On view from September 12 through October 28, 2000 at The Ruth and Sherman Lee Center for Japanese Art is a special loan exhibition from the widely acclaimed Japanese art collection of Dr. Peter F. and Doris Drucker. Comprised of 22 paintings by the master Zen artists, Fugai, Hakuin, Sengai, and Torei, and including a classic Tenjin painting from Konoe Nobutada, the "Father of Zen Painting," the fall exhibition explores the unsophisticated and self-consciously primitive style of these Zen monks from the 16th to the 19th centuries. [Three paintings from the exhibition are shown below.]

Although the Druckers' collection has traveled extensively in Japan and the U.S., this is the first time an exhibition will center exclusively on its Zen paintings. With these works, the Lee Center is fortunate to offer the San Joaquin Valley the rare opportunity to study the meditative art and calligraphy of some of the greatest Zen artists of the Edo period in an appropriately serene setting. Thanks to the generosity of Dr. and Mrs. Drucker, we are pleased to present, for the first time, an experience in Japanese art beyond the scope of our permanent collection.

Dr. Drucker is a world authority on business management and author of numerous books on the subject. He first encountered Japanese art in an exhibition at London's Royal Academy in 1934 and, with his wife, Doris, has been collecting for over 40 years. (Visitor info)