The preparatory office for a national museum of modern art will begin operation March 25 to coincide with Taiwan’s National Fine Art Day, the Ministry of Culture said March 18.
According to MOC Minister Li Yuan, the museum will be the second national fine art museum and the first dedicated to the archiving, collection, exhibition, promotion and research of Taiwan’s modern art.
Li said since the government launched the “Reconstructing the History of Art in Taiwan” project in 2018, tremendous progress has been made in enhancing public appreciation and understanding of Taiwan’s fine art landscape.
The minister said there were many calls to establish such a facility focusing on modern art and support was shown through signing pledges and donating art from personal collections, he added.
After consultation with ministries, local governments and other stakeholders, and taking into account the work necessary to accomplish such a tremendous task, the MOC and Tainan City Government reached an agreement to provide Tainan Art Museum Building 2 as the site for the future museum, the ministry said.
Designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, TAM-2 is a five-story building with a pentagon-shaped roof inspired by the official tree of Tainan city, royal poinciana, noted for its fern-like leaves and flamboyant orange-red flowers.
The MOC said it hopes to complete research, planning and legal foundations for the new museum within two years, adding that the new museum will display domestic art from 1895 to 1960 for its permanent exhibition. (SFC-E)
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