Continuation – Special Exhibition of LI Chun-Shen Modern Painting Award Winners: National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts

Curator / Shu-Ping Shih

Dedicated to avant-garde art and development of young artists, Chun-Shen Li is acclaimed as the “pioneer of Chinese avant-garde art.” His Modern Painting Atelier was home to many artists who later became key members of the Oriental Painting Association. They left behind memorable achievements in Taiwan’s art history as well as significant influence on the development of modern art in Taiwan. In memory of their great master, Chun-Shen Li’s students spared no effort in promoting modern paintings to carry out Li’s will. Finally, Chun-Shen Li Modern Painting Foundation was established in 1985. In addition to organizing exhibitions and publishing catalogues of Chun-Shen Li’s works, the Foundation is aimed at developing new talents in modern painting. Since 1989, Chun-Shen Li Foundation Modern Painting Awards has been given every other year with two categories - Achievement Awards and Talent Awards to recognize and encourage Taiwanese artists.

Chun-Shen Li Foundation Modern Painting Awards has been given for 11 times. The winners Chin Hsiao, Hsing-Wan Chen, Kuo-Sung Liu, Ming-Te Lu, Yan Hsia, Ava Hsueh, Sheng-Song Chen, Shiou-Ping Liao, Chiung-Ming Cheng, Hung-The Huang, Kan Ho, Tien-Chang Wu, Yi-Chuan Lee, Ting-Shi Chen, Ya-Lun Tao, Mao-Lin Yang, Che Chuang, Han-Tung Chiang, Ruey-Shiann Shyu, Wei-Kuo Kuo, Huang-Ti Lin, Chien-Hsing Lien, Yong-Ning Tzeng, Jin-Hua Shi, Chien-Jung Chen, Shun-Chu Chen, and Tang-Fa Tang are passing down to future generations Chun-Shen Li’s ideal to promote modern paintings in Taiwan.

In 1998, Chun-Shen Li Modern Painting Foundation signed a contract with the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts to donate Chun-Shen Li’s classic works and materials for museum collection. The Foundation hoped that Li’s works will be preserved and his contribution to art development will be studied with the assistance of the public sector.

Over the past decade, the Museum has organized and studied Li’s works and materials as well as hosted the following programs, Tribute to Chun-Shen Li (1)─Exhibition of Chun-Shen Li and his Students, Art Movement in a Cafe─Chun-Shen Li’s Art Education Class, An Anthology of Commentaries on Taiwan’s Fine Arts─Chun-Shen Li, Chun-Shen Li’s Small Painting Exhibition, Between Modern and Post-Modern─Chun-Shen Li and Taiwan’s Modern Art. The results have produced academic achievements and made NTMOFA a leading institution on the study of Chun-Shen Li’s works.

As part of the Chun-Shen Li study program, the Museum works with Chun-Shen Li Modern Painting Foundation to launch in March 2010 the exhibition of Chun-Shen Li Modern Painting Award Winners. In addition to highlight the winning works over the past years, the latest development of these winners and their positions in the art world are presented in the exhibition. We hope that visitors will find out the differences and similarities of the winning art works in the context of Taiwan’s modern painting history. Through this exhibition, we hope that the artists will continue with their good work to realize Master Li’s ideal – continual development of modern paintings in Taiwan.