TiT Arts:The Business of Art in Taiwan

Business of Arts

By Melanie Seligman Photos courtesy

Art lovers at one of Taipei's many private art galleries One of the payoffs of the economic boom in Taiwan is that many of the island's nouveau riche are turning to art, both as an investment and a way to nourish their spirits. As a result, over the past decade the number and quality of galleries and museums specializing in fine art around Taiwan have soared dramatically. Art from around the island has been exhibited around Asia,

the United States, Australia, and, for the first time last year, at the Venice Biennale. But the growth of Taiwan's contemporary art market, since its inception in the 1960s, has not always been smooth.

The market peaked during the 1980s, around the time when Taiwan was making itself a name as an economic powerhouse. The island's new-found affluence meant that large quantities of fluid capital were available to create a new art market almost overnight; but then, in the early '90s the market plummeted.

The reason for the sudden turnaround was that some collectors were treating art merely as speculative properties, to be sold off whenever a profit could be made. Other buyers were preoccupied with the fame of the artist, buying pieces simply because they were by someone well-known, regardless of quality.

In an effort to prevent further deterioration of the market, the Taiwan Art Galleries Association (AGA)--currently made up of 84 leading galleries--was founded in 1992. Its primary role is to raise professional standards, increase members' awareness of international art markets, and educate collectors.

Most of Taiwan's art buyers are collectors--largely entrepreneurs and doctors in their 40s--and dealers, mainly from Taiwan, others from other parts of Asia, particularly Hong Kong.

Up-coming Taiwanese artist Lu Ming-teh combines shells with paint in his work The Future of Taiwan's Art Market
Lily Lee Friedlich (李琍 ), AGA's chairperson, says she is optimistic about the move toward internationalization of Taiwan's art market, but she calls for caution. "This art market, which remained purely localized in nature prior to the lifting of martial law in 1987, needs time to put together an appropriate response to the scrutiny of Western art experts," she says.

The most obvious question for 1996 and 1997 is how much the political troubles with arch rival mainland China, from which the island has effectively been independent for the past 47 years, will affect the Taiwanese art market. Friedlich replies, "The current instability has seriously affected sales. But I still bet on Taiwan's growth and development and believe that Taiwan will become the center of the Southeast Asian art market."

Part of her faith stems from the fact that Taiwan has a reputable art community, and collectors are an astute group who have taken the trouble to learn about art history in the West.

Wu Hao's striking cat demonstrates his knowledge og color and line learned during his professional training as a printer(left) Established female artist Yuan Chan's inks on silks are a contemporary interpretation of traditional Chinese ink paintings(right) Rising Stars
Friedlich is also the director of Lung Men Art Gallery, located behind the busy department store and shopping area on Chunghsiao East Road in East Taipei. Although it was founded only 20 years ago, this is Taiwan's oldest contemporary gallery. Lung Men has contracts with several leading Taiwanese artists, like former printer Wu Hao (吳昊), whose paintings sell for approximately US$656 per postcard-sized unit. Wu's decorative and mosaic-like paintings reveal his solid understanding of color and line. He successfully combines Western modern art with Chinese folk art in the bold cat in Resting, painted in 1995, which has a flat, print-like quality.

Each gallery treads a fine line when choosing whether to back emerging talent or stick with established older artists. Taiwanese art is in a state of flux. Methods and subject matter are changing. Mixed media and video art are becoming more mainstream. Lung Men gallery believes, for example, in the work of Japanese-trained Lu Ming-teh (盧明德), whose work sells for around US$219 per unit. In his work, he uses seashells, a bee's nest, insects, and paint to explore environmental issues.

These are exciting times for anyone interested in Taiwan's art market. To ensure that the market matures steadily, collectors must establish links worldwide and not blindly follow fashionable market trends. This will help produce a variety of high-quality artworks for exhibition and commercial sale. Let's hope this will satisfy different tastes and enhance the market's vitality in Taiwan.