Chen Chin was an outstanding and representative painter in Taiwan’s modern art history. 2006 marks the 100th anniversary of her birth. To pay tribute to Ms Chen’s unique artistic achievements, the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, in collaboration with the Japan Association of Art Museums, is presenting the exhibition “Centennial Celebration of Chen Chin” at the Shoto Museum of Art in the Shibuya-ku district of Tokyo, as well as the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art and the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum from April to September 2006. One hundred of Chen Chin’s key works will be on display.

Ms Chen Chin previously held an 80th anniversary retrospective at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum. This new exhibition, however, is her most large-scale to date, as well as the first major solo exhibition of a Taiwanese artist to be sent to Japan on an exhibition tour. It is quite a feat to assemble so many great works of art. In order to allow Taiwan audiences to enjoy Chen’s works, the Taipei Fine Arts Museum will be holding an exhibition entitled “Centennial Celebration of Chen Chin: A Preview of the Touring Exhibition in Japan” from February 18 to March 19. The exhibition features early figure paintings, large screens that were selected for official exhibitions, paintings of modern women, Buddhist and other religious works, portraits of family members, landscapes, and still lives of flowers and other plants. The works will be arranged in chronological order and according to their painting styles. This exhibition offers a comprehensive view of Chen Chin’s works, complemented by a large number of unpublished sketches, diagrams and other material. This new material, which includes some newly discovered works, offers an invaluable opportunity to revise Chen Chin’s catalogue of works, and also to compare and contrast different groups of paintings. The exhibition will not only be a visual feast, but will also offer new clues and evidence to researchers, thereby contributing to a better understanding of Chen Chin’s career.