李元佳被視為臺灣抽象畫和觀念藝術的先驅之一，同時他也身為東方畫會(Ton Fan Group)和龐圖運動(Punto Movement)創始會員。自1949年離開台灣後，李元佳多居住於歐洲，包括博洛尼亞、倫敦和坎布里亞郡。他是為產量豐富的藝術家，創作了不同類型的藝術作品。從平面繪畫、版畫、詩歌、攝影到雕塑以及位於坎布里亞郡的李元佳美術館暨藝廊(LYC Museum and Art Gallery)。對李而言，藝術不僅幫助他暫時抽離現實生活，也是生活中不可或缺的一環。
目前已有許多專家學者對李元佳的一生、藝術型態和美術館進行討論，但他於1968年所發表的「玩具藝術」(Toyart)卻沒有得到太多關注。本論文將專注於李元佳的「玩具藝術」，期望能更深入理解「玩具藝術」的概念，並了解此概念從何而來、在藝術層面上可能受到什麼影響，以及應該如何解讀它。
首先我們將定義李元佳的玩具藝術。李元佳將自己的藝術創作視為玩具，並邀請大人和小孩共同加入他的藝術遊戲一起玩，「玩具藝術」不僅體現他的藝術理念也是當時社會上流行的概念，為了能更好的理解「玩具藝術」的概念，藉由探討玩具和遊戲概念的發展歷史及其在文化發展的重要性且將李的創作置於六零年代至七零年代的歷史框架下，衡量這些思想如何融入到他的作品中，並了解李如何藉由「玩具藝術」實現他的理想。

Acknowledged as one of the pioneers of Taiwanese abstract and conceptual art, Li Yuan-chia was one of the founding members of Ton Fan Group and Punto Movement. Since his departure from China in 1949, Li spent most of his adulthood in Europe, and stayed respectively in Bologna, London and Cumbria. He was a prolific artist who created different types of artworks that cover a wide spectrum of forms, from two-dimensional paintings, prints, poems, photographs to sculptural installation and a self-built museum in Cumbria. To him, art was not only a (temporary) distraction from reality, but also an indispensable element of life.
So far, Li’s concept of Toyart has been eclipsed in the academic circle. Scholars have discussed and focused on his life (trajectory), his artistic transitions, and his self-build museum¬¬—the LYC Museum and Art Gallery. However, his “invention” of Toyart, an idea that was initially articulated in 1968, has received less attention. The primary goal of this study is to have a better understanding of the concept, including what is Toyart, where the idea of Toyart comes from, what may have influenced it at the artistic level, and how it should be interpreted.
Initially, an in-depth analysis of Li’s works will be helpful in defining the concept of Toyart. Secondly, Li Yuan-chia regarded his creations as toys and generously invited adults as well as children to play and join his artistic game. While Toyart can be considered as the embodiment of Li’s artistic concept, it is also an idea that was in the air at the time. In order to decipher his idea, it is fundamental to discuss the evolution of the notion of toys and the concept of play in the society of that time and contextualize Li’s playable artistic creations within the frame of the cultural atmosphere that was developing during the 1960s and 1970s. The recontextualization will help us to measure the phenomenon that saw the irruption of artistic toys in the artistic field. Moreover, it will contribute to figuring out more clearly how Li reached his artistic aspiration by integrating ideas of playfulness into his works.

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