Showcasing one of the finest collections of 17th-century Chinese paintings in the United States, Alternative Dreams: 17th-Century Chinese Paintings from the Tsao Family Collection presents works by many of the most famous painters of this period, including scholars, officials, and Buddhist monks.

The 17th century witnessed the fall of the Chinese-ruled Ming dynasty (1368–1644) and the founding of the Manchu-ruled Qing dynasty (1644–1911). It was one of the most turbulent and creative eras in the history of Chinese art. Composed of 130 paintings, the exhibition explores the ways artists of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties used painting, calligraphy, and poetry to create new identities as means of negotiating the social disruptions that accompanied the fall of the Ming dynasty.

Formed over a period of fifty years by Bay Area collector and dealer Jung Ying Tsao, the collection includes works by Dong Qichang (1555–1636), considered the most versatile Chinese artist of the last five hundred years, and major, previously unpublished works by Gong Xian, Fu Shan, Hongren, Bada shanren, Daoji, Wang Hui, and Wang Yuanqi.