"Forever Spring" in Beijing
Gary Bukovnik '71

San Francisco Artist, Gary Bukovnik Brings Monumental Bouquet to China’s Today Art Museum September 6, 2014

On Saturday, September 6, 2014, Forever Spring - Gary Bukovnik Solo Exhibition will open at the Today Art Museum, China’s first and largest privately owned art museum. This exhibition, Mr. Bukovnik’s eighth in China since he began showing his work there in 2011, will occupy an entire floor of one of the museum’s four buildings. He has shown extensively in North America and Europe and his work is in many major art museums including New York’s Metropolitan and Modern Museum of Art and San Francisco’s Fine Arts Museums and Museum of Modern Art. (see www.garybukovnik.com for complete listing.) Today Art Museum is located at No. 32 Baiziwan Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing. 100022. Tel: 8610-58760600.

In Beijing the exhibition’s largest work is an 8’ x 30’ monumental watercolor installation, Butterfly’s Love for Flowers, created from 7 panels hung in scroll-like fashion, amidst 199 painted and gilded butterflies suspended from the gallery ceiling. Mr. Bukovnik says, “This work was inspired by a beautiful love song I heard performed in San Francisco by singer SongZu Ying. I was lucky enough to meet her and I’m excited to be showing this work in Beijing.”

The exhibition also features A Rose Diary, a series of smaller watercolor roses painted on 50 consecutive days, which will occupy another entire wall of the gallery. This “painted diary” was inspired by the work of revered Qing Dynasty artist Ren Yi (1840-1896) well known for his flower and bird paintings.

Mr. Bukovnik is quick to point out that “everything that’s happened with my art in China has come about through the efforts of Jian Yang,” an art-lover whose admiration of Bukovnik’s work has led him to organize and coordinate all 8 of the solo exhibitions in China. Mr. Yang says from the first moment he encountered Mr. Bukovnik’s artwork on the Internet, he was determined to make every effort to bring both the artist and the work to China. “I thought the paintings were so beautiful, the flowers so joyfully expressed, that Chinese people would definitely want to see them. I couldn’t sleep until I had contacted Gary.” The first exhibition Mr. Yang organized was at the Jiya Culture Gallery in Quanzhou in 2011, followed by one at the Shanghai HongQiao Contemporary Art Museum and another at the Art Museum of the Suzhou Art Academy. (www.garybukovnik.com for complete listing of Solo Chinese Exhibitions and other worldwide exhibitions and events.)

Born in 1947 in “greenhouse country,” Painesville, Ohio just east of Cleveland, Gary Bukovnik attended the Cleveland Institute of Art. After traveling and painting in Europe, he eventually moved to San Francisco in 1975 where he works in his studio in the SOMA (South of Market) District. Currently, his works, primarily watercolors, are in both museum and private collections around the world. In San Francisco, Mr. Bukovnik is represented by Thomas Reynolds Gallery.

Since 1980, Mr. Bukovnik has annually created and donated a major work to the San Francisco Symphony for their season poster. The complete collection of these works is on permanent exhibition in the Loge Lounge of Davies Symphony Hall. The works he has donated over the years to San Francisco charity, Project Open Hand for use on their annual calendars, have generated in excess of one million dollars.

For detailed biographical information, photos of artwork and video interviews along with a complete listing of books, worldwide exhibitions, collections, galleries, etc. please visit www.garybukovnik.com. Mr. Bukovnik is happy to grant interviews and private visits to his studio upon request.

Website: http://www.todayartmuseum.com/enindex.aspx