09/08/2025
The Artistic Life of Dr. T.F. Chen
I, Dr. T.F. Chen, was born in 1936 in Guiren, Tainan, Taiwan. From an early age, I was passionate about art. In the eighth grade, I first encountered Western art, and I was profoundly moved upon seeing Van Gogh’s works. By the age of fourteen, I had resolved to become a painter in Paris. In the ninth grade, I joined the “Nanmei Association” to study drawing, under the guidance of mentors such as Guo Bochuan, Zhang Changhua, and Xie Guoyong. On weekends and during school vacations, I would take my sketching tools and paint outdoors, while also cultivating a strong interest in literature.
For my education, I was promoted from Tainan First High School to the affiliated high school, and subsequently to National Taiwan University (NTU), majoring in Foreign Languages. During university, I devoted half my time to painting, served as president of the NTU Art Club, and held an exhibition at Zhongshan Hall.
My wife, Hsing-Chun Hou, and I were both born during the Japanese colonial era and the turbulent years of war in Taiwan. In what was considered a “cultural desert” during the 1930s and 1940s, art and culture were scarce, and later suppressed under martial law. Yet, I eagerly absorbed everything related to art, literature, and music. The masterpieces and spirits of great artists became my mentors and companions. Though Taiwan was materially poor, art made me feel rich. Painting and reading brought joy amid hardship, cultivating in me sensitivity, curiosity, and a compassionate perspective toward the world.
Paris Years (1963–1975)
In 1963, I applied for the French government scholarship. Out of six hundred applicants, only two were selected, and I was fortunate to be one of them. With a loan of 100 USD from my teacher friend Chen Conglin at Nan Yi High School, I embarked on my journey to Paris—a journey that would last twelve years.
I first pursued a Master’s degree in Literature at the University of Paris and completed my Ph.D. in Art History in 1970. Simultaneously, I studied at the Paris École des Beaux-Arts for seven years, focusing on artistic creation. At the time, it was extremely rare for a painter to earn a doctoral degree; I may have been the first. My 600-page dissertation, Chinese Calligraphy and Contemporary Painting, received the highest distinction with only a single correction from my professor. I proposed that Japanese Ukiyo-e influenced Western Impressionism, while Chinese calligraphy profoundly shaped the lyricism in abstract art, and from this insight, I developed my Five-Dimensional World Culture Concept—the theoretical foundation for my creation of Neo-Iconography.
In 1964, while visiting Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance, I realized that humanity needed a new Renaissance. By 1969, when humans landed on the Moon, I saw a symbolic transition of our cultural ecology from separation to unity—humanity becoming a global family. I formalized my Five-Dimensional World Culture Concept, where the fifth dimension embodies the spirit and centers on love, expressed through painting as the Neo-Iconography movement, a global new Renaissance rooted in love and peace.
Art and Global Responsibility
Since proposing the Five-Dimensional World Culture Concept in Paris in 1969, I have envisioned a global new Renaissance aimed at the human family, with love as its core. As the world advances technologically toward the “global village,” and as freedom, democracy, and human rights become universal values, love and peace have emerged as humanity’s most critical goals in the twenty-first century.
My artistic works, from 1969 to the present, have consistently reflected these core ideals. Many pieces resonate with the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) principles advocated by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 1999, and with the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) framework promoted by the United Nations in 2004. I believe that art is not merely personal expression, but a powerful force to advance society and nurture the human spirit.
Through my cultural institutions and collaborations with entrepreneurs, I strive to promote physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, enriching society through art and fostering true “creative prosperity.”
During my twelve years in Paris, life was difficult, and I worked to support myself. Nevertheless, I held eight solo exhibitions, translated The Little Prince, contributed numerous articles back to Taiwan, and published works such as Paris Sketchbook, Ten Years of Painting, and The Corridor. I also documented over 1,600 pages in my diary, Days in Paris, which has become an important reference for studying 1960s Parisian society and culture.
Global Citizenship (1975–1980s)
I left France in 1975 and became a U.S. citizen in 1983. My experiences across Asia, Europe, and America cultivated in me a strong sense of world citizenship—a belief in a new culture grounded in friendship, peace, and tolerance. This consciousness has gradually become a prevailing phenomenon in contemporary cultural discourse.
Together with my wife, Hsing-Chun Hou, we have devoted our lives to art and cultural education, believing in the transformative power of art to nurture the spirit and promote global peace.
Celebration Series and the International Stage (1985–2010)
My creations have consistently responded to contemporary trends and events, forming a series of “Celebration” works:
Statue of Liberty Series (1985–1986): One hundred paintings; featured in CNN and New York Magazine. The host of U.S. Independence Day celebrations personally visited and collected the works.
Eiffel Tower Series (1989)
Post-Van Gogh Series (1990): One hundred paintings, invited by the Dutch Royal and Van Gogh Foundations to exhibit alongside Van Gogh originals in Amsterdam. My painting Van Gogh Returns was uniquely featured in color across pages of The Myth of Van Gogh. Former Dutch Culture Minister Dr. Hosk called me “the heir of Van Gogh.”
Princess Diana Series (1997)
Olympics Series (2008, Beijing): Sixty-six paintings exhibited five times, accompanied by a 300-page book.
Shanghai Expo Series (2010): At age 75, I completed one hundred works in 184 days, earning the title “Star of the Expo” and was invited to hold a solo exhibition in the Expo Park. This series became a significant cultural heritage of the Expo.
These Celebration Series became central to my collaboration with the United Nations for the “Art for Humanity: Global Touring Exhibition”, including the 2011 Taipei Flora Expo series and subsequent Cultural Tourism Series.
Recognition by the United Nations (2001)
In 2001, I was awarded the UN Global Tolerance Award and appointed Cultural Ambassador for Peace and Tolerance. The ceremony was held on December 11 at the UN Headquarters in New York, with nearly 400 distinguished guests in attendance. I emphasized in my speech:
"Art can transform the world and unite humanity. Beyond hardware and software, humanity needs 'Soulware'—a new spirit grounded in love and globalism."
Since then, I have continued to advance the Art for Humanity Global Touring Exhibition, promoting a culture of love, peace, and tolerance through exhibitions and educational initiatives.
Reflection and Vision
Looking back on ninety years, my life has been challenging yet fulfilling: I have created thousands of works, published 26 books, delivered over 250 lectures worldwide, and my thoughts and works have been featured in more than 300 textbooks and magazines across 37 countries, including inclusion in global art history curricula.
Though I have not actively pursued the commercial art market, I firmly believe my greatest contribution is transforming art and ideas into a shared cultural heritage for humanity. I established the T.F. Chen Cultural Center in New York and the T.F. Chen Cultural & Art Foundation in Taiwan to preserve, organize, and share these works globally.
Now at ninety, I hope my works will be collected by major museums worldwide, and eventually establish a museum dedicated to my art. May my artistic journey honor my motherland, Taiwan, and leave a legacy of a global new Renaissance rooted in love.
