Culture ministry touts plan for national Tainan museum of fine arts

Taipei, March 18 (CNA) Taiwan's first national museum of contemporary Taiwanese art will soon open in Tainan, southern Taiwan, with a preparatory office set to be established on March 25, the Ministry of Culture (MOC) said Tuesday.

Artists and their families have for many years called for such a museum to be established, to facilitate the research, archiving and display of contemporary Taiwanese art, the MOC quoted Minister of Culture Li Yuan (李遠) as saying in a statement.

Many of them have donated works to the preparatory office after signing a joint statement in support of the plan, Li was quoted as saying.

The Tainan City government has agreed to provide building 2 of the Tainan Art Museum as the site of the planned museum, according to the statement.

The new museum will become the second national museum of fine arts in Taiwan, after the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts in Taichung, the MOC said.

The MOC said that after consulting with the children of late Taiwanese artists and researchers, it has determined that the planned National Tainan Museum of Fine Arts will display contemporary Taiwanese artwork from 1895 to 1960 for its permanent exhibition.

Following its opening, the new museum is expected to free up some space in the Taichung museum, whose exhibition and storage space is under strain having housed a large collection of exhibits since its opening in 1988.

The MOC has not announced when the planned museum will open but said that the Tainan Art Museum will curate exhibitions there this year.