LAKELAND, Fla. (Dec. 17, 2008) — Beginning Jan. 9, 2009, Florida Southern College’s Melvin Gallery will be host to “The Best of Beijing: Contemporary Chinese Art,” a major exhibition of internationally known Chinese artists. It is the first major exhibition of contemporary Chinese art in Central Florida.

The exhibition consists of 38 works by 33 artists, including many of the most famous contemporary Chinese artists. The artists include Li Xiaofeng, Su Xinping, Zhu Wei, Wang Lifeng, Liu Qinghe, Feng Zhengjie, Fu Yuehui, He Sen, Huang Yan, and Li Wei. The works include paintings, sculptures, prints, photographs, and works in mixed media.

Chinese contemporary art has gained international acclaim over the last decade as Beijing has become one of the most exciting art centers in the world. “The Best of Beijing” represents the first time a major exhibition of contemporary Chinese art has come to Central Florida.

The works in “The Best of Beijing” exhibition were brought to the United States by the Red Gate Gallery, the oldest and most prominent commercial art gallery in Beijing, and the Byron Cohen Gallery of Kansas City, Mo., and were exhibited in conjunction with Art Basel/Miami Beach last month. The works from the Byron Cohen Gallery will be exhibited in the main gallery of the Florida Southern College Melvin Art Gallery until Feb. 5, when they will return to Beijing. The works from the Red Gate Gallery will be exhibited in the Melvin Gallery’s Burks Art Gallery until March 19, after which they will travel to Cologne, Germany.

An opening reception for the Chinese art exhibition, as well as a concurrent exhibition of the works of art teachers from Polk County schools, will begin at 7 p.m. Jan. 9 in the Honeyman Pavilion, adjacent to the Melvin Art Gallery. The public is invited.

The Florida Southern College galleries are open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday when the College is in session.