The Ministry of Culture (MOC) announced the establishment of the Preparatory Office for the National Museum of Modern Art Tainan (MOMA Tainan) on Mar. 18, with Huang Hung-wen (黃宏文), vice director of the MOC Arts Development Department, as its director.
The Preparatory Office will commence operations on Mar. 25, marking the beginning of Taiwan’s first modern art museum and the country’s second national-level fine art museum.
Minister of Culture Li Yuan remarked that since the launch of the “Reconstruction of Taiwan’s Art History” project in 2018, the art community has advocated for a national fine art museum dedicated to Taiwan’s modern art. The goal, he added, is to systematically showcase Taiwan’s art history through integrated research, collections, and exhibitions.
To fulfill the art community’s expectation, the ministry has inventoried related resources, facilitated conversations with different departments, local governments, and the arts sector, as well as consulted artists, curators, and scholars. Thanks to the Tainan City Government, Tainan Art Museum Building 2 will be designated as MOMA Tainan. The museum will focus on modern Taiwanese art from 1895 to 1960. The Preparatory Office aims to complete foundational guidelines and planning within two years.
The MOC also noted that the establishment of MOMA Tainan will help alleviate the responsibilities of the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, which has been the country’s sole national-level fine art museum since 1988.
