ROSLYN HARBOR, NY.- 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 is at Nassau County Museum of Art from November 22, 2014 through March 8, 2015; it was 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.

China Then and Now unfolds over three galleries, each of which showcases the elegant beauty of Chinese art of different eras and media. The exhibition opens with eleven large-scale classical stone sculptures lent by the Art Properties, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University and formerly in the collections of Arthur M. Sackler. 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 City. 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.