Exhibition of Chinese Drawing

60 Years of Drawing from Central Academy of Fine Arts

10/24/2011 — 11/23/2011
University Art Gallery, William Paterson University

An exhibition of 91 Chinese masters' drawings from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, spanning over a 60-year period, from 1950 to 2010, was shown in the Court Gallery and East Gallery of Ben Shahn at William Paterson University. The exhibition featured many distinguished artists including WU Zuoren, JIN Shangyi, ZHOU Sicong, ZHU Naizheng, PAN Gongkai and XU Bing. Beijing's Central Academy of Fine Arts is ranked as the highest art institute in China and is the only art institute that is directly governed by the Cultural Minister of the Chinese Government.

Foreward

"It is with great pleasure that I welcome to this exhibition of Chinese Drawings from the Collection of the China Central Academy of Fine Arts at the Center for Chinese Art and University Galleries at William Paterson University."

"As a traditional component of art education, drawing is not only a method to assist art students in developing their skills in depicting objects and scenes, it helps to cultivate their powers of observation, understanding, and thought. Beyond its pedagogical value, however, drawing may be a means of artistic expression in its own right. The 91 works of art in the current exhibition—figure drawings and sketches by the most accomplished contemporary artists from China—provide a glimpse of the fine works of art accomplished in this medium. These works are especially revealing about how drawing, a traditionally Western mode of representation and expression, has found new life among the foremost artists in China today."

"I am pleased to celebrate this collaboration between the Central Academy of Fine Arts of China and William Paterson University. Together, we hold dear our traditions and look forward to our future. It is our sincere hope that this exhibition will contribute to further exchange between the two institutions and to the mutual development of the East and West, highlighting the interaction of past and present, tradition and innovation."

"I deeply appreciate the collaborative efforts of the faculty and staff at the Center for Chinese Art and the University Galleries at William Paterson University and the Art Museum of China Central Academy of Fine Arts in planning this exhibition. I would also like to express my thanks particularly to Margaret Lam and David Yen for their generous contributions to the exhibition through the Center for Chinese Art, to Dr. Nancy Einreinhofer for her efforts in seeking grant funding for the exhibition, and to the New Jersey State Council on the Arts for their sponsorship."

"I wish the exhibition great success and hope you are as delighted and enlightened by it as I am."

Dr. Kathleen Waldron
President, Willaim Paterson University