When former Australian Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam, opened an art exhibition at East & West Art in 1988, the gallery was already well-established as a centre for contemporary Asian and Western art in Australia. Opening in 1973, East & West Art was the vision of husband-and-wife team, Marjorie Ho and Dirk Eysbertse. From Singapore and the Netherlands respectively, the couple were married in 1954 at the West Hampstead Registry in London, residing in Holland, before migrating to Australia. At a time when mixed marriages were rare, the newlyweds knew first-hand the challenges of racial politics in Australia. Equally, they recognized the power of art to transform perceptions about the diversity of cultures throughout Asia and the importance of engagement therein, especially for an emergent and newly mobile audience in Australia. Notably, in the same year that East & West Art opened, the Whitlam Labor government renounced the now-notorious White Australia policy. The program ushered in a new era for Australia including an influx of migrants from the region. East & West Art became a distinct part of the zeitgeist.
In establishing East & West Art, Marjorie and Dirk were drawing on their exposure to diverse cultures in both Asia and Europe. Prior to meeting Marjorie, Dirk had already worked for several years in Indonesia, with the Dutch East Indies Co. and Marjorie came of age in the turbulence of World War Two. As a child, she had been evacuated from Singapore, just a week prior to the Japanese invasion, departing on the last ship to safely leave the island. She fled to India with her mother and siblings, while her father was interned in Singapore. In her 1997 interview, with historian Diana Giese, Marjorie recalled her passage to India:
“Mum had to queue up for warm clothing because she knew already, they were sending us straight up to the Himalayas. I mean, from the equator to the Himalayas is no joke, so she had to line up for woollen singlets, woollen underpants. I was left in charge of my brothers in the corner of the warehouse. We waited the whole day, and we were quite terrified, because I was about 10 or 11 years old, before she came back.” 1
In India Marjorie studied Subcontinental history, Hindustani and Latin, amongst other subjects. Later, viewing the destruction wrought on her home, she decided to become an architect. Marjorie settled on the University of Melbourne, becoming one of the first Chinese women to study in the Architecture faculty.
It was, however, her early exposure to antique collecting from her grandfather that ultimately guided Marjorie to open East and West Art. Marjorie was born in 1932, into a prominent Singaporean family. Marjorie’s grandfather, Ho Siak Kuan (1865-1946), M.B.E., had been the Chief Chinese Translator for the Straits Settlement Government and later as the Assistant Secretary for Chinese Affairs.
I first met Marjorie Ho in 2008 while planning an exhibition of Chinese ceramics. For the exhibition, East & West loaned Yangshao (仰韶文化) vessels dating between 3,000 and 5,000 BCE, which featured as a highlight in the show. Marjorie was instantly welcoming and proved to be a font of knowledge; she would hold forth on clay, glazes, kilns, firing techniques, throwing and trade routes; she possessed a forensic sensibility, at times alighting on a seemingly mundane vessel only to reveal its secrets. One could never look at ceramics, or indeed any other object in the same light after a conversation with Marjorie.
(Indonesian, 1944-2017)
Moksa Kohuk Dance (Two Male Dancers) 2005, oil on canvas, with original hand carved wooden frame, Image: 145 x 145cm. $7,000-9,000
Additional to her interests in Chinese and South Asian antiquities, Marjorie was fascinated by developments in contemporary art. I was delighted to discover that the now famous artist Shen Shaomin (沈少民) had exhibited at East & West Art. The Australian Chinese Artist Association and the Chinese peasant painters who produced the mural for the Victoria Market, had all had early exhibitions at East and West Art. According to Chinese art specialist Professor Claire Roberts, in 1975, East & West Art exhibited works by artists Ding Yanyong (丁衍庸) (1902-1978) and Huang Binhong (黃賓虹) (1865-1955).2 The back catalogue is littered with artists from across Asia – Chang Dai-Chen (張大千) (1899-1983), Made Wianta (1949-2020), and Satish Gupta (b.1947-) to name just a few.
In time, Marjorie would be lauded as the doyen of Asian antiquities; however, she would hate that I say so. She sold countless works to private and public collections; she became a Federal valuer for Australia in Asian antiques and fine arts, covering China from 5000BCE to contemporary, as well as Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia in Fine Art and antiques, paintings, textiles, sculpture, furniture and object d’art. She was awarded life membership at numerous cultural organisations, including the Chinese Museum, the Chinese Association of Victoria, and the Southeast Asian Ceramic Society Singapore. She was also the Victorian representative for T.A.A.S.A., The Asian Art Society of Australia.
Importantly, as this auction reveals, East & West Art amassed an encyclopedic stock-in-trade, covering numerous Asian regions and periods. Marjorie would tell stories about her annual trips to China and the Military General who would open the doors to vast storehouses of treasures! Countless adventures followed.
Leonard Joel is proud to present The Marjorie Ho Auction on 8th and 10th of June —a remarkable offering of fine art and objects from across Asia. The collection features important works by artists such as Ding Yanyong, Shen Shaomin, You Si, Chen Chao-Pao, Nyoman Gunarsa, Feng Yongji, Satish Gupta, and more. Complementing the paintings is a curated selection of ceramics, sculptures, jades, furniture and other works of art from China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia.
1. https://www.dianagieseeditorial.com.au/files/marjorie_ho_diana_giese_interview_national_library_of_australia.pdf
2. https://rest.mars-prod.its.unimelb.edu.au/server/api/core/bitstreams/7a1f4020-3768-45d2-b587-c184effa81f8/content
Dr Damian Smith, President, Australian Chinese Art Research Institute, Director ACAE Gallery
Top Image: Marjorie Ho in front of East & West Art
May 2025