Founded in 1975 in Taipei, Taiwan, Lung Men Art Gallery dedicated itself to the promotion of modern and contemporary art, specializing in 20th Century Chinese artists who emerged in the international Post-War art scene such as Yun Gee, Zao Wou-ki, Chu Teh-chun, Ju Ming, Chuang Che, and Walasse Ting; as well as renowned contemporary Chinese artists such as Xu Bing. Lung Men Art Gallery pioneered the era of modernizing art gallery management from 1975-1990 in Taiwan.
In the early 1990s, gallery director Lily Lee aimed to expand into an international operation; Lung Men Art Gallery entered the international art markets of New York, Chicago, London, Paris, and Tokyo and established long term business relationships with top international art dealers. During this period of time, Lily Lee was living and traveling between New York and Taiwan, while her only son, Jeffrey, completed his elementary and high school education in New York.
From 1995 – 1997, Lily Lee was elected as the Chairman of the Taiwan Art Galleries Association as well as Principal Organizer of the first and second Taipei Art Fair International R.O.C.; which attracted top galleries from all over the world to participate. The list of galleries include Pace Wildenstein, Richard Grey, Enrico Navarra, Tamenaga, Nichido, Marlborough, Annely Juda, etc., exhibiting masterpieces by A. Renoir, Sonia Delauney, Pier Mondrian, Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Jean Arp, Anthony Caro, Christo, David Hockney, Jean Dubuffet, Frank Stella, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Fujita Morand. The fairs introduced a new international perspective to the growing and maturing art market in Taiwan. Lily Lee was once praised as “the pioneer of international art market development” during the golden era of the Taiwanese art market. From 1997-2000, Lily Lee lived and traveled between Taipei and Hong Kong.
