Once named to a list of the top ten arts magazines in the world (the only publication from Asia thus honored), Artist Magazine has been quietly working away to get Taiwan’s arts into the international spotlight, and to bring world art to a Taiwanese audience. It has borne witness over the years to the development of modern art in Taiwan. Success at this level is a rare thing.
Asked about what motivated him to start up an arts magazine, Ho recounts that besides a general enthusiasm for art, an even bigger factor was the encouragement of friends. The late painter Shyi De-jinn chose the magazine’s name, while calligrapher Chuang Yen executed the characters that now grace its title page. Artist Magazine is published on the 22nd of every month. The only time it didn’t come out on time was after the massive earthquake of September 21, 1999. The ideals that prompted the magazine’s founding are the very same ones that guide its continued publication today.
For many painters from Taiwan and around the world, Artist Magazine is, like Mecca, the destination of a pilgrimage that must be made. Internationally renowned artists, curators, and collectors have all been here to discuss the publication of books and the holding of exhibits. In particular, the multi-part Taiwan Fine Arts Series qualifies as a collector’s item in its own right, and the company has produced Chinese-language guidebooks for Antoni Gaudi’s Basilica of the Sagrada Familia in Spain, the Picasso National Museum and the National Museum of Natural History, both in Paris, and the city of St. Petersburg in Russia. Artist Magazine carries the mantle of the world’s top Chinese-language arts magazine, and faithfully acts as an important international ambassador within artistic circles.
As for the magazine’s future editorial direction, Ho says he will keep introducing quality art from Taiwan and elsewhere to readers in Taiwan: “Art and culture will always be the most important nutrient force from which we draw spiritual sustenance.”
Standing in Artist Magazine Lane, established by the Taipei City Government in 2005 in honor of Artist Magazine, Ho excitedly proclaims: “Art enriches our lives, and life is what makes art shine. It may be that art cannot change the world, but we are convinced that it does touch a person’s soul in special moments, and brings us face to face with the beauty of life.”
Artist Magazine has focused on Taiwan’s arts scene for the past 40 years, guided by two key ideas: “Art enriches our lives, and life is what makes art shine.” The magazine enriches and broadens our world view while shining a spotlight on the state of the arts worldwide. While marking our 40 years in publishing, we at Artist Magazine also extend happy birthday wishes to Taiwan Panorama magazine, which was founded in the same year as our publication. May you continue to shine brilliantly for many more years to come!
—Ho Cheng-kuang
At the 2015 Golden Tripod Awards for Publications, the Special Contribution Award went to Ho Cheng-kuang, publisher of Artist Magazine.
