Enterprises in Taiwan are shaping the future of art, working with public and private stakeholders to bring inspiration to the masses.
For centuries, the development of art has been just as much a commercial activity as a cultural one, with many of the world’s most renowned artists employed, patronized, or sponsored by the business leaders of the times. Imagine the Italian Renaissance without the Medici family’s financial backing or New York’s Museum Mile without the Guggenheim. It’s easy to see how the involvement of private individuals and organizations has shaped the development of art.
Despite the early patronage systems that supported artists and creatives in developing their craft, the definition of art and the decision about what merits preservation have historically been controlled by governmental authorities. The national collections of Europe, often started by a monarch or nobleperson, can now be seen in institutions such as the Louvre and London’s National Gallery. Institutions such as these operate with a degree of independence but typically remain under the oversight of government agencies. Taiwan’s most visited museum, the National Palace Museum, similarly traces its history back to the imperial collection of China’s emperors. It’s organized with direct oversight by the Ministry of Culture.
Bureaucratic supervision can conflict with the concept of art for art’s sake, as government influence and involvement can restrict an institution’s ability to operate freely, focusing on visitor numbers as one of the only metrics worth pursuing. Institutions are also constrained by their ability to spend funds on adding to their collections, resulting in static exhibits that rarely change. But for privately owned museums and galleries, things can be handled a bit differently.
Situated within Tainan Metropolitan Park in rural Tainan, Chimei Museum’s distinctive neoclassical dome appears behind the factories and fields as you drive along Provincial Highway 86. Reportedly costing NT$2 billion (US$61.4 million) to build, the structure is the permanent home of the private collection of Chimei Group founder Hsu Wen-lung.
In a press conference held in May to announce artworks loaned to Chimei Museum, Director of the United Kingdom’s National Gallery Gabriele Finaldi noted that the gallery chose Chimei as its first Taiwanese institution partner.
Chimei, Finaldi said, was chosen with confidence due to having previously worked with other UK institutions, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, and for its solid reputation in the art world. The exhibition – “Masterpieces from the National Gallery, London” – featuring 52 pieces by Édouard Manet, Raphael, Rembrandt, and Vincent van Gogh, is designed to replicate the experience of visitors to the galleries in London and runs until September 1.
In a written response to TOPICS, Chimei Museum said its founding principle is to “provide a platform for the public to access cultural history from across the globe.” In seeking international collaborations, the museum evaluates touring exhibition opportunities worldwide, and actively reaches out to potential partners to bring exciting exhibitions to Taiwan and broaden the public’s global perspective.
In contrast, public institutions often cannot attempt large-scale collaborations with museums abroad. The National Palace Museum in 2017 announced an exhibition of Egyptian antiquities to great fanfare but could only display six mummies on loan from the British Museum.
Learning curve
“Private museums and art galleries are able to operate more freely and are therefore more flexible and nimbler in what they exhibit,” says Huang Shan-shan, director of Jut Art Museum (JAM).
JAM, affiliated with architectural design and construction conglomerate Jut Land Development, focuses on three major themes: urban architecture, contemporary art, and what the museum calls “future issues.” Established in 2016 at the intersection of Civic Boulevard and Jianguo South Road in central Taipei, the museum is the culmination of more than a decade of efforts by the Jut Foundation for Arts and Architecture (JFAA). The foundation guided its parent company’s endeavors in developing and displaying artwork. Its 2007 inaugural exhibition, “Museum of Tomorrow,” featured a giant countdown clock visible to commuters traveling east along Civic Boulevard.
“It was very important for us to go through this process, working with other museums and institutions to learn how to establish a museum that would resonate with the public,” says Huang. She cites Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, Chimei Museum, and Taipei’s Hong-gah Museum as role models for JAM. However, given the modest size of Taiwan’s art scene, Jut sustains connections with publicly funded galleries and museums throughout the country. “It is a close-knit community. Everyone knows everyone else but there is a culture of sharing experiences and suggestions to help each other out.”
Further institutional knowledge was gained through temporary exhibitions, forums and talks, and collaborations with the public sector. Working with the Taipei City Government, JFAA assumed responsibility for the management of U-mkt near the city’s Longshan Temple. Built in 1935, the U-shaped building originally served as a food market before falling into years of abandonment. It has since been restored.
Inside are exhibition and performance spaces, a coffee shop, and space for entrepreneurs to work and interact with each other. Outside stands a neat, wooden Japanese-inspired teahouse, in stark juxtaposition to the rough-and-tumble appearance of the architecture found in this part of Taipei’s Wanhua district. The inside of the “U” has also become a favorite of Instagrammers, helping to breathe new life into this previously neglected landmark.
With a focus on the built environment, JAM aims to redefine and start conversations with the urban architecture found in Taiwanese cities. Huang says that there are historical reasons why cities here look untidy. “Back then, people didn’t have much money, and the focus was on economic growth. Appearance was an afterthought.” Now JAM wants to draw people’s attention to the benefits of designing public spaces and urban environments with beauty in mind.
The foundation built the necessary knowledge to open the museum through collaborations and exhibitions. “These experiences over the past 10 years have helped us hone our operations, but also helped cultivate a new type of art museum visitor, one that would be willing to attend ticketed exhibitions,” Huang explains.
A museum for all
Community engagement has become a crucial method by which companies and their art foundations strive to foster a deeper appreciation for and understanding of art. Chinatrust Foundation for Arts and Culture, owned by the eponymous banking group, was set up in 1996 to stimulate Taiwan’s art and cultural environment and elevate cultural literacy among the general public. Originally focusing on theater production, the foundation expanded its remit in 2015 by including visual arts and art education.
The foundation says its biannual Painting Prize, established in 2021, is dedicated to uplifting young and mid-career artists and places no restrictions on form, theme, or size. In 2024, 802 submissions were received by the panel of judges, with 17 selected for exhibition at Taipei’s Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts. Five of these works were eventually acquired as part of the foundation’s permanent collection, demonstrating the continual drive to develop contemporary painting through corporate support.
Similarly, Huang says JAM not only curates existing works from established artists but also actively works to commission them, supporting artists financially and offering them an additional incentive to work with the museum.
Meanwhile, Chimei’s approach to displaying its collection echoes the belief of its founder, Hsu, that, “quality artifacts should be shared and appreciated by a broader audience, providing not only personal tastes but an approach accessible to the masses.”
The museum can display over 4,000 pieces at one time across four categories: Fine Arts, Musical Instruments, Arms & Armor, and Natural History & Fossils. The museum reportedly contains the world’s largest collection of violins, including priceless examples by Antonio Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesù.
The parent company first ventured into the art world in 1989 by launching the Chimei Arts Award. Over the years, this initiative has funded the work of 365 individuals, providing a total of NT$1.3 billion in support.
Banking on art
Opened in May 2024, the Fubon Art Museum has brought a much-needed cultural element to Taipei’s Xinyi district. Known primarily for its towering office blocks – including the iconic Taipei 101 – and supposedly the world’s highest density of shopping malls, the area noticeably lacks space dedicated to art and culture.
Occupying a plot of land next to its parent company Fubon Financial Holding Co.’s new headquarters, the Fubon Art Museum includes an expansive plaza in front of the main building featuring outdoor installations and native Taiwanese plants that provide versatile spaces for education and recreation.
The museum says visitors can expect a more intimate and relaxing atmosphere when entering the new facilities than they would at most art museums, with music softly piped into the exhibition spaces and common areas to enhance the viewing experience. Fubon collaborated with Taiwanese musician Zong Chiang to compose pieces inspired by the artworks of French sculpturer Auguste Rodin, who features as the star of the museum’s inaugural exhibition “Rodin and the Age of Impressionism.”
Organized in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), which lent the museum some of its extensive impressionist collection, Fubon has brought to Taipei many of Rodin’s most famous works such as The Shade, as well as paintings of his contemporaries Paul Cėzanne, Claude Monet, and Auguste Renoir.
The exhibition runs until September 23 and is arranged with large backdrops of Parisian street scenes and gardens to contextualize the works in their original, intended environments. Fubon Art Museum chooses Rodin and Impressionism as their first exhibition, because like that movement, the museum hopes to be an innovative and creative addition to Taipei’s art world.
On the third floor, visitors can explore pieces from Fubon’s permanent collection, which has been assembled by three generations of the Tsai family, the owners of Fubon. The art on show features modern works by Taiwanese and international artists who have either worked or lived overseas. These works, the museum says, inform the continued additions to the collection. Family members are heavily involved in curating artworks and travel extensively to source and purchase new additions to the collection.
Like JAM, Fubon says privately run institutions offer greater autonomy and flexibility than their publicly funded cousins. Fubon can independently set exhibition themes, ensuring visitors a diverse visual experience, and is free to charge a premium for elevated experiences. Beyond collaborations like those with LACMA, the museum also runs educational programs that cater to a wide range of ages, providing both fun and depth. This approach extends beyond cooperation with other art institutions to integration across all subsidiaries of the Fubon Group.
As Taiwan’s private museums and art foundations continue to redefine the art scene, they not only enhance the country’s cultural fabric but also demonstrate a commitment to making art accessible and engaging. Whether through historical exhibits, international collaborations, or community-focused initiatives, they ensure that art remains a vital and vibrant part of everyday life.
