Four well-known museums have come together during the Taichung World Flora Exposition to host the joint exhibition "Flowers of Immense Charm," which spans both institutions and countries to show the public the diverse faces of flora in art.
"Flowers of Immense Charm — A Masterpiece Exhibition by Four Major Museums" will have its grand opening on Oct. 6 at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts. The exhibition includes 168 pieces, with 40 coming from the National Palace Museum, 25 from the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum, 30 from Chimei Museum, 53 from the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, and 20 on loan from various Taiwanese modern artists. Bringing together works that capture the different characters and research focuses of these four museums, the exhibition will also showcase the different cultures and worldviews of Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, and Western artists.
The pieces from the National Palace Museum reflect peerless craftsmanship and the varying cultural tastes of periods past. The museum has chosen several national treasures for the exhibition, with the hope of capturing another side of the NPM through a different cultural context. These include a "lotus-style" warming bowl with celadon glaze from the Northern Song Dynasty, an 18th-century carved rhinoceros horn incense stand in the form of a plum tree from the Qing Dynasty, and a piece of calligraphy from "The Illustrated Edition of the Book of Odes" by the Qianlong Emperor. This selection highlights the unique paintings and utensils in the museum's collection.
The Tokyo Fuji Art Museum has selected iconic pieces of traditional Japanese art with the aim of introducing it to Taiwanese audiences. The exhibition will feature national treasures like large-panel paintings from the Kano school from between the 17th and 19th centuries and iconic prints and ukiyo-e paintings from the Edo period. These include the five-panel piece "The Cherry Blossom Scenery in Shin'yoshiwara" by Utagawa Toyokuni, which showcases both the aesthetics and lifestyle of the Edo period.
The Chimei Museum is famous for its wealth of Western art and items. For this exhibition, they have selected fine paintings, furniture, musical instruments, and ornaments, spotlighting Western classics and their incorporation of myth and their symbolic interpretations of life and the universe. Among these treasured pieces is "Dionysia" by 19th-century French painter of the Academic Classicism school Pierre Auguste Cot.
The National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts is focused on the collection of and research into both modern and contemporary Taiwanese art. In addition to "Lotus Pond," a national treasure by painter Lin Yushan, this exhibition will also feature pieces by Lin Chih-chu, Kuo Hsueh-hu, Shiy De-jinn, Lee Shih-chiao, Wu Hao, Liao Chi-chun, Yan Ming-hui, Wu Tian-chang, and Etan Pavavalung. Additionally, contemporary installations and digital imagery by artists such as Huang Lan-ya, Jun T. Lai, and Lin Jiun-ting will add a lively, modern atmosphere to the exhibition.
With so many precious national treasures to be shown, the pieces will be on show in two stages to protect these priceless items and artworks, with the second stage commencing on Dec. 11 in Taichung City.
‘Flowers of Immense Charm — A Masterpiece Exhibition by Four Major Museums’