TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The National Museum of History is presenting the exhibition, "The Elsewhere of the Other: Sanyu (常玉) and the Echoes of Expatriate Artists in Paris," featuring 44 works by Sanyu.
The museum's connection with the "Matisse of the East" dates back to 1968 when it began receiving his works from the Ministry of Education. It built a collection that now includes 52 pieces, including 49 oil paintings and three drawings, with the oil paintings personally selected by Sanyu for shipment to Taiwan.
Over half a century, the museum has organized seven exhibitions of Sanyu's works. This new exhibition includes important pieces such as "Chrysanthemum" and "Quatre Nus" ("Four Nudes"), comprehensively presenting the artist's creative journey.
Over the past decade, Sanyu's works have seen dramatic price increases at auction, with "Five Nudes" selling for NT$1.2 billion (US$37 million) at Christie’s in Hong Kong, a hundredfold increase from 18 years ago. The chair of Christie's Asia 20th Century and Contemporary Art Department, Eric Chang (張丁元), said that Sanyu was an innovative artist who integrated Eastern and Western artistic traditions in unprecedented ways.
Born in 1895 to a wealthy family in Sichuan, China, Sanyu received a traditional education and was introduced to painting by his father. Following the "Diligent Work-Frugal Study Movement" in 1921, he traveled through Japan before reaching Paris, where he studied at the liberal Grande Chaumiere Academy, an art school in the Montparnasse district of Paris, and quickly gained recognition.
In 1925, he exhibited at the Autumn Salon, catching the attention of art dealer Henri-Pierre Roche, who had earlier supported Picasso's work. Having studied calligraphy from youth, Sanyu's work exemplifies a masterful fusion of Eastern and Western art.
Unlike traditional Chinese calligraphy's black-and-white palette, he interpreted Eastern aesthetics through Western oil painting techniques. He particularly excelled in floral still lives, often featuring the "Four Gentlemen" of Chinese flowers (plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum), using contrasting colors to create mysterious, elegant, and vibrant compositions.
His recurring motifs of butterflies and cats carry deep symbolic meanings, with butterflies representing longevity in Eastern culture. Sanyu's nude paintings stand unique in the modern art world, with his choice of subjects symbolizing breaking free from traditional constraints and embracing modernism, per the museum.
During his 70-year life, Sanyu created approximately 300 works, including 56 oil paintings of nudes, with 13 completed in or before the 1930s. The museum said that his body contour lines resemble traditional Chinese painting techniques while showing Western modernist influences, particularly Fauvism and Expressionism.
His late-period animal and landscape paintings feature stark compositions – a lone horse in an endless desert or a few fish swimming in a pond – presented from a bird's-eye view with powerful compositions and contrasting colors, conveying profound solitude.
The museum explains that horses were a significant motif for Sanyu. He used them to explore cultural identity and belonging while seeking a balance between figurative and abstract expression.
The museum said that Paris, as the world's art capital in the 20th century, attracted countless young artists. This exhibition offers a fresh perspective by placing Sanyu back in his Parisian context, telling not just his story but that of many artists who sought their fortune in Paris, including Taiwanese pioneers like Yen Shui-long (顏水龍), Zao Wou-ki (趙無極), and Chu Teh-Chun (朱德群).
Additionally, the He Yue Restaurant (荷悅餐廳) on the fourth floor of the museum has launched a special art-inspired menu series. The chef has created two dishes, shrimp salad and duck confit, which are inspired by Sanyu and his work.
The restaurant offers a "Lotus" afternoon tea set for two and "Tipsy Sanyu" cocktails, served with Taitung red oolong Boston tea cake and lotus tea. Located next to the Botanical Garden, the restaurant creates an elegant atmosphere reminiscent of a gentle breeze across a lotus pond.
Visitors shouldn't miss the "Chrysanthemum Lemon Iced Tea," inspired by the painting "Chrysanthemum," featuring honey-filled popping boba that bursts with flavor.
The exhibition runs until Dec. 8, with free admission on Nov. 2 until 8 p.m. during Taipei Nuit Blanche, including guided tours.
"The Elsewhere of the Other: Sanyu (常玉) and the Echoes of Expatriate Artists in Paris" features 44 works by Sanyu. (Taiwan News, Lyla Liu video)
