DR. T. F. CHEN

Dr. T. F. Chen to Receive Global Tolerance Award
and Launch Art for Humanity World Art Tour
at United Nations International Day of Tolerance 2001 Banquet

United Nations, NYC:

On Tuesday, December 11th, 2001, Dr. T. F. Chen will be the first artist-painter to receive a Global Tolerance Award. Dr. Chen is being honored for his lifetime of work dedicated to peace, tolerance and love; and for his art of multicultural-ism; a body of work expressing a shared vision of humanity. As a designated Cultural Ambassador for Tolerance and Peace, Dr. Chen has been invited by the Friends of the United Nations to launch a World Art Campaign under the theme of this year Global Tolerance Awards: Art for Humanity World Tour to act as a catalyst, igniting the inner vision of local communities, children, art lovers, all people worldwide, to inspire artwork in the spirit of peace and to continue bearing the positive message of the United Nations from 2002 - 2005.

In 1995, the United Nations General Assembly declared the 16th of November as the International Day of Tolerance and adopted a set of principles which defined tolerance as an active attitude prompted by the recognition of human rights and fundamental freedoms for others and an acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of the world cultures and forms of expression. On this day, the award will be announced, and the formal banquet will take place on Tuesday, December 11th, 2001.

The Global Tolerance Award recognizes individuals and institutions who have significantly advanced the Follow-up Plan of Action of the International Year for Tolerance by their unwavering determination to promote harmony amid diversity and replace the culture of war by a culture of peace. Previous honorees include the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Anti-Defamation League, Mr. Tahar Ben Jelloun, the YWCA, the United Nations Fund for the Development of Women, and the SHOA Visual History Foundation. The theme for this year Global Tolerance Awards is: Building A Culture of Peace & Tolerance through the Arts.

At the Global Tolerance Awards Banquet, Dr. Chen and the Friends of the United Nations will also launch Chen's three year world art campaign, under the same theme: Building A Culture of Peace and Tolerance through the Arts. The tour will be supplemented by participation from local artists, cultural events, seminars, childrens?art workshops, etc.

Dr. T. F. Chen is a painter, writer, art historian, visionary, philosopher, and founder of the T. F. Chen Cultural Center in NYC -- a non-profit organization focusing on international cultural exchange and a global New Renaissance. Dr. Chen's artistic life spans more than half a century. Born in Taiwan and educated in France, Chen was the first Chinese to earn a Ph. D in art history from La Sorbonne, where he established "Five - Dimensional World Culture" in theory (1969) and initiated "Neo-Iconography" in painting.

Neo-Iconography is a daring new form of communication. It unites East and West, past and present, by organizing and combining familiar "icons" in unfamiliar ways. "Neo-I" challenges both the artist and the viewer to be enchanted by new meanings for established images.

Recognized as "one of the twenty most influential artists in the world today" (Prof. Thomas McEvilley, art critic), Dr. Chen has conducted more than 100 one-man exhibitions worldwide. In 1998 and 2000, Dr. Chen held the honor of being invited to speak and exhibit at the State of the World Forum, a gathering of over 1,000 prominent world leaders in the fields of business, science, politics, education, technology and the humanities. Chen has produced more than 1,000 paintings in his signature style and has published eighteen books in English, Chinese and French concerning his art and his theories of an upcoming New Renaissance. Chen's works are featured in over one-hundred textbooks (including Art and Ideas), countless articles, newspapers, art magazines; and are collected widely privately and publicly.

The Global Tolerance Awards are hosted by the Friends of the United Nations, a non-governmental organization, dedicated to promoting the principles and values of the United Nations Charter. Dr. Noel Brown, the President of the FUN said of Chen:

Your effective use of media and the arts to nourish the values of tolerance and harmony as well as your skillful efforts to promote respect diversity and building bridges among peoples are most commendable and very much in keeping with a theme of this year program, building A Culture of Peace and Tolerance through the Arts.

As one who has had the opportunity to study your work closely, I remain deeply impressed by your unique ability to identify the human aesthetic constants in various cultures over time. I believe that your major work, towards the 21st Century: Symphony of World Culture, carries a very powerful message which I believe the world has a need to hear. Many of us feel that the 21st century should be a time of healing and human reconciliation. I have no doubt that through your art these impulses will be stimulated as we search for new meaning for the betterment of humanity.

Finally, Dr. Chen, the Friends of the United Nations attach the highest value to the work of the T. F. Chen Cultural Center and we are delighted that you will be able to accept this honor personally and join us at the Awards Ceremony at the United Nations, where a distinguished audience will likewise have an opportunity to acknowledge your most timely commitment to the values of tolerance and human dignity and to express appreciation to you for your noble endeavors.

For more information and to participate in the World Art Campaign, please contact us at (212) 966-4363. Thank you.