Exhibition Database

In the preface of 7th Bienal de São Paulo, NMH would include for a first time a discourse on the competition works. While praising abstract art in its embrace of nationalistic traditions, the museum was inevitably influenced by domestic debate, simplifying “abstraction” and “realism” into dichotomies.
This year’s NMH abolished and replaced the selection process of recommendation by the Modern Painting Association, with a five-member selection committee, two of whom were appointed by the museum, and three selected by artists, with the latter having participated in the Bienal de São Paulo, an internal promotion process similar to a salon. At the same time, categories were changed to four types of “modern painting,” including painting, printmaking, carving and modeling, stipulating that “each participant contributes no more than five pieces,” and that the maximum length for oil paintings should not exceed 180 cm. Official salon principles were based on equal distribution, with each selected participant showcasing one single work, rather than individual artists participating with large, multiple works, creating an effect of inconsequence and inconsistency in exhibition.
Taiwan was again granted Honorable Mention a fourth time with Jang Chieh’s watercolor Parking Lot.