Ju Ming

1938-2023 Taiwan

Ju Ming (original name Ju Chuan Tai) is a Taiwanese sculptor who gained fame for his boxy bronze and steel sculptures in Taiwan in the 1970s and New York in the '80s. Often referred to as the Father of Modern Sculpture in China, he is perhaps best known for his Tai chi series, which celebrates this ancient sport in figures of often monumental size.

Ju Ming was born in 1938 in Miaoli, Taiwan. The youngest of eleven children, Ju enjoyed a rural childhood, developing a deep understanding of the rhythms and cycles of nature. After finishing his elementary school education, he studied as an apprentice under Master Lee Chin-Chuan , the Buddhist statuary craftsman, working on restorations of the Mazu temple. Ju won several awards and prizes working in the traditional Taiwanese folk art style at the Taiwan Provincial Art Exhibitions in 1966 and 1967.

Shortly thereafter, he began studying under the tutelage of Taiwan’s most eminent Modernist sculptor Yang Yuyu (1926-1997), who advised Ju Ming to develop physical and mental discipline. Ju Ming developed greatly from this practice and started thinking about sculpting works on the theme of Tai Chi. With his new mentor, Ju began working on large-scale abstract works and exploring new materials such as copper, iron, stone, stainless steel, sponge, and ceramic. Thanks to Yang’s support, Ming inaugurated his first solo exhibition at the Taipei Museum of History in 1976. It was highly successful and he was named as one of the Ten Outstanding Youths of 1976.

In the 1980s Ju continued to gain international acclaim and exhibited abroad. He started The Living World “family” series reflecting his observations of the mundane world, which he continues to expand. These bright figures are made of bronze, stainless steel, painted wood and foam rubber cast bronze giving him the freedom to depict the human form in all its varieties.

In 1999, Ju Ming Art Museum was established in Taipei. In the same year, Alisan Fine Arts began to represent Ju Ming's sculpture works. During 2000s, Alisan has exhibited Ju's works in different art fairs.

In 2006, Ju's first China solo exhibition was held at National Art Museum of China in Beijing, displaying 62 pieces of Ju Ming's "Taichi Series" sculptures, covering his wood sculptures from the 1970s to "Taichi Arch" in 2000. In 2007, Ju was awarded the 18th Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize. Ju has also held major exhibitions internationally including the Hong Kong Arts Center, Hong Kong; Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei; Musée d’Art Contemporain, Paris, Southbank Centre, London; the Musée d'Art Contemporain, Dunkirk; Hakone Open-Air Museum, Hakone; and La Place Vendome, Paris. Many of the artist's monumental sculptures are permanently on view at the Ju Ming Museum, spanning twelve hectares in the mountains of Chinshan, Taiwan. Prior to the transfer of Hong Kong in 1996, the Chinese government commissioned Ju Ming to create a monumental “Taichi” figure, Taichi Single Whip for the Bank of China, in Hong Kong.

BIOGRAPHY
1938 Born in Tunghsiao, Miaoli County, Taiwan

1953 Apprenticed to Master Lee Chin-Chuan for the traditional period of three years and four months

1957 Started working as a “master craftsman”

1959 Moved back to Tunghsiao and opened his own studio with apprentices, creating a successful crafts business

1961 Married Chen Fu-mei, who is also from Tungshiao

1968 After winning several awards in the prestigious Taiwan Provincial Art Exhibition, Ju re-apprenticed himself, this time to Yang Yu-Yu for a total of seven years

1970s Began the Taichi series
1976 Named one of the Ten Outstanding Youths of 1976, Taiwan

1980s Began the Living World series

1987-88 Retrospective of Ju’s work at Taipei Fine Arts Museum, followed by an exhibition at Taiwan Museum of Art, Taichung, Taiwan
1988-1991 Several exhibitions in Taipei; Hong Kong Arts Centre, and followed by Ju’s first European exhibition in London, UK

1996 Chinese government commissioned Ju Ming to create a monumental Tai-Chi Single Whip for the Bank of China in Hong Kong

1999 Established Ju Ming Art Museum, Taiwan
Alisan Fine Arts started to represent Ju Ming's works

2003 Conferred the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Art, Fu Jen Catholic University, Taipei, Taiwan; Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

2023 Passed away in Taiwan

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2014

Ju Ming - Sculpting the Living World, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong

2006

Taiwan Art Museum, Taichung, Taiwan
National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China
Skirt Story, Times Square, Hong Kong
Montreal Solo Exhibition, Montreal, Canada

2005

Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, Macau

2004

Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu, Japan
Singapore Art Museum, Singapore

2003

Berlin Solo Exhibition, Berlin, Germany

2000

Bruxelles Solo Exhibition, Bruxelles, Belgium

1999

Luxembourg Solo Exhibition, Luxembourg

1997

Taichi Series, Place Vendôme, Paris, France

1995

Retrospective, Hakone Open-Air Museum, Hakone, Japan

1992

Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, Taiwan

1991

Taichi in Wood: Ju Ming, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong
Southbank Centre, London, UK
Yorkshire Sculpture Park, London, UK
Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Stores, Taipei, Taiwan
Musée d’Art Contemporain de Dunkerque, Dunkerque, France

1989

Phyllis Kind Gallery, New York, USA

1988

Taiwan Museum of Art, Taichung, Taiwan

1987

Retrospective, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, Taiwan

1986

Exchange Square, Hong Kong
Singapore History Museum, Singapore
Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, Taiwan

1985

Max Hutchinson Gallery, New York, USA

1984

Ayala Museum, Manila, Philippines
Bhirasri Institute of Modern Art, Bangkok, Thailand

1983

Max Hutchinson Gallery, New York, USA

1981

Taipei Museum of History, Taipei, Taiwan
Max Hutchinson Gallery, New York, USA

1980

Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong

1978

Tokyo Central Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
Spring Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan

1977

Tokyo Central Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan

1976

Taipei Museum of History, Taipei, Taiwan

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2024

Art Basel Hong Kong, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong

2012

ART HK12, Important Contemporary Chinese Artists, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibtiion Centre, Hong Kong

2009

Hong Kong International Art and Antiques Fair, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibtiion Centre, Hong Kong

2003

Lui Shou-Kwan and Variuos Gallery Artists, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong

1994

Glory Sculpture Park, Hsinchu, Taiwan

1993

Shinjuku Mitsukoshi Department Stores, Tokyo, Japan

1992 & 1995

ART ASIA International Fine Art Exposition, Hong Kong

1992

Nippon International Contemporary Art Fair (NICAF), Yokohama, Japan

1991

Browns Gallery, London, UK

1984

Modern Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition, Hong Kong Coliseum, Hong Kong

SELECTED AWARDS
2007 Awarded the 18th Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize, Japan
2004  Lifetime Executive Yuan Cultural Award, Taiwan
2003  Conferred the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Art, Fu Jen Catholic University, Taipei, Taiwan; Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
2002 Enku Grand Award, Gifu, Japan
1998  Fok Yin Tung Award, Fok Yin Tung Foundation, Hong Kong
1976 Recognized as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons from Taiwan by the Junior Chamber of Commerce International
1967 3rd prize for sculpture, 22nd Taiwan Art Exhibition, Taiwan
1966  Excellence-for-sculpture prize, 21st Taiwan Art Exhibition, Taiwan

SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford University, UK
St Catherine’s College, Oxford University, UK
University of Cambridge, UK
Canada Botanical Gardens, Canada
Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Israel
National Museum of Singapore, Singapore
Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong
Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Bank of China, Hong Kong
Exchange Square, Hong Kong