TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – After two years of meticulous preparation, The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s precious collection is in Taiwan for the first time.
Eighty-one masterpieces from Impressionist to early Modernist masters will debut on Saturday at the National Palace Museum's Northern Branch in Taipei. Anticipation is sky-high, with all 100,000 pre-sale tickets already snapped up.
Taipei 101 will light up on Friday and Saturday night to celebrate the grand opening.
"From Impressionism to Modernism: Masterpieces from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," held its opening press conference on Friday.
President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and National Palace Museum Director Hsiao Tsung-huang (蕭宗煌) were in attendance. Lai noted the exhibition hall was a direct result of the "New National Palace Museum Project" he approved during his tenure as premier.
Spanning the mid-19th to 20th century, the exhibition showcases iconic works by names such as Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse, Georges Seurat, Claude Monet, and Paul Gauguin.
The artworks are thoughtfully divided into five thematic zones: body language, portraits and figures, immersed in nature, from city to countryside, and riverside scenery. Approximately 80% of the pieces hail from The Met's distinguished "Robert Lehman Collection," a remarkable 60-year endeavor by American banker Philip Lehman and his son Robert.
Among the standout pieces is Auguste Renoir's "Two Young Girls at the Piano." He captures the tender moment between two girls learning piano with a relaxed style that has a mature grasp of form. This is one of six versions Renoir created, with this particular one acquired by Robert Lehman after World War II.
Paul Cezanne's "Trees and Houses Near the Jas de Bouffan," from the "Artist from Aix," demonstrates the artist’s mastery of bold, block-like strokes to depict rural landscapes. The rough, dark lines of the tree trunks contrast vividly with the warm hues of the distant houses, creating a powerful and structured composition.
Fauvist pioneer Henri Matisse's "Nude in an Armchair" boldly uses stark black outlines to convey the artist's fervent emotions, breaking away from traditional nude portrayals.
Meanwhile, Post-Impressionist Paul Gauguin's "Tahitian Women Bathing" is a significant work from his time in Tahiti, where he sought refuge from European life in what he considered a "primitive land." This painting, featuring a nude figure with her back to the viewer, exemplifies his "cloisonnism" technique through vivid colors and strong contrasts, rich with metaphor and symbolism.
The exhibition runs from June 14 to Oct. 12.
(Taiwan News, Lyla Liu video)
