PHOENIX.- Phoenix Art Museum presents an unprecedented opportunity to explore and understand the ongoing link of contemporary Asian art with centuries of tradition. This summer, beginning July 8, 2008, the Museum presents A Tradition Redefined, four extraordinary exhibits focused of Asian art from the 19th, 20th and 21st century. Highlighting this exceptional show, is Modern and Contemporary Chinese Ink Painting from the Chu-tsing Li Collection, the first exhibition to present an overall, comprehensive picture of the development of modern and contemporary Chinese ink painting.

Drawn entirely from the collection of Chu-tsing Li, the finest and most comprehensive collection of its kind in the Western world, the exhibition demonstrates the dramatic evolution of Chinese ink painting in recent times and lays a foundation for understanding the international-style work that is being created in China today. The premier survey of Chinese ink paintings produced during the second half of the 20th century, Modern and Contemporary Chinese Ink Painting from the Chu-tsing Li Collection includes 63 stunning works of art, many of which have not been previously exhibited outside of Asia.

“In contemporary Chinese ink painting, one can appreciate how the artists have merged century old practices with outside influences such as abstraction and expressionism,” commented Janet Baker, curator of Asian Art, Phoenix Art Museum, and co-curator of Modern and Contemporary Chinese Ink Painting from the Chu-tsing Li Collection. “This reflects the fact that many of these artists have spent part of their lives living in China and part living in Europe or America.”

Concurrent with Modern and Contemporary Chinese Ink Painting from the Chu-tsing Li Collection, Phoenix Art Museum will host No Snow on the Broken Bridge, a film installation by one of China’s most sought-after artists, Yang Fudong; The Modern Spirit in Chinese Painting: Gifts from the Jeannette Shambaugh Elliott Collection, an exhibit drawn from the museum’s own collection of works by 20th century Chinese artists; and Making Waves: Contemporary Japanese Prints from the Mary and William Way Collection, which explores the style and media diversity found in 21st century Japanese prints.

“We are extremely proud to host this extensive gathering of contemporary and modern Chinese and Japanese art,” commented James Ballinger, director of Phoenix Art Museum. “These four stimulating exhibitions provide an exceptional opportunity to experience new innovations in Chinese art, such as video, as well as appreciate the role traditional methods and styles play in contemporary pieces.”

Modern and Contemporary Chinese Ink Painting from the Chu-tsing Li Collection
In the last fifty years, questions about Chinese art have become increasingly entwined with questions of cultural identity, growing international markets, changing technology, and the availability of global information access. As more artists of Chinese background have made their work internationally known, the lines between traditional ink painting and new media, between old and new aesthetic values, and between China and the rest of the world have been continually defined and redefined. Modern and Contemporary Chinese Ink Painting from the Chu-tsing Li Collection explores aspects of Chinese painting in modern Chinese society during this extraordinary time period. Concurrently, the collection traces the career of Dr. Chu-tsing Li, Professor Emeritus of the University of Kansas, who is one of the pioneering scholars in the field of modern Chinese art.

No Snow on the Broken Bridge: Video Work by Yang Fudong
An artist trained as a painter, Yang Fudong’s videos and photography speak of a fluctuation between the modern world and traditions that extend back for millennia. His atmospheric landscapes capture intense and powerful expressions coupled with sensual meditative impressions aimed more at feelings than intellect. In No Snow on the Broken Bridge (2006), Yang creates a dream-like sequence reminiscent of a Chinese handscroll painting. Through the use of eight projectors, it unfurls slowly, allowing the viewer to engage in the nostalgic drama. The black-and-white format echoes the aesthetics of Chinese ink painting.

The Modern Spirit in Chinese Painting: Gifts from the Jeannette Shambaugh Elliott Collection
Drawn from the Museum’s own collection of works by 20th century Chinese artists, this selection will provide a link to the classical traditions of Chinese landscape painting as well as modern interpretations by artists who lived through the tumultuous 20th century. The exhibition includes works by several artists who are featured in A Tradition Redefined, allowing visitors the opportunity to see a greater range of these artists’ styles and subject matter over their lifetimes. Most of these painters are alive and working in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the U.S.

Making Waves: Contemporary Japanese Prints from the Mary & William Way Collection
One of the country’s most extensive and rarely seen collections of contemporary Japanese prints, Making Waves: Contemporary Japanese Prints from the Mary and William Way Collection explores the diversity found in 21st century Japanese prints from traditional to abstract and from Surrealism to Photo-realism, examining the techniques today’s contemporary artists are using while maintaining tradition with their artistic and technical virtuosity.