Artist News │ Announcing representation of the LEE Shi-chi Estate
Asia Art Center is pleased to announce its representation of the Lee Shi-chi Estate, starting from October 15, 2024, and will work closely to promote this important figure in Taiwanese modern art, who is also a recipient of Taiwan’s National Arts Award.
As early as 2002, Asia Art Center held a solo exhibition for Lee Shi-chi, and has continued to collaborate with him in the Taiwan Modern Art Exhibitions in 2016 and 2019.
Lee Shi-chi was born in 1938 in Beishan Village, Guningtou, Kinmen. The Battle of Guningtou in 1949 cast a shadow over his childhood, and his education unfolded amid the roar of cross-strait conflicts.
In 1955, he was admitted to the Taipei Normal University’s Department of Fine Arts and held his first solo exhibition there in 1957, showcasing his artistic potential. In 1958, he co-founded the “Modern Printmakers Association” with artists such as Yuyu Yang, Chen Ting-Shih, Qin Song, Jiang Han-Dong, and Shi Hua, later joining the “Eastern Art Association,” where he became an important member in its later years. Throughout his artistic career, Lee Shi-chi actively participated in the “Taiwan Modern Art Movement,” continuously creating and receiving numerous awards.
In the mid-1960s, the Taiwanese cultural renaissance emerged. Li Hsi-Chi, along with poet and artist friends, initiated the first and second Modern Art Festivals, inspiring the enthusiasm of many young people and injecting vitality into the arts scene. Between the late 1970s and 1980s, in addition to his own creations, he founded or managed several galleries and curated many important exhibitions, including inviting overseas modern artists such as Hung Chao-Kuo to exhibit in Taiwan, making significant contributions to the development of modern art in Taiwan.
Lee Shi-chi’s artistic journey is intricately tied to the tumultuous historical backdrop of his birth. His creative core focuses on advancing the modernization of Taiwanese art, with a diverse range of works that deeply explore national identity and local culture, displaying rich and free imagination. Lee Shi-chi passed away in Taipei in 2019, leaving behind a profound artistic legacy.
In 2019, Asia Art Center (Beijing) held the group exhibition Zeitgeist: Abstract Art of Eastern Origin, featuring works by Lee Shi-chi (left one, left two).