Taiwan President Lai Ching-te attended the opening press conference of the “Masterpieces Exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art” on the 13th, inviting people to visit the National Palace Museum to appreciate the special exhibition spanning a hundred years, and urging the museum not only to deepen its roots locally, but also to step onto the world stage and let the world see Taiwan.
The second exhibition hall of the National Palace Museum’s northern branch underwent a two-year renovation and was officially reopened on the 13th. It is the first time for the Metropolitan Museum of Art from the United States to exhibit at the National Palace Museum, and the exhibition will run from June 14th to October 12th.
In his speech, President Lai Ching-te first thanked the Metropolitan Museum of Art for their support in bringing the treasures to Taiwan for exhibition. He emphasized the significant meaning of this exhibition spanning a hundred years and encouraged all friends across the country not to miss this rare opportunity to visit and see the 81 masterpieces.
President Lai Ching-te mentioned that the National Palace Museum is a significant national asset, whether it has been standing for a century or has been in Taiwan for a decade, it has aged and needs to inject new life. Therefore, during his tenure as the Premier in 2017, he initiated the “New National Palace Museum Plan,” including renovating the main building, renovating the second exhibition hall, constructing a new administrative building, establishing an international tourism network system for museum groups, with a total budget exceeding NT$10 billion (approximately USD 3.35 million), enabling the National Palace Museum to further connect with renowned museums worldwide to make this exhibition happen.
He expressed his hope that the National Palace Museum can learn from the international practices of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the future, not only by deepening roots locally but also by stepping onto the global stage, allowing the world to see Taiwan and bringing the world into Taiwan. He believed this concept would receive strong support from the international community. Lastly, he wished for the successful completion of the exhibition.
Director of the National Palace Museum in Taiwan, Hsiao Tsung-huang, expressed his honor during the historic moment of the National Palace Museum’s centennial founding to collaborate with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and Timely Art Multimedia Company to bring this heavyweight international art feast to Taiwanese audiences. This is the first large-scale exhibition organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Taiwan after nearly 30 years since its last exhibition in 1996 and 1961.
Quincy Houghton, Deputy Director of Exhibitions and International Initiatives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, stated that this exhibition brings together 65 stunning paintings and sketches from the collection of Mr. Robert Lehman, many of which are rare or have never been loaned out, along with 16 selected works from various departments such as European painting, modern and contemporary art, American art, and drawings.
Following this, President Lai and distinguished guests jointly conducted the inauguration ceremony and were guided through the exhibition area by Dita Amory, the curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition, to admire several masterpieces.