Stanford University Brings Art by Four Chinese Masters to America, on View Free to the Public

Landmark Exhibition opens at Cantor Arts Center on February 17 with 110 works by Wu Changshuo, Qi Baishi, Huang Binhong, and Pan Tianshou.

“Tracing the Past, Drawing the Future: Master Ink Painters in 20th-Century China” continues through July 4, 2010 with accompanying book in English.

Admission is free to the art museum, exhibition, symposium, performances, and tours.

STANFORD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University announces an exhibition that brings to the United States a rare and important group of 20th-century paintings by four Chinese modern masters. The exhibition “Tracing the Past, Drawing the Future: Master Ink Painters in 20th-Century China” presents more than 110 works, in two rotations, February 17 through July 4, 2010. Admission is free.

“Tracing the Past, Drawing the Future: Master Ink Painters in 20th-Century China”

“This landmark exhibition illuminates a turning point in the development of Chinese ink painting during the 20th century,” explained Dr. Xiaoneng Yang, the Cantor Arts Center’s Patrick J. J. Maveety Curator of Asian Art. “With paintings and calligraphy on loan from Chinese collections new to American audiences, the exhibition presents monumental portraits, vibrant bird-and-flower painting, and spectacular landscapes by Wu Changshuo (1844–1927), Qi Baishi (1864–1957), Huang Binhong (1865–1955), and Pan Tianshou (1897–1971). Collectively known in China as the ‘Four Great Masters of Ink Painting,’ these artists faced the dual challenges of negotiating the impact of encounters with the West, while inventing new directions for long-held practices of ink painting.”

Dr. Yang traveled from Stanford University to China to select the works, and three institutions are lending national treasures to this exhibition: the Zhejiang Provincial Museum, the Pan Tianshou Memorial Museum at the China Academy of Fine Arts, and the Hangzhou History Museum. Dignitaries from the Chinese museums are coming to Stanford University to attend the exhibition’s opening events.

The exhibition is accompanied by a book, a free symposium, a free music series, and free docent tours. A fully illustrated catalogue in English includes scholarly introductions and essays on each artist. Full entries, translated from Chinese, accompany images of the works in the exhibition. An international symposium, February 19–21, cosponsored by Stanford University’s Center for East Asian Studies, is open free to scholars and the public.

In collaboration with the Stanford University Pan-Asian Music Festival, the Cantor Arts Center presents a series of "Elegant Gatherings," an ancient term for a gathering of scholars and artists who come together to share of their knowledge, deepening friendships as they cultivate their respective scholarly and artistic pursuits. Created by Professor Jindong Cai, each Thursday evening gathering, February 18, April 8, and May 27, uses live performances to explore music and its relationship to ink painting, calligraphy, poetry, faith, and healing in Chinese tradition. The free performances are sponsored by the Joan and John Jay Corley Fund for Performance.

Docents offer free public tours of the exhibition Thursdays at 12:15, Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m., and for groups by appointment. Call 650-723-3469 at least six weeks ahead to schedule a free private group tour.

The exhibition is made possible by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, the Clumeck Fund, Cantor Arts Center Members, and the Khoan and Michael Sullivan Fund. Additional support is provided by the Halperin Discretionary Fund, the Constance Corcoran Miller Fund, the Joan and John Jay Corley Fund, and the Stanford Institute for Creativity and the Arts.

Admission to the Cantor Arts Center is free, and admission is free to the exhibition. For hours, directions, and other information, visit museum.stanford.edu. See a video of Chinese art scholar Richard Vinograd talking about the exhibition.

The art museum at Stanford University opened in 1894. Now known as the Cantor Arts Center, this museum serves Stanford University and the community at large. The museum’s educational mission, comprehensive collection, and free admission make it a popular destination for international travelers, art enthusiasts, neighbors, and students.

A selection of publicity photos is available online at http://www.stanford.edu/dept/suma/news_room/documents/photos/.  A media preview is Wednesday, February 17, from 10 a.m. to noon, reply to [e-mail].

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6121580&lang=en