To offer broader public access to artworks and cultural materials from the period of Japanese rule, the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (NTMoFA) launched three collections on March 23 that present a well-rounded overview of how Taiwan's visual arts evolved during the first half of the 20th century.
Comprising 17 volumes that provide readers with informative portraits of that era, the three collections are:
- Ten reproductions of "Taiwan Fine Arts Exhibition (臺灣美術展覽會)" catalogues from 1927 to 1936
- Six reproductions of "Governor-General's Art Exhibition (臺灣總督府美術展覽會)" catalogues from 1938 to 1943
- One special volume titled "Revisiting Japanese-era Art Exhibitions of Taiwan (臺府展圖錄復刻別冊)" encompassing catalogues from 1927 to 1943 and additional analysis
During the period of Japanese rule, by the time a new art movement was under way, there were no art colleges in Taiwan. Events like the Taiwan Fine Arts Exhibition therefore served as a forum where art enthusiasts traded ideas and young artists were given a chance to shine on stage.
From 1927 to 1936, the Taiwan Education Association (臺灣教育會) had been the organizer of the Taiwan Fine Arts Exhibition. In 1938, the education bureau under the Government-General of Taiwan, the highest governing body at that time, took over and held the annual event for the next six years.
Featuring colored photographs of displayed items at the annual events, the 16 yearly catalogues were brought to life by modern digital technology and advanced printing techniques. They now serve as crucial materials showing the aesthetic achievements of this specific Taiwanese period.
The special volume, meanwhile, identifies the elements of Taiwan's art evolution under Japanese rule by presenting a list of items from the 16 exhibitions in both Mandarin and Japanese, timelines of the exhibition's major events, historical photos, and more than 100 colored copies of displayed paintings that have been preserved.
The collections stem from a project called "
Return of the Taiwan Fine Arts Exhibition: Classic Paintings Revisited (臺展復刻‧經典再現)." Organized by the NTMoFA, the project is part of the Ministry of Culture's "Reconstruction of Taiwan's Art History" initiative documenting the nation's progression in the arts and preserving such history and culture under the central government's Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program.
NTMoFA director Lin Chi-ming (林志明) explained that the project seeks to offer more comprehensive perspectives on Taiwan's art development. Hsiao Chong-ray (蕭瓊瑞), editor and chief writer of the special volume, added that the new collections underscore how the government and private sectors value such research on the nation's art history.