自荷蘭、西班牙人登陸，歷經清初建城、日本殖民遷都及戰後國府來臺，臺灣在頻繁政治更迭及族裔往來的過程中，積累多元歷史文化遺存，展現流動雜揉的海國徵候。大航海時代以來的異文明接觸及之後的「現代化」，不僅促使其走向世界，更激發文化內視之轉向，藉以創造跨越國界及開放自省進步特質之新文化。猶如雕塑家黃土水百年前提出創造「福爾摩沙時代」的呼籲，不僅未因時間消逝褪色，更成為吾人建構在地意識及知識啟蒙的重大指針。
Since the arrival of the Dutch and Spanish, and through the early Qing establishment of urban centers, Japan’s relocation of its colonial capital, and the postwar arrival of the Kuomintang government, Taiwan has accumulated diverse historical and cultural legacies amid frequent political shifts and ethnic exchanges, revealing dynamic, hybrid maritime characteristics. Since the Age of Discovery, encounters with diverse cultures—and the subsequent wave of modernization—have not only propelled Taiwan onto the global stage but also sparked an inward cultural turn. This shift has paved a way for a new culture that transcends borders and embodies openness, introspection, and progress. Much like sculptor Huang Tu-shui’s century-old call to create a “Formosa Era,” this call has not faded with time but instead has become a vital beacon in shaping our local identity and intellectual enlightenment.
臺灣百年美術歷程之建構，可謂一部交織在內與外、西與東、新與舊、自然與文明、朝與野、我者與他者等二元框架中，從對立到對話的折衝進程，摸索「現代化」之轉接可能及不斷尋找自身定位的重層歷史。本展覽為梳理此段迂曲過程所蘊含的異變軌跡及複合意義，聚焦1895之前至1950年出生具時代代表性藝術家，以國寶、重要古物等級作品為領銜亮點，展現逾越一世紀豐碩文化遺產與視覺藝術精粹，藉以呈顯宏觀知識啟蒙與主體身分認同的形塑脈絡。
Within a framework of binary oppositions—internal versus external, Western versus Eastern, new versus old, nature versus civilization, ruling versus opposition, and the Self versus Other—centuries of Taiwanese art have woven layered history that identifies the possibility of modernization and constantly explores its self-identity throughout the process from conflict to dialogue. To comb through the variations and mixed meanings in this complex process, this exhibition focuses on iconic artists born before 1895 through 1950 and highlights the works regarded as national treasure and significant antiques. By presenting rich cultural heritage and visual artistic essence across a century, the event unveils the overarching context that has shaped both intellectual enlightenment and the formation of subject identity.
為系統體現此浩瀚成果，本展覽分三階段接力展出。首段選定1950年前出生百餘位藝術家逾二百件精彩佳作，設定八大子題，探討典範中的集體意識、地方身分的發掘命名、新舊地景的共存消長、身體符號及其時代標記、文化版圖移轉之衝撞融接、走向世界的自我定位以及土地回歸的自主思考等議題。據此彰顯「臺南國家美術館」設立之重大使命目標，以及回歸臺灣文化初生地繁榮再造的象徵意義，作為重構「福爾摩沙時代」新文化里程碑的一大起點。
To comprehensively exhibit such vast achievements, this exhibition comprises three phases. The first phase features over 200 exceptional works by more than a hundred artists born before 1950. Organized around eight subthemes, it explores issues such as the collective consciousness within paradigms, the discovery and naming of local identities, the ebb and flow of old and new landscapes, bodily symbols and their era-specific markers, the collision and fusion in cultural territory shifts, self-positioning on the global stage, and self-reflections on the return of the land. By doing so, it underscores the National Museum of Modern Art Tainan (NMMAT) significant mission and the symbolic revitalization of Taiwan as the cradle of its culture—marking a pivotal starting point in reconstructing a new cultural milestone in the “Formosa Era.”
