Taiwanese window onto Western art
The Taiwanese businessman Wen-Long Shi nurtured such fond memories of his childhood visits to a local museum that he was inspired to create a museum for everyone to enjoy. The Chimei Museum was originally established in 1992 and housed in the administration building of the Chimei Corporation, but was relocated to the Tainan Metropolitan Park in 2014, reopening in 2015. The museum’s collection focuses primarily on Western art, providing locals with the opportunity to study and experience these works without traveling abroad. It is renowned for housing the world’s largest violin collection, with antique instruments loaned free of charge to distinguished musicians. Other highlights include significant collections of ancient weapons, sculptures, natural history, fossils, decorative arts and European paintings from the 13th to 20th centuries, featuring works by Gustave Caillebotte, Adriaen Coorte, El Greco and Lucas Cranach the Younger.
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