Painter Chen Hui-tung (陳輝東) passed away on Nov. 1 at the age of 87. Upon hearing the news, Minister of Culture Li Yuan expressed his deepest condolences. Referring to the late artist as one of the important pioneers in Taiwan’s art history, Minister Li praised Chen’s life-long contributions to the promotion of art, adding that the Ministry will present a presidential citation to commemorate Chen’s dedication.

Born in Tainan in 1938, Chen graduated from the Taiwan Provincial Taitung Teachers’ School (now National Taitung University) in 1959, and worked as an elementary school art teacher in Tainan. 

Chen was an active painter outside of his teaching job. His artworks, which showed his enthusiasm for life and his remarkable insight about aesthetics, were featured in several art exhibitions at home and abroad and have become a part of collections at major museums across Taiwan. In addition, Chen was also commissioned by the Office of the President to paint presidential portraits, as well as portraits of Sun Yat-sen. In 1994, Chen and his daughter Chen Shiang-yin (陳香吟), who is also an artist, were selected for Le Salon des artistes français—a longstanding art exhibition in France. 

A promoter of art education, Chen served as a juror for various art exhibitions and helped the founding of the Tainan Municipal Cultural Center and Tainan Art Museum, for which he was honored with the Tainan Cultural Award in 2013.