Taipei City Government

On busy Zhongshan Road, one of Taipei’s key north-south arteries, stands the proud Taipei Fine Arts Museum, its architectural design itself an artistic showcase, standing amid splendid landscaped grounds. The three-floor structure is strikingly presented through the form of cantilevered suspended corridors, from a bird’s-eye view taking the form of the Chinese character, meaning “well.” The traditional Chinese architectural element of piled brackets atop columns supporting crossbeams has been used in the structure. The symbolic nature of this design suggests the fine-arts museum as a wellspring of flowing cultural waters. On all sides, walls have floor-to-ceiling glass to permit maximum natural light. The central courtyard is awash in natural lighting, with light and shadows stretching across the courtyard as the sun moves. The effect is to showcase the vivid effects of natural coloration. Night time, on the other hand, is a favorite time for photography buffs, who vie for the best shooting set-up spots. The striking special lighting provides riveting perspectives of the modernistic facility. The brilliant white exterior is wonderfully set off by the blues, greens, reds, and yellows of the night-sky spotlighting, the building itself becoming a magnificent artistic masterpiece.

Since October 2005 the curators have provided a special treat to the public, extending the museum’s hours for visitors each Saturday night from 5:30 pm to 8:30pm, with no admission charged. An attractive array of extra events has been put on to give the public new, alternative choices in artistic recreation: exhibits, hands-on artistic production, films, music and dance shows, and more. Each Saturday at 7 pm a special “Music Night Banquet” is put on in the below-ground central courtyard, to give the public an aural/visual sensory-enjoyment duo, presenting musical performances featuring the saxophone, flute, string instruments, and sometimes full jazz ensembles. Beyond its exhibits and musical shows, Saturday Night Movie Programs provide another unique form of fun and learning for visitors, with a special movie showing at the end of each month. There is a warm sense of relaxed community that flows through the museum on these evenings, and you’ll be doing yourself a favor by dropping by the “neighbourhood” on one of these nights.