Department of Cultural Affairs

By Psyche Cho
Staff Reporter

17 high-quality reproductions of masterpieces by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt (July 14, 1862 – Feb. 6, 1918) are now on view at the Bopiliao Historic Site in Taipei through August 19, in a bid to introduce Austrian culture. The show is also a part of the world-wide commemorative events surrounding the 150th birthday of the well-known painter.

Jointly held by the Austrian Office Taipei and Department of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Government, the exhibition highlights top quality reproductions on canvas, along with 15 information panels in English and Mandarin offering profound insights into and information regarding the artist.

"Klimt with his unique style of painting changed the way of traditional painting of his time," said Gerhard Goetz, Director of the Austrian Office Taipei at the opening ceremony July 19.

Cultural Commissioner Liu Wei-gong said in his address that he is surprised by how the Western painting exhibition meshes seamlessly with the traditional venue.

All the exhibits are created by TWIN, an Austrian company which specializes in producing certified reproductions to replace light-sensitive or highly valued originals. The looks, texture and size of the duplicates are identical to the originals. 

Special emphasis is put on pieces destroyed by fire during World War II, such as "Hygieia" and "Die Freundinnen/Girlfriends". The same applies to other private collections which were handed back to the heirs of previous owners by Austrian museums, including "Adele Bloch Bauer I" (also known as "Golden Adele"), "Adele Bloch Bauer II", "Birkenwald / Birch Forest", and "Häuser in Unterach am Attersee /Houses in Unterach at the Attersee".

Beatrice Hsieh, Director of the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, also presented brief comments at the ceremony. She noted that among the features that can be found in Klimt's paintings is a sexual obsession as well as the employment of extensive mosaic gold foil elements in his works.
 
Admission to the exhibition is free.