TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Dubbed Taiwan's most beautiful host, veteran singer, and artist Bai Jia-li (白嘉莉), 75, maintains her elegance and beauty through art.
At the opening of "Bai Jia-li's Beautiful World Art Exhibition" on Thursday (Nov. 2), former Taichung Mayor Hu Chih-chiang (胡志強) described Bai as an artist delayed by her acting career. Bai began her career in show business after winning a high school singing competition.
She interviewed guests on her television show in English, Japanese, and French, setting a precedent. She also hosted classic singing programs on CTV such as "The Star Club" and released five albums, earning the title of "the most beautiful host."
Bai married an Indonesian businessman 45 years ago and retired from show business to live in Indonesia. After her husband passed away, she returned to Taiwan in 2020.
Bai has held a number of art exhibitions, including a solo exhibition at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in 2020 and Art Taipei in 2022. Her latest solo show, divided into four sections, features over 100 pieces from four decades.
Bai's paintings are known for their vibrant colors and fluent brushstrokes. She has experimented with mediums, from watercolor to oil paintings, and animals, flowers, and fruits are common themes in her paintings.
About 10% of the paintings were sold on the first day of the exhibition. Prices ranged from NT$30,000 (US$927) to NT$1 million.
Visitors gaze upon Bai Jia-li's ink painting "Portrait of a Beauty." (Taiwan News, Lyla Liu photo)
Bai's 1980 calligraphy painting "Portrait of a Beauty" is a copy of Zhang Daqian's manuscript. That painting was priced at NT$2 million and has already been acquired by a collector.
Bai met Zhang on her TV show. After Zhang finished the show, he gave her the draft to copy and praised her for her artistic talent.
The most expensive painting is "Love (Water Dance Swans)," painted on Japanese paper using traditional Chinese heavy color. Bai was inspired by her pet swans in Indonesia, as the painting depicts two swans playing in the water and is priced at NT$4,800,000.
The exhibition runs until Nov. 12 on the ninth floor of Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Taipei Xinyi Store A9. Fans will have the chance to take photos and interact with Bai on weekends.