LI Yuan-Chia
British-Chinese
1929-1994
LI Yuan-Chia, a British-Chinese artist. He studied at Li Chung-sheng's Studio in 1952, co-founded the Ton Fan Group, later pursued studies in the UK and Europe, and settled there. In 1972, he established the LYC Museum and Art Gallery, devoting his life to its development and operation.
Deeply committed to art, he published collections, wrote poems and books, and created numerous conceptual abstract works using ready-mades. Hailed as the first conceptual artist in the Chinese world, he was also a key figure in post-war international conceptual art. His two-dimensional works integrated Laozi's philosophy and calligraphic lines, forming a unique artistic language blending Oriental connotations and conceptuality.
Li Yuan-Chia’s work has been featured in numerous significant exhibitions, including the major retrospective Viewpoint: Li Yuan-chia at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum (2014) and Li Yuan-Chia at Tate Modern, London (2014). Earlier career milestones include his participation in The Other Story: Afro-Asian Artists in Post-War Britain at the Hayward Gallery, London (1971); Pioneers of Participation Art at the Museum of Modern Art, Oxford (1971); and the São Paulo Biennial (1957). His works are held in the permanent collections of prestigious institutions worldwide, including Tate Britain, London; M+, Hong Kong; the Winsing Arts Foundation, Taipei; the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung; and the Taipei Fine Arts Museum.
