Guest curator Kathleen M. Ryor will give a Saturday Special Tour of The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia's new exhibition, "Ancient Master in Modern Styles: Chinese Ink Paintings from the 16th-21st Centuries," on Sept. 1 at 2 p.m.

The Chinese art of ink painting is an ancient and continuously practiced tradition transmitted and learned in part through the study of the works of past masters.

This exhibition of Chinese ink paintings from the Fralin and Lijin collections examines the influence of this long tradition on later artists and how they sought to balance reverence for the art of old masters with their own impulses for artistic expression. The exhibition demonstrates the rich variety of ink painting in China over many centuries and the continuing relevance of tradition to Chinese artists today.

Ryor earned her B.A. at U.Va. and her M.A. and Ph.D. at New York University. Her primary area of research is Chinese painting of the late Ming dynasty. Her other research and teaching interests include interactions between different modes of representation in the Ming and Qing periods, Chinese gardens and 20th-century Chinese art and Japanese prints.

The museum's programming is made possible by the support of the Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation. The exhibition is made possible through the support of the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, the B. Herbert Lee '48 Endowed Fund, the Denison and Louise Hatch Americana Preservation Fund, Albemarle Magazine, Ivy Publications LLC's Charlottesville Welcome Book, The Hook and an anonymous donor; and is co-sponsored by the Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts.

The Fralin Museum of Art usually offers Saturday Special Tours on the third or fourth Saturday of every month, offering the opportunity to join faculty, curators and scholars as they explore a variety of focused topics related to museum collections and exhibitions.

Saturday Special Tours are free and open to the public. For information, call 434-243-2050 or e-mail museumoutreach@virginia.edu. The museum is located at 155 Rugby Road, one block from the Rotunda.