philips Hotel, most recently used as the Moshannon Heights Personal Care Home, is currently being redeveloped by a group of local investors. The Philips originally opened in 1921 and the group plans to restore it to its original grandeur. It will be a mixed use building which will include a fine dining restaurant, hotel and meeting rooms, office space, and a ballroom that can be rented for events.
“When making this year’s decision on the commissioned piece of artwork, we felt that a depiction of the Philips, which is in the process of redevelopment, was a natural choice,” explains John Streno, President of the PRC Board .
Robert Lui was born on March 23, 1951 in Saigon, Vietnam, and educated at LaSalle D’adran with a major in Fine Art. At the age of seventeen, he was accepted to the Ecole des Beaux de Delat where he further developed his painting technique.
In 1970 his first exhibition was with a group of fellow students which toured the major cities of Vietnam including Saigon, Hue, Nhatran and finished at the exhibition hall of the Ecole des Beaux Arts. In 1971, at the age of 20, Lui had his first one-man show at the Bank of Bangkok and another one at the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Later that year he returned to France to study art at the Ecole nationale des beaux arts de Lyon.
Robert Lui was the featured artist in a one-man show at the Chinese Cultural Center of Saigon. Following his success at the show, Robert Lui was invited to accept a 3-year post as a teacher of art at Tak Ming School.
In 1975, he joined the Country’s Art Club, where he first began his landscape drawings. His medium was Chinese ink and watercolor on rice paper and his pieces were exhibited annually at the Civic Center. His work was exhibited at the Hong Kong Civic Center. Following this achievement, Robert Lui was the Principal Art Teacher at the Windsor School of Art in Hong Kong where he taught commercial design until 1981.
Robert Lui and his family immigrated to the United States in 1982. Since then, Robert Lui has participated in numerous art exhibits and has won many recognized awards at the Washington Square Outdoor Spring Exhibit, Village Green Art Festival, the Washington Square Outdoor Fall Exhibit, the Sayville LI Art Show, Plainfield, NJ Art Show, Dunnellen, NJ Art Show, and most notably won second place at the most prestigious art show in the Northeast, the Mystic Connecticut Art Show.
In the mid 1980s Robert Lui worked at developing his skills in wide and diverse techniques from Impressionism to Abstract. In his Impressionist painting, he uses light and color to visually describe the natural world. His understanding of basic elements of Impressionism has enabled Robert Lui to articulate the painting genres of landscapes, seascapes and figures. In his abstracts there is a remarkably rich palette of paint that blends compositions and individual elements into an overall coherence of design and color.
In more recent years, Robert Lui has focused primarily on his impressionistic style. He has both taught painting & exhibited in Scarsdale, NY and in the prestigious Soho Galleries. In 1994, Lui had a major exhibition in California, and the following year his paintings were prominently displayed at the Art Expo in New York City. His works have appeared in notable galleries throughout the United States and Canada including such as the Images Fine Art Gallery in Napa Valley, the Revel Gallery in Soho and the Renaissance Gallery of Fine Art.
Robert Lui currently is Marlin’s resident artist. Marlin’s exclusive collection of Robert Lui’s works is extensive and a wide array of different mediums is available. These include Lithographs, Hand Embellished Giclees, Original Mixed Medias on Canvas and Original Oils.
The original watercolor of the Philips Hotel is beautifully framed, and up for bid at a Live Auction on Thursday, April 10 in the Historic Rowland Theatre. The proceeds from the Auction will benefit Philipsburg Revitalization Corporation’s Main Street Program.
The Art Auction begins with a preview at 5:30pm, where hors d’oeuvres, wine and cheese will be served. The live auction will begin promptly at 6:30pm.
In addition to the commissioned original, there will be over 150 pieces of artwork, sports memorabilia, music memorabilia, and more on the auction block provided by Marlin Art. Tickets for the event are $10 per person or $15 per couple and can be purchased at the offices of State Senator John Wozniak and JH Philips and Company on Front Street in Historic Downtown Philipsburg. They can also be purchased at the Moshannon Valley Economic Development Partnership (MVEDP) offices on Shady Lane in Philipsburg, at the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County at Innovation Park, State College, or at the Centre County Commissioners office in Bellefonte. Admission is $10.00 per person or $15.00 per couple. Tickets will also be available at the door. For more information contact the Main Street Program at 814-342-2260.