The Arts

Taiwan 2001

The Arts

Museums and the Art Market

Art Museums

Taiwan's best-known museum is the National Palace Museum in Taipei, a repository for traditional art from mainland China. In 1933, the numerous treasures in the museum's collection started traveling from Beijing to Taiwan in a harrowing 12,000-kilometer journey around China over the course of 16 years, evading both the Japanese army and the Chinese communists. In 1965, the museum finally opened in Taipei and is recognized for having the world's best collection of Chinese art, from ancient bronze castings, calligraphy, scroll paintings, porcelains, jade, and rare books. The museum's current collection numbers over 640,000 items, a collection so large that only about 1 percent can be accommodated for display at any one time, while the rest is kept in storage.
In 1996, the National Palace Museum greatly enhanced its international image with a spectaculor US tour of 452 of its finest works of art. The "Splendors of Imperial China" ran from March 1996 through April 1997, with stops at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Curators and scholars in the United States hailed the exhibition, which attracted 900,000 visitors, as a once-in-a-lifetime experience that could very well give new impetus to the study of Chinese art, just as a smaller-scale 1961 exhibition inspired many of today's Chinese art scholars. In 1999, the National Palace Museum held a special joint exhibition with the Guanghan Sanxingdui Museum 廣漢三星堆博物館 in Sichuan province of the Chinese mainland, providing a better understanding of the lifestyles prevalent during the prehistoric Chinese kingdom of Shu. In the year 2000, some of the important exhibitions held by the National Palace Museum included "China at the Inception of the Second Millennium A.D.--Art and Culture of the Sung Dynasty, 960-1279" an "Exhibition of Buddhist Sculpture Through the Dynasties"; the "Development of Porcelain in China"; and "Chinese Jades."
The National Museum of History 國立歷史博物館, also located in Taipei, is best known for its impressive collection of ancient bronzes, pottery, and ceramic burial figurines. The museum regularly exhibits the works of major Chinese artists of the 20th century. In 1999, the National Museum of History held five exhibitions introducing Taiwanese artists in Estonia, the US, and Latvia. In 2000, some of the important exhibitions that it held included exhibitions of Han dynasty artifacts, tea culture, fan art, and the paintings of Hsia Yi-fu 夏一夫.
Since its opening in 1983, the Taipei Fine Arts Museum has been a major catalyst for the development of modern art. It has featured many local artists and important foreign exhibitions, including the 1999 Outdoor Sculpture of the 20th century, which was supported by Paris Musees and held in the newly opened Taipei Art Park. It also hosts annual and biennial competitions, as well as invitational exhibitions. From November 9 to December 3, 2000, it hosted the 2000 biennial exhibition 臺北雙年展 entitled "The Sky Is the Limit" 無法無天, with the works of 31 artists from 18 countries. Modern art museums have also been established in Taichung and Kaohsiung. The Taiwan Museum of Art 國立臺灣美術館, located in Taichung, opened in 1988, concentrating on Taiwan's artistic development. Items in its collection range from the Ming and Ching dynasties to contemporary works. The museum hosts both research exhibitions and planned exhibitions. Besides presenting the works by local artists, the museum also introduces works by foreign artists of worldwide fame and hosts international exchange exhibitions. The museum sponsored a touring exhibition entitled "Chinese New Year Prints" to Central America, the action art exhibition "No Destruction, No Construction," the "Life City" exhibition at the 7th International Exhibition of Architecture in Venice, and the Yuen Shui-long exhibition in Paris. The Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts 高雄市立美術館, which opened in 1993, is the largest fine arts museum in Asia.
The Chang Foundation Museum 鴻禧美術館, which opened in 1991, is the island's first private Chinese art museum. Although relatively small, with only about 16,000 square feet of exhibition space, it has an impressive collection that features traditional painting, exquisite porcelain, and other ceramics. This museum also holds exhibitions in cooperation with museums on the Chinese mainland.
Galleries

The number of galleries in Taiwan has grown tremendously from a single enterprise, the Lungmen Gallery 龍門畫廊 in 1975, to about 150 galleries. Lungmen Gallery has retained its prominence among the galleries and shows works by artists from both Taiwan and overseas. The Hanart Gallery 漢雅軒, which has a home gallery in Hong Kong, has also played an important role in promoting Taiwan's younger generation of artists.
Other prominent galleries include the Galerie Elegance 愛力根畫廊; the Eslite Gallery 誠品畫廊; the Taiwan Gallery 臺灣畫廊, and Home Gallery 家畫廊, which focus on contemporary art; and the Caves Art Center 敦煌藝術中心 and the Pristine Harmony Art Center 清韻藝術中心, which focus on Chinese ink paintings by both traditional and contemporary artists. IT Park 伊通公園, on the other hand, is an alternative gallery for non-commercial artists and provides a much-needed venue for installation and performing artists.
Several galleries in central and southern Taiwan have established themselves in the art market. Some of the best known include Gallery Pierre 臻品藝術中心, East Gallery 東之畫廊, and Modern Art Gallery 現代藝術空間 in Taichung; New Phase Art Space 新生態藝術環境 in Tainan; the Up Gallery 阿普畫廊 and Duchamp Gallery 杜象藝術中心 in Kaohsiung; and Venus Gallery 維納斯藝廊 in Hualien 花蓮.
The increase in art galleries around the island has been partly due to the great expansion of art collecting in the 1980s, which in turn has been driven by growth of the stock and real estate markets. Taiwan collectors are also active in the art markets in Hong Kong and New York, prompting such high-profile auction houses as Sotheby's and Christie's to provide previews of their Hong Kong and New York auctions in Taiwan. Both houses have held auctions in Taiwan beginning in the early 1990s, with varying degrees of success. Both have focused primarily on traditional Chinese painting and works by Taiwan's Japanese-trained impressionists, such as Chen Cheng-po, whose 1931 painting Sunset at Tamsui 黃昏淡水 (see section on Painting) was sold by Sotheby's for US$380,000 in 1993, a record-breaking price for a contemporary Chinese painting.
Another major development has been the annual Taipei Art Fair International 臺北國際藝術博覽會, which began in 1992 and promotes the local art market both regionally and internationally. Organized by the ROC Art Galleries Association 中華民國畫廊協會, the 1997 fair included 45 galleries from the ROC, the United States, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Finland.

Copyright (C) May 2001, Government Information Office. All rights reserved. Site design by L.F. Lee
Best viewed with Netscape 4.x or IE 5.x (medium font) at 800 x 600 True Color (32 bit) resolution

		The Arts
		Museums and the Art Market Art Museums Taiwan's best-known museum is the National Palace Museum in Taipei, a repository for traditional art from mainland China. In 1933, the numerous treasures in the museum's collection started traveling from Beijing to Taiwan in a harrowing 12,000-kilometer journey around China over the course of 16 years, evading both the Japanese army and the Chinese communists. In 1965, the museum finally opened in Taipei and is recognized for having the world's best collection of Chinese art, from ancient bronze castings, calligraphy, scroll paintings, porcelains, jade, and rare books. The museum's current collection numbers over 640,000 items, a collection so large that only about 1 percent can be accommodated for display at any one time, while the rest is kept in storage. In 1996, the National Palace Museum greatly enhanced its international image with a spectaculor US tour of 452 of its finest works of art. The "Splendors of Imperial China" ran from March 1996 through April 1997, with stops at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Curators and scholars in the United States hailed the exhibition, which attracted 900,000 visitors, as a once-in-a-lifetime experience that could very well give new impetus to the study of Chinese art, just as a smaller-scale 1961 exhibition inspired many of today's Chinese art scholars. In 1999, the National Palace Museum held a special joint exhibition with the Guanghan Sanxingdui Museum 廣漢三星堆博物館 in Sichuan province of the Chinese mainland, providing a better understanding of the lifestyles prevalent during the prehistoric Chinese kingdom of Shu. In the year 2000, some of the important exhibitions held by the National Palace Museum included "China at the Inception of the Second Millennium A.D.--Art and Culture of the Sung Dynasty, 960-1279" an "Exhibition of Buddhist Sculpture Through the Dynasties"; the "Development of Porcelain in China"; and "Chinese Jades." The National Museum of History 國立歷史博物館, also located in Taipei, is best known for its impressive collection of ancient bronzes, pottery, and ceramic burial figurines. The museum regularly exhibits the works of major Chinese artists of the 20th century. In 1999, the National Museum of History held five exhibitions introducing Taiwanese artists in Estonia, the US, and Latvia. In 2000, some of the important exhibitions that it held included exhibitions of Han dynasty artifacts, tea culture, fan art, and the paintings of Hsia Yi-fu 夏一夫. Since its opening in 1983, the Taipei Fine Arts Museum has been a major catalyst for the development of modern art. It has featured many local artists and important foreign exhibitions, including the 1999 Outdoor Sculpture of the 20th century, which was supported by Paris Musees and held in the newly opened Taipei Art Park. It also hosts annual and biennial competitions, as well as invitational exhibitions. From November 9 to December 3, 2000, it hosted the 2000 biennial exhibition 臺北雙年展 entitled "The Sky Is the Limit" 無法無天, with the works of 31 artists from 18 countries. Modern art museums have also been established in Taichung and Kaohsiung. The Taiwan Museum of Art 國立臺灣美術館, located in Taichung, opened in 1988, concentrating on Taiwan's artistic development. Items in its collection range from the Ming and Ching dynasties to contemporary works. The museum hosts both research exhibitions and planned exhibitions. Besides presenting the works by local artists, the museum also introduces works by foreign artists of worldwide fame and hosts international exchange exhibitions. The museum sponsored a touring exhibition entitled "Chinese New Year Prints" to Central America, the action art exhibition "No Destruction, No Construction," the "Life City" exhibition at the 7th International Exhibition of Architecture in Venice, and the Yuen Shui-long exhibition in Paris. The Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts 高雄市立美術館, which opened in 1993, is the largest fine arts museum in Asia. The Chang Foundation Museum 鴻禧美術館, which opened in 1991, is the island's first private Chinese art museum. Although relatively small, with only about 16,000 square feet of exhibition space, it has an impressive collection that features traditional painting, exquisite porcelain, and other ceramics. This museum also holds exhibitions in cooperation with museums on the Chinese mainland. Galleries The number of galleries in Taiwan has grown tremendously from a single enterprise, the Lungmen Gallery 龍門畫廊 in 1975, to about 150 galleries. Lungmen Gallery has retained its prominence among the galleries and shows works by artists from both Taiwan and overseas. The Hanart Gallery 漢雅軒, which has a home gallery in Hong Kong, has also played an important role in promoting Taiwan's younger generation of artists. Other prominent galleries include the Galerie Elegance 愛力根畫廊; the Eslite Gallery 誠品畫廊; the Taiwan Gallery 臺灣畫廊, and Home Gallery 家畫廊, which focus on contemporary art; and the Caves Art Center 敦煌藝術中心 and the Pristine Harmony Art Center 清韻藝術中心, which focus on Chinese ink paintings by both traditional and contemporary artists. IT Park 伊通公園, on the other hand, is an alternative gallery for non-commercial artists and provides a much-needed venue for installation and performing artists. Several galleries in central and southern Taiwan have established themselves in the art market. Some of the best known include Gallery Pierre 臻品藝術中心, East Gallery 東之畫廊, and Modern Art Gallery 現代藝術空間 in Taichung; New Phase Art Space 新生態藝術環境 in Tainan; the Up Gallery 阿普畫廊 and Duchamp Gallery 杜象藝術中心 in Kaohsiung; and Venus Gallery 維納斯藝廊 in Hualien 花蓮. The increase in art galleries around the island has been partly due to the great expansion of art collecting in the 1980s, which in turn has been driven by growth of the stock and real estate markets. Taiwan collectors are also active in the art markets in Hong Kong and New York, prompting such high-profile auction houses as Sotheby's and Christie's to provide previews of their Hong Kong and New York auctions in Taiwan. Both houses have held auctions in Taiwan beginning in the early 1990s, with varying degrees of success. Both have focused primarily on traditional Chinese painting and works by Taiwan's Japanese-trained impressionists, such as Chen Cheng-po, whose 1931 painting Sunset at Tamsui 黃昏淡水 (see section on Painting) was sold by Sotheby's for US$380,000 in 1993, a record-breaking price for a contemporary Chinese painting. Another major development has been the annual Taipei Art Fair International 臺北國際藝術博覽會, which began in 1992 and promotes the local art market both regionally and internationally. Organized by the ROC Art Galleries Association 中華民國畫廊協會, the 1997 fair included 45 galleries from the ROC, the United States, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Finland. Copyright (C) May 2001, Government Information Office. All rights reserved. Site design by L.F. Lee Best viewed with Netscape 4.x or IE 5.x (medium font) at 800 x 600 True Color (32 bit) resolution