Women in the arts was the talking point of the night when art aficionados joined forces at the China Club for the annual gala dinner of the Asia Art Archive. Reina Chau, Alan Lo and Ronald and Johanna Arculli were among the crowd at the cocktail reception, during which guests enjoyed an eclectic performance of jazz, funk, blues and soul by the British band Head Clowns before taking their seats for dinner.

Co-founders Claire Hsu-Vuchot and Johnson Chang Tsong-zung, fresh from receiving Montblanc de la Culture Arts Patronage Awards, gave welcoming addresses. Claire, the archive’s executive director, underscored its work in addressing the gender imbalance in art collections and women’s visibility in art history. The live auction was a highlight as usual, with the top-selling lots coming from Chinese artists Luis Chan, Liu Ye and Huang Rui. In keeping with the theme, the bidding paddles bore images from the Guerrilla Girls, a group of anonymous feminist artists, and the declaration “Women make art history.” The funds raised will support the archive in its efforts to make art accessible to all.