Frank Gehry-designed Museum Breaks Ground in Taiwan

Frank Gehry 1929-2025, Canada Follow +

A landmark museum of cascading stainless steel forms interacting with natural light has begun construction in Taiwan, marking the first major work by notable architect Frank Gehry in East Asia.

Taiwan’s China Medical University (CMU) has broken ground on the CMU Museum of Fine Arts in Taichung, an ambitious project hoped to become a defining cultural and architectural feature of Taiwan when it opens in 2028.

Gehry described the building’s design as evoking the reflective qualities of watercolours and inspired by natural elements such as water, trees, and sky.

As the eventual centrepiece of the Shui-Nan campus masterplan, the museum was commissioned by CMU Chairman Dr Chang-Hai Tsai and developed by New York-based architecture firm SOM in 2014. 

Gehry, who no longer enters design competitions, accepted the project based on Tsai’s direct invitation, recognising its unique cultural significance.

Tsai sees the museum as an extension of CMU’s influence beyond medicine and science into the arts, aiming to position Taiwan on the global cultural stage.

Alongside exhibiting contemporary art, the museum will form part of a future network with leading institutions including Harvard, Stanford, Oxford, and Cambridge, reinforcing Taiwan’s presence in international arts and education. —[O]

Main image: Rendering of CMU Museum of Fine Arts. Courtesy Gehry Partners, LLP.