Napa Valley Museum Announces The First US Museum Exhibit Opening Of Artwork By Lucy Liu

On exhibition at the Napa Valley Museum Yountville from February 1 through April 26, 2020, the first U.S. museum exhibition of paintings and sculpture by Lucy Liu, the Artist, Actress and Advocate, entitled: "Lucy Liu: One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others." An accomplished artist whose work was recently exhibited at the National Museum of Singapore, Liu has created an impressive collection of deeply personal artworks, ranging from large-scale paintings to inventive mixed media works to intricate wood sculptures.

Lucy Liu is an award-winning actress who has appeared in films, on television and on Broadway. She is also a respected director and dedicated UNICEF ambassador, advocating for children's health and protection since 2004. Liu will visit Yountville to serve as Keynote Speaker at the Museum's February 25 "Phenomenal Women" fundraising luncheon, held in the Museum's main gallery in Yountville, and has generously donated an original work of silkscreen and hand painted acrylic on paper: "Freshly Squeezed III", for auction to benefit the museum's arts education programs. She will not be present at the February 1 exhibition opening, but will be represented there by the exhibition's co-curator Daniel Chen, the director of Chambers Fine Art, who represents her artwork.

This exhibition "Lucy Liu: One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others," focuses on her wood sculptures and on oversized paintings inspired by Shunga, a form of erotic art based on the "ukiyo-e" or Japanese woodblock. It also features representative works from her "Totem" series including "41", in which intricate embroidered "spines" are paired with bold designs fashioned from fabric, paper and thread. Also on display will be an example of her silkscreens, and artworks from the "Lost & Found" series, in which found objects are incorporated into books which become works of art themselves.

The exhibition will feature video of the creation of her silkscreens and found object series, and other video and audio illustrating her influences and creative processes. It will also incorporate an example of traditional Japanese Shunga hand scroll, provided by San Francisco's Asian Art Museum.

"I'm so happy to collaborate with the Napa Valley Museum and to share my work with the community," says the artist Lucy Liu. "Art has been an important part of my life and development since I was a child; it helps cultivate imagination and also fosters critical thinking skills. Supporting lifelong arts education is imperative and I am thrilled to be a part of this important endeavor."

"The Museum is thrilled by the opportunity to present the first U.S. exhibition by this talented artist, whose thrilling works manage to be bold and exaggerated, yet shockingly intimate," says Laura Rafaty, Executive Director of the Napa Valley Museum Yountville. "Lucy's paintings and sculpture are both intellectual and emotional, reverential and revolutionary. They challenge viewers to re-examine cultural and gender stereotypes, while always retaining an essential humanity. This first U.S. exhibition of her work allows us to build on a season during which we've presented some of the world's most provocative and acclaimed female artists, from painters Frida Kahlo and Juanita Guccione to photographers Diane Arbus, Imogen Cunningham, Margaret Bourke-White and Dorothea Lange. "Lucy Liu: One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others," allows us to showcase the work of a living artist whose very public career in the performing arts, and tireless advocacy for the world's children through UNICEF, uniquely inform her work as a visual artist. We are all looking forward to her visit as our Keynote Speaker at our February 25 fundraising luncheon, where we will hear her speak about the creation and inspiration behind these works and about her multi-faceted life and career."

Due to adult subject matter, the Museum recommends that visitors under age 18 be accompanied by a parent (the downstairs history and art exhibitions are easily accessible for younger viewers).

Also on exhibition, in our Yountville downstairs galleries:

The Yates Collection, in the Spotlight Gallery, February 1 through March 22, 2020, showcases exquisite works collected by the Yates Foundation and on long-term loan to the Museum, including works by Matisse, Pissarro, Picasso, and Chagall; and

In the new History Gallery, our permanent history exhibition: "Land and People of the Napa Valley." Our popular history cases return from their tour of downtown Napa in a new permanent gallery configuration, including the new Veterans Home history display.

The Opening Celebration for all three exhibitions will take place on Saturday, February 1, 2020 from 5 to 7 pm and is Free for Museum Members; $20 for Non-Members, and includes Museum Admission, wine and light bites. Proceeds will benefit the Napa Valley Museum Yountville's 501c3 nonprofit arts and education programs.

More information about the Museum's exhibitions and related programs is available at www.napavalleymuseum.org.

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