The museum was first established and housed in an administration building of the Chi Mei Corporation in 1992 by the company's founder Shi Wen-long, then relocated to the Tainan Metropolitan Park in 2014, and reopened in 2015. Shi is known for his collection of antique violins housed in the museum. Besides being an entrepreneur, Shi is also an amateur violinist who has performed in public many times. To improve the level of classical music and western art in Taiwan, he founded the Chi Mei Culture Foundation in 1977 and has been providing scholarships through the Chimei Arts Award to developing artists in both classical music and fine arts since 1988.
Building
The museum was designed by architect Tsai Yi-cheng based on a design brief that it inspire a cultural renaissance by incorporating the best of western culture. Because of this the museum has a large number of domes, pilasters, and columns. It is energy efficient and has a LEED Silver rating. The museum has a complete luthier’s workshop to support the instrument collection.
Exhibitions
The museum has several exhibition areas, including fine arts, natural history and fossils, arms and armour, musical instruments, and sculptures. The museum has a collection of European paintings from the 13th to the 20th century, presenting the development of western art. The historic weapon exhibition presents weapons from prehistoric time, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age to modern times. The collection features few artifacts from Taiwan or areas close to it as the main idea of the collection is to allow Taiwanese people to see artwork and pieces that they otherwise would have to travel a long way and spend a lot of money to see. The museum’s founder grew up disadvantaged and wants to ensure that local children can be inspired by global culture even if their families do not have the resources to travel extensively.
Musical instruments
The museum collects musical instruments of historical significance, in particular violins and other string instruments by Antonio Stradivari, Guarneri del Gesù, Jacob Stainer, Amati, Rogeri, Joseph Guarneri Filius Andrea, Vincenzo Rugeri, Seraphin, Gagliano, Guadagnini and other famous artisans. The collection is noted for the Guarneri del Gesù "Ole Bull" violin of 1744, which is believed to be the last work of the famed artisan. As of 2019, the museum houses more than 1,370 violins and has allowed more than 3,000 violinists to borrow from the collection, with more than 220 violins out on loan. The museum loans the antique instruments to distinguished musicians free of charge. In 1999, Yo-Yo Ma borrowed the Pawle Stradivarius cello for a concert in Taipei. In 2015, Yu-Chien Tseng won the silver prize at the 15th International Tchaikovsky Competition with the Castelbarco-Tarisio Guarnerius violin from the museum.
The museum has offered reproductions such as canvas posters, simulating sculptures made from bonded marble powder, stationery items and many classic CD recordings performed by top Taiwanese musicians on the rare instruments from the Chi Mei Collection since 1997. The museum has also published the hardcover book "Chi-Mei Collection of Fine Violins" featuring 15 world-famous string instruments made by the Italian violin makers of the 17th century. Through the Shining Collection in New York, one can inquire about and purchase these reproductions. A replica of Bassin d'Apollo greets the visitors at the museum entrance. The same-scale replica was unveiled in 2014. The museum commissioned French artist Gills Perrault in 2008 to reproduce the Fountain of Apollo, same as the one in Palace of Versailles. It took three years for modern laser measuring and the plaster mold to be made in France for the reproduction sculpture, and another three years to carve the marbles in the city of Carrara, Italy.
Location and Hours
The museum address is: No. 66, Section 2, Wenhua Rd., Rende District, Tainan, Taiwan. The museum is open to the public from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, and it is closed on Wednesdays and other designated days.
