奇美博物館弦樂器的收藏非常廣泛，尤其以提琴收藏，堪稱獨一無二。館藏涵括了提琴樂器各個重要的製琴學派，著名製琴師所製作的不同風格作品，且每一把提琴都是經典傑作。
奇美已經成為全球擁有最知名且最完整的提琴收藏寶庫。除了收藏這些獨樹一格的提琴樂器，奇美文化基金會也非常慷慨，免費出借館藏的提琴樂器給年輕音樂家使用，同時也贊助他們的音樂生涯，讓台灣與世界各地的愛樂者，能夠聆聽到音樂家演奏這些世界級的樂器，發出優美典雅的音韻，相對激發出音樂家的無窮潛力。名琴與名家，可說是相得益彰。
奇美集團創辦人許文龍先生對於音樂的熱愛，使他不僅擬出每把名琴的收藏決策，讓數量龐大的提琴樂器得到精細維護與保存，大方展示給大家觀賞；更讓人萬分敬佩的是，由於他恢弘遠大的性格特質，將典藏名琴出借給音樂家，透過他們的精湛演奏，釋放出飽滿豐盛的樂音，不但還原提琴樂器創造的目的，更能延續這些名琴強韌的生命力。
2009年於台北故宮博物院展出的「絶色名琴─奇美博物館提琴珍藏展」，將以許多經典作品，呈現四百多年來的提琴和琴弓製作文化。屆時參觀民眾不僅能見到樂器發明時的樣子，也能深入瞭解義大利著名製琴師，例如安東尼奧‧史特拉底瓦里(Antonio Stradivari)，當初如何在提琴樂器中，加入不可思議的改良，把製作提琴的藝術推昇至巔峰，其中過程的轉變曲折到底有多奧妙。
不只史特拉底瓦里在製琴領域中的創新無人能及，後來的追隨者也個個出類拔萃。諸位製琴大師努力以赴，紛紛製作出別樹一格、令人激賞的提琴樂器，在提琴文化史上留下極佳聲譽。
奇美文化基金會這次舉辦的「絶色名琴─奇美博物館提琴珍藏展」，不僅提供專家與愛樂者欣賞，還能讓大家親眼目睹這些豐碩的絕世珍品，進而感受提琴音樂無與倫比的優雅與美妙。
The Chi Mei Collection of Stringed-Instruments is one of its kind. The concept in having one instrument model by all important makers of each specific string-making school defines the Chi Mei Collection as the most complete and globally well-known to all specialists in this field, holding a league of their own.
In addition to the idea of collecting instruments, we also find a very generous aspect to Chi Mei Foundation’s ethics: Collection instruments are frequently on loan to young promising musicians at no cost. This is tremendously helpful to the young musicians’ career while audiences from all over the world enjoy the production of sound of these world-class instruments.
The Founder of Chi Mei Group, Mr. Wen-Long Shi not only built the fundament in creating this collection, he also takes part in all decisions aspects for each individual instrument. Thanks to his love and enthusiasm for music, as well as his individualistic ethos for his company, the life of the instruments to this enormous collection are thrived by not being stored away permanently, or only used for display purposes - they get to be used for what they originally have been created for: To be played and make music.
The Legend of Italian Violins (1560-1850) exhibition of 2009 in the Taipei National Palace Museum shows some of the greatest examples over 400 years of violin and bow making history. The visitors not only will get an impression on how instruments looked like during the time they were invented, but also get to understand how stringed-instruments were modified and improved to their peak by the famous Italian violinmaker Antonio Stradivari (1644-1737) who brought the level of stringed-instrument making to its peak with his incredible modification and refinements to the making.
Although it is believed that no one since Stradivari’s time had been able to top his innovations, other distinguished followers and makers since had continued to thrive in making plausible instruments which includes its unique personality and characteristic, leaving their own name as important instrument-makers in history of time.
Thanks to the Chi Mei Culture Foundation, “The Legend of Italian Violins” is no longer reserved only to a small number of experts, but instead, the enthusiastic general public is now able to witness this unique collection.