Collection

Collection Policy and Work

In the early period o f museum development, museums were merely collections for private enjoyment of the aristocracy. Not until recent centuries did museums become cultural assets accessible for the general public. As time moves on with technology and transportation advancements, the role of museums also started to change. However, for the operation of museums, the collection and management of artworks remain a vital part which can not be easily replaced.

Ever since its establishment, the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts (KMFA) has been clearly aware of the importance of artwork collection. Only with rich collections can a museum provide abundant research sources, hold impressive exhibitions and achieve successful art promotions. Also from the collections can a museum demonstrate its unique characteristics. Therefore, with many museums, both public and private, already existing in Taiwan, it is extremely important for KMFA to define its collection and extinguish itself from others.

The KMFA's made its collection policy based on the goal of establishing itself as the museum of the art history in Taiwan. The policy has been realized by collecting works of representative artists during different periods of Taiwan's art development and also by establishing galleries of various themes which incorporate all related works in different categories in Taiwan's modern art history. Currently, the museum has collected 2,698 works in 18 categories. In addition, as the first public museum in southern Taiwan, the KMFA has also expected itself to contribute to the comprehensive preservation of works by artists native in southern Taiwan and data related to art development in this region. Thanks to the generous donations from some artists themselves and families of other artists such as Chang Chi-hua, Lin Tian-rui, Liu Chngi-rong, Zhu Chen-dong, Luo Ching-yun and Liu Chin-ling, the museum can expand its collections without further straining its already limited budget, leaving the generations to come with an abundance of cultural assets.

Since the beginning of its establishment, KMFA has focused on the collection of sculptures and calligraphy works and now its effort is starting to bear fruits with totally 583 calligraphy works and 211 sculptures. Plans to establish galleries for long-term exhibitions of these two types of works have been completed so as to preserve representative samples of these two arts in Taiwan's modern history of art development. For example, the museum has planed to step up the “Gallery of Modern Sculpturing Development in Taiwan” to display its collected sculptures. The gallery is designed to integrate the spatial and textural characteristics of the sculptures, allowing viewers to appreciate the works from different views and angles. Chronological data and records of the exhibited sculptures will also be provided so that viewers can understand the sculpturing development in Taiwan and further appreciate the essence of art creation. Collection of works of other categories are also continuing progressively. Currently, the museum has collected totally 466 oil paintings, 337 watercolors, and 245 sketches. We are also working on the plan to establish a long-term gallery for western paintings in the hope of shortening the distance between people and arts by displaying the works for a longer period of time.

The value of artworks is intangible and unfathomable. Only through exhibitions can it be manifested and can viewers be overwhelmed and inspired. The exhibitions serve as a bridge for indescribable, mutual communication between artworks and viewers. As a public museum, the KMFA is supposed to make its collections and resources ready for the enjoyment of the general public. While we have invested strenuous efforts to preserve our collections in their best condition, we also strive to extend the value of our collections by using them as resources for research, exhibition and art promotion. This is the ultimate goal of artwork collection. Each year, the museum holds exhibitions of our collections; for example, the exhibition in 2003 displayed our collected photographic works and further introduction to that exhibition will be provided in another article.

Even thought part of our job is to find the most suitable and secure method to preserve our collections, it is still regrettably impossible to save all our collections from damage caused by environmental and temporal forces. Those works originally in less desirable condition in particular require more attention, and sometimes to the point that some of them have to be repaired by experts. The museum has kept complete records of how these works were repaired and these records are publicly displayed from time to time to give the public more knowledge about artwork maintenance and repair

It is true that collections are supposed to be exhibited as much as possible so that their beauty can be appreciated. However, too much public display would cause damages to the works to a certain level. Fortunately, with the advancement in digital technology, this problem is no longer as threatening as before. Digitalization can prevent damages to artworks caused by long-term display and it can also help free arts from restrains of time and space, making it possible for prompt and precise search, comparison and organization of artwork data. With this technological advancement, channels for exchanges of arts broadened, bringing more intense and inspiring cultural interactions. This is one of the blessings for this era of technology. Seeing this trend, the KMFA has started its plan of establishing the Internet Museum since 2002. We have built the collection database system for inquiries coming from inside and outside the museum. Also in 2002, we started a three-stage project to digitalize our collections along with the National Cultural Database Project initiated by the Council for Cultural Affairs. Our collections were converted into high resolution digital images together with complete reference data, which can not only permanently preserve the form of artworks but also manifest their inner essence.

Mayor Frank Hsieh, (center) and Director Kuan (far right) together with Chen Gui-zhi and Jiang Jin-shu who donated works by their deceased family members, Liu Ching-rong and Zhu Chen-dong, earlier important artists in Kaohsiung.