Impressions of the San Francisco Zoo

Inscription: Painted by Yani, age fourteen, on September 18, 1989. Impressions of the San Francisco Zoo.
This grouping of flamingos and a monkey with fruit was painted by the child artist Wang Yani during her stay in San Francisco when an exhibition of her paintings was on view at the Asian Art Museum. On the day this work was painted, the artist was giving a painting demonstration at the zoo by invitation. It was there she saw flamingos for the first time. Wang was told immature flamingos have gray plumage that turns pink after about a year, and she incorporated this information into her work; three of the seven flamingos are gray while the others are pink. A monkey, one of her favorite subjects to paint, sits on one flamingo and holds a basket of fruit. This painting was presented to Art Agnos, then mayor of San Francisco, who passed it on to the Asian Art Museum.