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| National Palace Museum: July - September, 2001 | |
| Museum Previous Issues | |
| Special Exhibitioin |
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| A Message from the Director: | |
| A Standard for
Exhibits The things that one first encounters upon entering a museum are its exhibits. Thus, exhibits present the public face of the museum and serve as the criteria by which the museum is judged. It is not an exaggeration to say that the primary mission of a museum is the preparation of exhibits. However, museums do not limit themselves to exhibits. If they did, they would be no different than exhibition hall. In other words, museums engage in a great deal of work that lays the foundations for their exhibits and derives from their exhibits, but is not focussed on the exhibits themselves. Just over a year ago, on my first day of work, I presented my colleagues at the Museum with a simple concept of linked ideas: "Collection - Research - Exhibition - Education - Publication," which is to say that a successful exhibit requires a foundation of in-depth research, as well as effective educational promotion, to ensure that it achieves its potential. My colleagues have been very supportive of this concept of exhibit planning and implementation, as demonstrated by the series of academic conferences that they have held over the past year to thoroughly examine and discuss the content of the Museum's new and upcoming special exhibitions. Last November, a two-day connoisserurial and academic conference accompanied the opening of an exhibition of newly-acquired jades. This year's exhibits of the calligraphy and seal carvings of Wang Chunag-wei, the theme of poetry and literature in Chinese art, and Ching biographies of important figures in Taiwanese history have each been invited to attend these symposiums. Although other institutions have adopted this approach to exhibitions, it is nonetheless a new direction for the Museum, one that we intend to continue in the future. Take for instance the summertime teacher training session and major academic conference planned in conjunction with this October's upcoming special exhibition of Yuan dynasty art and culture. Our current emphasis is on finding the best way to link educational promotion with exhibitions. When I speak of "educational promotion", I mean not only tours and training, but also such things as publications. The Museum should diversify its publications - although we produce significant numbers of academic writings and catalogues, the average visitor needs more in the way of introductory guides that provide a non-scholarly perspective on the collection. I often recall the 11th century work Monkey and Cats, by the artist I Yuan-chi, that was featured in last fall's special exhibition of treasured Paintings and Calligraphic Works. I'll never forget the playful spirit of interaction between the monkey and kittens seen in the painting. If we cold write an insightful explanation of this famous work and invite an artist or cartoonist to produce illustrations; even if the final product was only a slim 10-page booklet, I'm sure it would be something that all ages could find appealing. An exhibit is not simply the display of art. Only
when accompanied by scholarly research and education promotion can an art display truly be
termed an ideal "exhibit". In the pursuit of this goal, the Museum
still has much room for improvement. One of the largest problems is the fundamental
inadequacy of our physical facilities, in terms of the lack of suitable conference rooms
and educational space. This physical situation is a clear impediment to providing
ideal exhibits. I sincerely hope that every member of our community will pay careful
consideration to this problem, and help the National Palace Museum transform itself into a
truly modern museum. |
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| Current Information: | |
| New Publications |
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CD-Rom /
Chinese only / Issued March, 2001 This CD is divided into five sections: An Introduction to Enamelware, Virtual Palace, Object Appreciation, Amusements of Heaven and Earth, and the Hall of Treasures. This comprehensive treatment of enamelware provides users the means to both better understand and appreciate this fine art form. Price: NT$450
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| Masterpieces
of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy at the National Palace Museum CD-Rom / Chinese and English / Issued January, 2001 CD-Rom / Chinese and English / Issued January, 2001 / Gift Case: NT$500.00 / Standard:NT$450.00 A special selection of thirty paintings and calligraphic work from the Museum's collection. Contents include a tour of the masterpieces and introduction to the artists, as well as enlargements, information on seals, transcriptions, and a dictionary of the arts terminology. Price: Gift Case - NT$500 / Standard - NT$450
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| The Beauty of
Famous Paintings in the National Palace Museum DVD / Chinese, English, and Japanese / Issued January, 2001 A special selection of twenty-two famous paintings that offers an introduction to the brush-work, composition, color, inscriptions, seals, and colophons of traditional Chinese painting. Price: NT$550
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The National
Palace Museum on the World Wide Web, 2000 Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C. DVD / Chinese, English, Japanese, German, French, Spanish / Issued January, 2001 This DVD includes illustrations and descriptions of a variety of specially selected works from the Museum's Painting and Calligraphy, Antiquities, and Rare Books and Documents collections. It also offers an introduction to the Museum and its publications, as well as a virtual tour of the Museum's exhibition facilities. Price: NT$250 |
| Museum Activities | |
| Academic
Activities Conference on the Prehistoric Jades of the Yellow River Valley  Date: 8/8/2001 Location: National Palace Museum Lecture
and Discussion Series Educational Activities Li Mei-shu's Portraits of the Land and
People Weekend Family Activities Mongol Customs and Lifestyle in the
Yuan Dynasty Movie Presentation Painting and Calligraphy Multi-media
Exhibit |
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| Dynastic Period | |
| Age of the Five Rulers ( ca.
27th - 22nd cent. B.C.) Hsia Dynasty (ca. 22nd - 16th cent. B.C.) Shang Dynasty (16th - 11th cent. B.C.) Western Chou Dynasty (11th - 8th cent. B.C.) Eastern Chou Dynasty (8th - 3rd cent. B.C.) Spring & Autumn Period (8th - 5 th cent. B.C.) Warring States Period (5th - 3rd cent. B.C.) Ch'in Dynasty ( 221 B.C. - 207 B.C.) Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C. - A.D. 8) Eastern Han Dynasty (A.D. 25 - 220) Wei, Chin, Northern & Southern Dynasties (A.D. 220 - 589) Sui Dynasty ( A.D. 581 - 618) T'ang Dynasty (A.D. 618 - 907) Five Dynasties Period (A.D. 907 - 960) Northern Sung Dynasty (A.D. 960 - 1127) Southern Sung Dynasty (A.D. 1127 - 1279) Yuan Dynasty (A.D. 1279 - 1368) Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368 - 1644) Ch'ing Dynasty (A.D. 1644 - 1911) Republic of China ( A.D. 1912 - Present) |
| Museum Previous Issues | |
| All Sources
are from The National Palace Museum Newsletter and Gallery Guide. Copyright (C) National Palace Museum. All Rights Reserved. |
