Nassau County Museum of Art Presents Its First Exhibition Devoted to Chinese Art

China Then and Now brings together exemplary Chinese works of art from the classical, early modern and contemporary periods. The exhibition explores three millennia of one of the world's most important artistic traditions from the perspective of American collectors on Long Island, such as Childs and Frances Frick and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler. The exhibition opens at Nassau County Museum of Art on November 22, 2014 and remains on view through March 8, 2015.

China Then and Now unfolds over three galleries, each of which showcases the elegant beauty of Chinese art of a different eras and medium. The exhibition opens with eleven large-scale classical stone sculptures lent by the Arthur M. Sackler Collections at Columbia University. At the heart of China Then and Now, is an installation of blue-and-white porcelains from the Ming and Qing eras (17th to 18th centuries) collected by Childs and Frances Frick and on loan, for the first time, from The Frick Collection in New York. This display reunites these works with their original setting, the Georgian-style Bryce-Frick mansion that is today the home of the Nassau County Museum of Art. A final gallery presents extraordinary ink paintings by the renowned Beijing artist Liu Dan (born 1953) whose works bridge traditional forms with contemporary practices.

Nassau County Museum of Art's first exhibition devoted to Asian art, China Then and Now sheds new light on a fascinating chapter in America's engagement with China and its arts. This exhibition reveals the passion of American collectors of both the past and present for the culture and history of China.

Several public programs are being offered that will enhance and expand the experience of viewing China Then and Now. Four of the programs are being presented by experts in their fields and will offer perspectives on Chinese art and collecting. On December 20, Daisy Yiyou Wang, Ph.D. presents A Thousand Graces: Chinese Buddhist Sculpture in America Then and Now. On January 10, Kathleen Yang's talk, C. C. Wang: Collector, Connoisseur and Painter, explores the career of a celebrated collector of Chinese art. On February 28, Kaijun Chen, Ph.D, the exhibition's co-curator, presents A Cosmopolitan Taste: Chinese Blue-and-White Porcelain in the Frick Collection. On March 7, Amy Poster, co-curator of the exhibition, presents Chinese Art and Long Island Collectors: A Curator's Perspective. Museum Docent Riva Ettus presents lunchtime talks on the exhibition on December 18, January 8 and February 5. Docent-led tours of China Then and Now are offered each day at 2 p.m. Additionally, a 15-minute film about Liu Dan will be screened daily at various hours. After November 10, please visit the Museum's website, nassaumuseum.org, for program details and to register for the December 20, January 10, February 28 and March 7 talks.

China Then and Now is sponsored by HSBC Private Bank and is organized by guest curators Amy G. Poster, Curator Emerita of Asian Art at the Brooklyn Museum, and Kaijun Chen, Ph.D., post-doctoral Fellow at the Max-Planck-Institute for the History of Science.

Nassau County Museum of Art is located at One Museum Drive in Roslyn Harbor, just off Northern Boulevard, Route 25A, two traffic lights west of Glen Cove Road. The museum is open Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-4:45 p.m. Docent-led tours of the exhibition are offered at 2 p.m. each day; tours of the mansion are offered each Saturday at 1 p.m.; meet in the lobby, no reservations needed. Tours are free with museum admission. Family art activities and family tours are offered Sundays from 1 pm; free with museum admission. Call (516) 484-9338, ext. 12 to inquire about group tours. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors (62 and above) and $4 for students with ID and children aged 4 to 12. Members and children under 4 are admitted free. The Museum Store is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call (516) 484-9337 for current exhibitions, events, days/times and directions or log onto nassaumuseum.org.

The Nassau County Museum of Art is chartered and accredited by New York State as a not-for-profit private educational institution and is governed by a privately elected Board of Trustees. The Museum and its programs are made possible through the support of Nassau County under County Executive Edward P. Mangano and the Nassau County Legislature; the Board of Trustees and Museum Members; Sponsors of Exhibitions and Events, Government and Foundation Grants, Corporate and Private Donors as well as earned income.

Photo: Northern Qi (550-577)
Head of a Bodhisattva
Sandstone
13 3/8 x 7 1/4 x 7 3/4 inches
Art Properties, Avery Architectural
& Fine Arts Library,
Columbia University in the City of New York, Sackler Collections