In the two decades since the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (NTMOFA) first opened its doors, the Museum has established a broad perspective based on the foundation of Taiwan’s art history that informs the Museum’s task of displaying, archiving, researching and promoting our exhibits. Each work of art in our collection of over 13 thousand individually reflects both the styles and the prevailing societal culture of their eras. Together, they reconstruct a visual representation of Taiwan’s artistic development in the 20th Century. Our collection is truly one of Taiwan’s most important artistic treasuries.

With a collection as rich as this, but bound by the limits of time and space, many of these singular works of Taiwan’s art history are only able to make brief appearances to the throngs who come specifically to see them. In view of this, during the Nation’s centenary celebrations this year, NTMOFA has put together a special exhibition, entitled “Unique Vision: Highlights from the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts Collection,” that features 31 classic works of art from the Museum’s collection that best represent and are most indicative of the past century of developments in Taiwanese art history. We hope that through this exhibition, the public will gain a depth of understanding for and be moved by the allure of Taiwanese art.

The caliber and comprehensiveness of a fine arts museum’s collection is often an indicator of the style, category and nature of the institution. World­renown museums make a name for themselves based on their collection of works of art, and their permanent exhibitions are displays of the museum’s solid foundation. Hence, as we at NTMOFA inspect and research our archive of artworks to curate this “Unique Vision: Highlights from the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts Collection” exhibition, every effort was made to represent the achievements of Taiwanese artists over the past century. Our hopes are that, through these 31 works, the viewing public will become aware of the life experiences of each artist, the uniqueness of their work, and their unshakeable status in as well as their contribution to the culture of arts in Taiwan. These works will be presented as a permanent exhibit so that those who have anappreciation for and interest in Taiwanese art will have ample opportunity to approach these works of art that represent highlights in Taiwan’s century of art history. We at NTMOFA will continue in this same spirit as we updated the “Unique Vision” permanent exhibition in the future, and as we establish this as one of the Museum’s core tasks

Director, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts

After more than two decades since its opening, the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts now boasts a rich collectionof over 14,000 pieces of artwork. Centring around the historical development of Taiwanese art, the exhibition aims toilluminate the proactive evolution and spirit behind many iconic oeuvres. With regards to the exhibition format, weintend to break away from the accustomed curatorial approach; the artworks are presented in their own right,emphasising their distinct responses under different historical and geographical influences.

Art movements are often symbolic of the outlook and spectacles of a society. An artwork is not only stylistic imagery,but also a phenomenological representation of the zeitgeist. In recent years, many art exhibitions are curated on thebasis of themes, which imply prescriptive interpretations. In this exhibition, the artworks are curated with a minimumof preconception, in the hope that they may speak for themselves, to elucidate their own ideas and stances.

Founded on this belief, in March 2011 the Museum opened “Unique Vision: Highlights from the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts Collection,” a fête of 31 artworks of excellence warmly received by the general public. Again in 2012 we present “Unique Vision II,” a further selection of 51 masterworks in diverse genres. In addition to showcasing the classics from the recent past, “Unique Vision II” intends to set a new benchmark, introducing the varied paths and approaches undertaken in the progressive history of Taiwanese art. It is our wish that the audience, while admiring artists’ individual efforts, may gain some insight into the beauty and significance of Taiwan’s culture.

Director, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts

Despite straying from the Confucian Middle Way, the “assassins” chronicled in the “Biography of the Assassins” inSima Qian’s Shi Ji (or Book of History) are nonetheless lauded by history. Their behavior is extreme, but theiradherence to ideals and even willingness to die for them, along with their chivalrous code of conduct, is admirableand inspiring. Yet even though not all such figures achieve fame or end up going down in the annals of history, theirunbending sprit can nonetheless inspire greatness, and figures with the “pioneering” spirit attributable to theassassins can have a unique impact in any realm. This is certainly true in the fine arts world, and the Taiwanese finearts realm has not lacked figures imbued with this pioneering spirit over the course of its development. Their stylesmight not fall neatly into the mainstream, yet they nevertheless deserve our attention for their contributions to thedevelopment of fine arts.

For some time now the interpretation of fine arts history has habitually ordered or based discourse on the prevailing thought of each era. Since the 1990s investigation of Taiwanese fine arts has taken a largely chronological approach, essentially establishing a complete structure for research. However, fine arts development in each era is composed of artists of all kinds of descriptions, so that outsiders and iconoclasts exist in addition to the mainstream, committed to their ideals and self­realization over the decades. In the effort to engage in a more complete examination of Taiwanese fine arts development, the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts has undertaken analysis of the individual styles of various artists outside the mainstream, grouping artists that have adhered to their ideals and walked their own path outside prevailing trends under the title of “The Pioneers” and making it an exhibition theme.

The course of Taiwanese fine art history in the post­war era was strongly shaped by changes in the political climate. This brought about the mixing and clashing of diverse population groups and cultures, and the new generation of artists trained and working against this background solidified the thriving diversity of post­war Taiwanese fine arts. The sheer breadth and magnitude of new voices emerging within just a short period was astonishing, ranging from the abstract painting of the 1950s to the compound media of the 1960s and the Nativist Realism of the 1970s, showing a major shift approximately every decade. With these changes, Taiwanese fine arts no longer progressed in lockstep with major government­sponsored art exhibitions, and young artists with “pioneering” spirit seeking to find their voice and fulfill lofty ideals of creating something new deserve a proper look

In the effort to highlight the significance of the new generation of artists within each era for their dedication and individual style, the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts has conceived a series of “Pioneers” exhibitions for sequential presentation by decade, from 1931 to 1980. Each individual exhibition highlights the uniqueness and influence of artists born in a given decade in hopes that these exhibitions under the banner of the “Pioneers” will inspire a new level of consideration and reflection within the established mature study of Taiwanese fine artsdevelopment.

Director, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts

Extended Reading

Breaking Ground:The Shaping and Stylistic Distinction of Taiwan’s“Pioneer”Generation of Artists / MingHsien Lin

Curator: PAN Hsien­Jen (Member of the Research Team, NTMoFA)

“The Pioneers” exhibition series presented by the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts focuses on artists born between 1931 and 1980 to showcase their individual styles and depict the face of fine arts in post­World War II Taiwan. The featured artists are grouped into six “Nianji” (meaning grader in Chinese) according to their decade of birth, to be presented in a sequential series of exhibitions. Given the fast development of fine arts in Taiwan in postwar years, a brief 60­plus years on the axis of history, dividing the period along the lines of a typical “generation” of 30 years would cover too large a swath to appropriately illustrate the artists’ distinctive styles and attributes. With this in mind, the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts places the term “grader” that has gained broad currency throughout Taiwanese society in recent years within the concept of “generation,” to organize exhibitions by “graders”ordered by decade to fully reflect the multifarious and rapidly changing face of Taiwanese fine art across the timeline of this period.

Apart from arrangement by “class,” this exhibition series features artists from each generation that embody the character of “pioneers” to illustrate their individuality. These pioneers possess the qualities illustrated in the “Biography of the Assassins” chapter of the Shi Ji (or Book of History), such as defiance, willingness to die for their beliefs, and perseverance that can even drive them to change the course of history. In this sense, this exhibition series endeavors to select artists from each “class” that have made long­term artistic efforts and whose spirits echo those legendary assassins. By examining their unique and innovative artistic expression, individualism, and iconic character this series highlights the distinctiveness of Taiwanese fine arts and offers an alternative interpretation of fine arts development in Taiwan during this period.

A total of 20 Taiwanese artists born between 1941 and 1950 are selected for this exhibition. By highlighting the characteristics and social significance of their artworks, we hope to present the times they lived through, as well as how they managed to craft a window for the art of Taiwan with their unique thoughts and persistence during those times and why they decided to do so. The “thirdgrader” artists were born around the end of World War II. They were the first post­war generation to be educated and grow up in Taiwan.

It was also during the 1970s—the artists’ early adulthood, when Taiwan experienced major political crises and diplomatic failures that the public was inspired to reflect on the society of Taiwan. Although the many rules cast by the totalitarian ruling power remained strict as ever, these artists grew to care more for the local culture by day.

The art community of Taiwan started to reflect upon western art in the 1970s after receiving the new art and modern painting movements in the 1960s. During this time, all of the “third­grader” artists must adjust themselves when ideals and reality clash amidst social changes. Although they were born in the same period of time, they chose very different paths to live their artist’s lives. In retrospect, the breakthroughs and changes of art could not have taken place without these artists who are persistent in fulfilling their ideals even if this means going against the mainstream. It is these artists who make their pioneering voices heard beyond their times, in the meantime accumulating endless power for developing the diversified art of Taiwan in days to come.

Director, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts

Extended Reading

Pioneering art revolutionists: the “third­grader” artists in Taiwan (1941-­1950)

Curator: PAN Hsien­Jen (Member of the Research Team, NTMoFA)

Since the end of the Second World War, the art in Taiwan has demonstrated complex and diverse features. The ongoing transformation and circulation of the art development is closely related to the synchrony between the social/political/economic trends and the cultural changes. On the other hand, artists’ persistent devotion to and thenon­stop pursuit of ones’ dream as well as the courage and the determination of their self­fulfillment are the key points to expand the vision of Taiwanese art. Since 2013, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts has organized a series of exhibitions –“The Pioneers” of Taiwanese Artists featuring artists born between 1931 and 1980 who are still working in the field. The exhibition is based upon the acknowledgment of the artists and the academic significance of the artworks. The recommended artists are categorized by decades (from the “second graders,” who were born between 1931­1940, to the “sixth­graders,” who were born between 1971 and 1980), while their “pioneering spirits” are spotted to show how their independent and unique artistic practice opens up a different horizon of Taiwan’s art.

After NTMoFA presented the exhibitions of the second­grader artists and the third­grader artists we continue organizing “The Pioneers” of Taiwanese Artists, 1951­1960, which is also the third exhibitions in this series. The fourth­grader artists are the first­generation who were born during the Martial Law period in Taiwan. They enteredthis professional field of art­making during the 1980s, when Taiwan departed from the Martial Law period toward a more liberated society. It was during this period of time that the political and economic situation of Taiwan faced the challenge to open itself to the world, the press ban was lifted, and the pre­existing system started to collapse. As a response to the society, the artistic expression in the 1980s experienced significant change. Overwhelmed by the revolutionary spirits shared by the whole society, the fourth­grader artists were more radial and outspoken than theprevious generations. Through art­making, they made their voices heard as a response to the contemporary time. They also adopted a sharp perspective to reflect and to examine the social, historical, political, environmental, or humanity­related subjects. They belong to a generation with courage to challenge the pre­existing rules of artmaking,and there are always skillful ones in each artist’s specialized field.

Among the twenty selected “pioneering” artists in the exhibition, some of them are the outstanding ones who lead the trend; some of them have concentrated on specific styles or subjects throughout their artistic practices; while some of the artists are detached from the popular trend to continuously work on their own artistic exploration with consistent aesthetics. Their backgrounds and artistic expressions differ, but each of them truthfully practices one’s own faith in art. The unique and vivid artistic practice of each artist helps establish the diversity of Taiwan’s contemporary art.

“The Pioneers” of Taiwanese Artists attempts to provide a generation­based perspective to examine the art history in post­war Taiwan. If we identify the artists’ pursuit of creativity and their established styles as the common spirit running through the whole exhibition series, each artist indeed adopts a completely different way to make a breakthrough. Different life experiences in the similar spacetime situations show different artistic pursuit. Based on “generation,” “The Pioneers” of Taiwanese Artists hopes to offer another way to interpret Taiwanese art and to recommend excellent artists with unique artistic expressions through the reading and the discovering of various artistic practices.

Director, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts

Extended Reading

Made in Taiwan — the Creative Endeavors and Artistic Explorations of the Pioneering “Fourth­Grader” Artists

Curator: TSAI Chao­Yi

The convergence of an era, a generation and its environs can leave indelible marks on the advancement of art. It not only gives endless inspirations to a certain culture of a certain time and place, but also provides an open stage for artists who are ready to express their strengths. The Taiwanese art in the post­WWII period experienced all of the above, and its course of development has become a legend. Out of a solid foundation built during the Japanese Occupation, the Taiwanese art has continued to practice more different visual languages and aesthetic beliefs.Despite the passing of time, its groundbreaking spirit remains high. Step by step, it strides towards a contemporary period of pride and elation.

Believing that we must bring the Taiwanese art forward, we delved into the course and historical background of the post­war art movement in Taiwan and launched The Pioneers of Taiwanese Artists exhibitions in 2013. The serial exhibitions are themed by time periods. Starting with the “second­grader” artists born in the 20s according to the Republic of China calendar, we have since then presented the works of the third and the fourth­grader artists. So far, three respective exhibitions have taken place. Taking every ten years as a period, we show how art in Taiwan has changed rapidly and grown to be more diverse since it pulled itself together from the blaze of war. We believe that the declining old languages of art can still shed new lights when they meet the emerging new forces. Thus, “the pioneers of Taiwanese artists” for us are those who can find touching elements out of an era’s core in addition to expressing themselves through art. They are the writers of the brisk, bright and innovative chapters of the story of art, on the island of Taiwan that rests on a dancing ocean.

In continuation of the curatorial concepts of the other Pioneers of Taiwanese Artists exhibitions, the “fifth­grader” exhibition focus on 22 selected artists born between 1961 and 1970. According to the themes, form, aesthetics and philosophies, and the artistic medium, some of their outstanding works are chosen and displayed. These artists embarked their career journey in the mid/late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, which are the beginning of a truly “contemporary” period of the Taiwanese art. During this time, numerous languages of art flourished like never before. New aesthetic concepts, when meeting the existing value systems, also sparked ardent discussions while respectively gaining solid ground. A myriad of schools of thoughts contended against one another, and their influence has spread on until today. The “fifth­grader” artists have therefore experienced things that the previous generations have not. Because they were given the opportunity to unban, release and reinvent genres, themes, methods and perspectives, they were able to grasp and participate in modern life, to explore their cultural identities and views, to reflect on and analyze the essence of art, to pursue the experimentality of art with dedication, and to try out a variety of artistic medium as they move forward. They dare to and are bound to voice for themselves.

Looking into history, the changes and deepening of art of a certain period often rely on the unremitting effort of creative artists and their will to explore new frontiers. The Pioneers of Taiwanese Artists exhibitions have embodied just that. By introducing the works of the selected great artists, especially the universals and particulars of their works influenced by times, we shall not only be able to bear witness to the cultural development of Taiwan in several different eras, but also find alternative ways to analyze the evolutions of the Taiwanese art through the remarkable lives of the artists and their unique works. It is also hoped that, by holding The Pioneers of Taiwanese Artists exhibitions and studying the selected artists’ works, we can find new gateways to writing the history of Taiwanese art.

Director, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts

Extended Reading

The Will to Experiment: On the Universals and Particulars of the Art by Contemporary “Fifth­grader” Artists

Curator: CHANG Cheng­Lin

The Pioneers of Taiwanese Artists exhibitions were curated by the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts to shed light on the artistic practices of individual artists, and to review how Taiwanese art has responded to times and breaks with norms to reverse existing values. 

Art in Taiwan has been faced with major social and cultural changes since year 2000. Earlier on in the 1990s, the lifting of the martial laws already allowed democracy and social movements to prosper, and resulted in more diverse development of society. Conventions started to falter, and boundaries between the superior and the inferior, the mainstream and the marginal, and the urban and the countryside were blurred. Structural changes appeared, too. Old values were tested by constructed criticism, although a new set of values had yet been formed. At such times of change, the artists born in the 70s also marched into a new artistic era, while dealing with the issues emerging in a globalized world. 

“Diversity” and “mobility” found in the works of the artists of this generation are conclusive of the social circumstances that these artists face. These two attributes also reflect the conditions of the contemporary culture and the artists’ fights against traditions and the orthodox represented by a unified, authoritative system. Elusive, disuniting and sometimes self-isolated are the characteristics of these pioneering artists. They question the so-called truths and keep a certain distance from reality. They stress individual awareness and refuse to be assimilated by groups or norms. “Advocacy of the self” and “cross-disciplinary breakthroughs” have therefore become main artistic languages which artists speak. Starting with daily, personal experiences, these artists discover their ties with society. They take experimental approaches to find more kinds of artistic mediums and the topics that may be discussed. Their artistic views and tendencies well reflect the evolution of art’s paradigms in Taiwan, as well as the new artistic thoughts emerged during that time. 

The Pioneers series presents the artists as independent artistic individuals, and describes the historical and social circumstances through art. By delving into the selected artists’ works released between the late 1990s and this year 2014, this exhibition aims to show the artists’ thoughts and actions. Referred to as pioneers, each of the artists develops their aesthetic faiths out of their individual experiences, and thereby encourages us to look on the bright side of life. They help us to see that art can actively participate in the making of history and bring changes to society. We are pleasured to demonstrate their breakthroughs as art continues to advance in Taiwan. 

Director, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts

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Art and Its Discontents
Curator: Iris Shu-Ping HUANG